Walkergate: Collaboration? What Collaboration? Oh, THAT Collaboration!

As the gentle reader is already aware, Scott Walker is the only governor in history that has been embroiled in not just one, but two, John Doe investigations.

The first John Doe investigation yielded six convictions of Walker's donors and his closest friends and aides. The convictions were for illegal campaign donations, stealing from a campaign stunt disguised as a veterans fund and illegally doing campaign work during county time and using county staff and equipment - much akin to the caucus scandals from a decade ago.

The second John Doe investigation involved whether there was illegal collaboration between Walker's campaign and third party groups - read dark money special interest groups.  This investigation is currently held in limbo as Walker and said dark money groups are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it in an effort to derail it.

Walker has gone from saying that he has done nothing wrong to saying that the illegal collaboration isn't really illegal because they said so.

There is good reason for Walker and his allies to change their tune.

On Tuesday, December 30th, while most everyone was celebrating the holidays, Chris Abele, Walker's successor as Milwaukee County Executive and protege, released another batch of emails from the first Walkergate investigation.  The emails are rife with examples of the illegal politicking and the illegal collaboration that was happening even then.

We already know that Walker was fully aware of what was going on with the secret router and the illegal politicking that had been going on.  In fact, Walker not only knew about it all, he was directing it!

The latest email drop only goes to again prove that when it comes to all things Walker, there's more. There's always more.

I have chosen three emails out the thousands that aptly prove this.  The first of the emails had to deal with the tragic event at O'Donnell Park, in which a large concrete facade fell off the structure, crushing a teenage boy to death and severely harming two others.  As one might expect, Walker was more concerned about the political impact of the tragedy rather than the victims.

Email #1

The first email is from Jill Bader, Walker's then campaign spokeswoman.  She was giving a heads up to Walker and his county spokeswoman about an inquiry from blargher James "Wiggy" Wigderson:

It should be noted that Wiggy the Most Friendly Blogger was openly stating that he was writing for the MacIver Institute. The MacIver Institute is funded by the Bradley Foundation. The Bradley Foundation is headed by Michael Grebe, who was also Walker's campaign chair at the time. See how nicely this all works out for them?

It should also be noted that they probably felt real comfortable around Wiggy because he is no stranger to illegal politicking and unethical behavior himself.

Email #2

The second example is actually two emails in one.  They have to do with a rally that was held by a dark money front group inaptly named Citizens for Responsible Government.  The rally was supposedly an official event, meaning that, by state law, Walker's campaign should steer clear of.

It didn't quite work out that way.

The initial email is from R.J. Johnson, who was not only working as a consultant for Walker's campaign but also heavily involved with the Koch Brothers-funded Wisconsin Club for Growth.  On top of that, Johnson had also set up another third party group - Citizens for a Strong America - which he used for running "issue ads."  John Doe prosecutors have stated that Johnson was also a conduit for the dark money flowing into the state.

In this email, he is complaining to local squawk radio host Charlie Sykes that Steve Schultze, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, wasn't following their talking points:

Johnson's email isn't that significant in itself except that it shows the rally was a thinly disguised political event after all.

What is of more significance is that Walker, using his campaign email address, forwarded this email to his county staff at their county email addresses.  (Tom Nardelli was Walker's chief of staff, Tim Russell was his Deputy Chief of Staff.  McLaughlin, as mentioned above, was his county spokeswoman.) This belies Walker's repeated claim that he strictly forbid his county staff to partake in campaign activity. He ordered them to do so.

As to why the body of the first email is blocked out, one would have to ask the current Milwaukee County Executive, Chris Abele. I don't know what was in that text or why Abele chose to redact it or who he is trying to protect.

Email #3

The third email is in regards to an open records request filed by One Wisconsin Now.  Walker's staff was in a tizzy, trying to decide how to respond to it. There were numerous emails between his county staff and campaign staff on what to do. When they finally made a decision, Walker sent this email:

Again, Walker sent the email from his campaign email address.  Despite using his campaign address, he sent it to both campaign and county staff, again enforcing the fact that he was breaking the law with the level of collaboration and by using his county staff and equipment for campaign purposes.

The gentle reader should keep in mind that while Walker and his cohorts in crime are now trying to defend their actions by saying that what they did isn't wrong, they obviously knew it was against the law by trying to hide it through a secret email system and through a secret router.

Just because Walker hasn't been tried or convicted of any crimes - yet, it doesn't mean that he didn't commit them.

The Story Of The Ice Bowl

In case some of you have forgotten or a tad nervous about Sunday's game:

If At First You Don't Succeed....

By Jeff Simpson 

Try and try and try and try and try and try and try and try and try and try again....

Mitt Romney really really wants to be President.  He is entitled!

Mitt Romney forcefully declared his interest in a third presidential run to a room full of powerful Republican donors Friday, disrupting the fluid 2016 GOP field as would-be rival Jeb Bush was moving swiftly to consolidate establishment support.
Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, has been mulling another campaign for several months, but his comments Friday marked a clear step forward in his thinking and come amid mounting tensions between the Romney and Bush camps.
“I want to be president,” Romney told about 30 donors in New York. He said that his wife, Ann — who last fall said she was emphatically against a run — had changed her mind and was now “very encouraging,” although their five sons remain split, according to multiple attendees.

Pay Attention ~ There's a New Legislature in Session

"Raise your right hand and repeat after me,” the Supreme Court Justice directs newly elected and re-elected lawmakers. So begins the new 2-year Legislative Session. On the first working day of 2015 a new group of freshman legislators began their work. Ordinary folks from ordinary lives receive a crash course in state services, agencies, budgeting and parliamentary procedure. Soon an onslaught of proposed bills will appear in the email in-boxes of lawmakers. Over 1,500 bills will be introduced before the 2-year legislative session adjourns. These bills will flow through 16 Senate and 33 Assembly committees. Certain proposals will also be reviewed by 10 joint committees. Each lawmaker is assigned a number of committees, other appointed commissions, boards or special study committees. This year I will serve as the Ranking Minority member of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Agriculture, Small Business and Tourism Committee. I am also assigned to the Sporting Heritage, Mining and Forestry Committee, the State Tribal Relations Committee, the Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology and the Education Reform and Government Operations Committee. Education leaders are preparing for numerous proposed changes widely anticipated to include an expansion of state money for private schools. Special education advocates are concerned about public money going to private schools for special ed students. Others are concerned about a proposed expansion of independent charter schools run with tax dollars. Funds are limited and any tax dollars to private schools must be argued in the context of a tight budget and many needs. Work on the state budget begins right away. The governor is expected to unveil his proposed budget near the end of January. Lawmakers will be crafting additions to the budget before they see the Governor’s details. Once the two-year spending plan is unveiled, I’ll be picking through the details and crafting changes. This work will be my focus for the spring. As a rookie lawmaker, several years ago, I found it curious that my very first job was the most demanding task of the two-year session. This year more than one in five lawmakers never voted on a state budget. Special efforts must be made to educate newly elected ‘ordinary citizens’ on the impact of decisions on our local communities. The task of understanding the budget is made more difficult with the addition of non-fiscal policy – law changes unrelated to the financial matters. This practice is seldom a good idea but has been popular among recent governors. Perhaps the practice is popular because the budget is the only bill the governor writes. Last session nearly 100 separate pieces of policy unrelated to the state’s finances became law with the passage of the state budget. This policy included unpopular items like taking away local powers to set locations for cell or TV towers. The most important work of the Legislature will be the passage of this budget bill by midyear. The decisions made in the next few months will affect all our lives. Some of the results of these decisions will not be seen for several years. Because of the widespread and important decisions made by the Legislature – a group of ‘ordinary citizens’ from all walks of life - it is very important for us all to take the time to let our Legislators know the local effects of what is being discussed. People want things fixed and nowhere is that more evident than with potholes and bridges. One closed bridge made life harried for all the residents near Taylor, Wisconsin. Getting a grip on the money needed for transportation repairs and new construction will be a real challenge in the coming year. Finding a way to pay will not be easy. It’s the general “wisdom” about taxes: “Don’t tax you, don’t tax me. Tax the fellow behind the tree.” Tight dollars will increase the lure of tricks and smokescreens to balance the state budget. My plan is to do the homework to unravel the details and then bring the budget home to you with Town Hall meetings around western Wisconsin. We all need to know what’s being discussed and how it affects you and your neighbors. So stay tuned. There will be a lot happening!

Kathleen Vinehout

The Scott Walker Degree

BY Jeff Simpson 

Scott Walker, who likes to campaign Al Dente, has changed his line about not having a college degree once again.   

What about not having a college degree?"I say I’m like the majority of people in America. I’m someone who went to college, had the opportunity in my senior year to go and take a job full-time, which was not the only reason I went to college, but one of the biggest reasons was to get a job. And the American Red Cross offered me a job my senior year, and I took it, thinking someday, maybe, I’d go back. But a few years later, I met my wonderful wife, Tonette, a year after that, we had Matthew, the year after that, we had Alex. And now like a lot of folks in America, you know, your family and your job take the time away from you from finishing it up. But I don’t think anybody -- and I’ve got a master’s degree in taking on the big-government special interests, and I think that is worth more than anything else that anybody can point to."

Once you get past the fact that he changes his life story more than Robert Van Winkle ever did, one interesting line stands out.  

and I’ve got a master’s degree in taking on the big-government special interests - Scott Walker

Well we at CogDis did some digging and we found a partial course listing of classes that Mr. Walker Had to take to earn his imaginary Master's degree.  

 How to please your boss, yet look independent 202:  This course we will teach you how to say one thing to the general public while spilling your true strategy to people who pay for that privilege. By the end of this class, you will learn how to soak millions out of rich widows.  

Kiss the right rings(there is lots of money in Las Vegas) 300:  This course will show you, how to fund raise nationally while traveling secretly.  The more advanced learners in this class, will learn how you can phone reporters in your home state, while traveling, to complain about "out of state special interests".



You have access to unlimited money, use it 220:   This class will show you how to do whatever you want in office because you have unlimited access to taxpayer money to hire lawyers.  If time allows, the student will also learn how to hire consultants to keep from having to make a decision on your own.



Meet the right people - 100:  This is a refresher course to help the student understand that the person you are nice to today, could grow up to become a Supreme Court Justice, who will not only suspend ethics rules to do your bidding but be willing to choke anyone who gets in the way!



You are always, always, always on - no one is bigger than your ambition 400 :  This is an upper level graduate course for those who are willing to do anything to become President of the United States.   This course will teach you to hire felons, snakes, and loons.  You will also learn the importance of hiring your donors to major positions within the Government and the equal importance of throwing them to the wolves the second you need a scapegoat.  Students will also learn that the more taxpayer money you can give to your friends, the more money they will give you.  



You can see with five classes last semester, Mr. Walker had a full course load but it allowed him to attain his imaginary masters degree.

Congrats to you Scott Walker,

Let's hope the walk you take to get this degree involves handcuffs and disgrace!

Football Politics: Showdown at the Lambeau - K Corral

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, the wind chill is a biting 30 below zero and there is plenty of snow on the ground. However, as the Green Bay Packers are getting ready to host (and defeat) the Dallas Cowboys this weekend, things are heating up in the smash-mouth political football game known as the 2016 GOP presidential primary.

When the Cowboys come to Lambeau Field, they will be probably bringing along their biggest - and I do mean biggest - fan, Chris Christie, otherwise known as the Outlaw Jersey Whale.

Christie is out to show that he is the toughest, meanest and most corrupt Republican Governor around. Not only does he verbally abuse teachers for fun, he has gotten himself inescapably entangled in Bridgegate, the scandal that won't go away.

But even Bridgegate wasn't enough for Christie's insatiable appetite, so he got himself tied up in yet another scandal, but faces yet another possible investigation for taking gifts from Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, after allowing the Port Authority enter into a business relationship with Jones.

But Christie isn't going to be throwing his weight around Green Bay without a challenge.

He's going to be on the turf of Scott Walker, Tosa Ranger, aka Desperado. Walker is the only governor to be a person of interest in not just one, but two, John Doe investigations. Six of Walker's aides and friends have already been convicted of illegal politicking, embezzling money from a veterans fund and other sordid affairs and more than a score of others have been granted immunity for their testimony. The only reason Walker has escaped the long arm of the law is the millions of dollars of dark money thrown at his legal defense cooperation fund.

Walker, like Christie, thinks he should be president. Or at least the voices in his head that he mistakes for God are telling him he should be governor.

Walker believes this so much that he has rehired a consultant with experience running national campaigns while he is busy explaining that he doesn't really need a college degree to be president, as long as he can follow orders from the Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson and the Bradley Foundation.

Walker hasn't waited for Christie to get to Wisconsin to take some potshots at him. After Christie's embarrassing attempt at hugging last weekend, Walker sent out this almost as embarrassing tweet:

Walker, Tosa Ranger and the Outlaw Jersey Whale have tangled before, with Walker feeling that Christie wasn't supportive enough during the gubernatorial election.

But that will be small potatoes as these two knuckleheads try to out-conservative and out-corrupt each other as the primary moves on.

Christian Schneider Rides To The Rescue

 By Jeff Simpson

We brought you the story of how friend of Scott Walker, Bob Westman was charged with fourth degree sexual assault for his unwanted advances on a woman at the Governors Inaugeral Ball.   Which came on the first day that the Wisconsin taxpayers were no longer paying the salary of Republican leader and sexual predator Bill Kramer.

As if right on cue, Republican insider and apologist Christian Schneider writes an op-ed explaining that if women do not let any man that wants to kiss them, kiss them, it will be the end of romance.

Apparently in Republican insider view, if only the women would do what the Republican alpha male wants, then we would not be having these problems.

Instead of taking a pull quote from Schneider's column, and because Mr. Schneider has a habit of deleting his ridiculous columns as if nothing ever happened, here it is in its scary entirety:

(Edit Note:  Because Dave Blaska felt that as few people as possible should read the blatherings of Christian Schneider, I will decided to just use a couple pull quotes.).

"Stolen sweets are always sweeter,Stolen kisses much completer"— Leigh Hunt, 1784-1859

Schneider:

Itseems like a rare situation when a woman is kissed when there's absolutely no warning whatsoever. If a man (or woman) is standing within a foot of your face, there's at least a better than 50-50 chance that they're going hunting for treasure. Unless your attempted paramour is a kissing ninja, it seems unlikely that you're going to suddenly be caught in the middle of a lip blizzard.

 Apparently Mr. Schneider has never been around a Republican party.

Schneider: 

Maybe it's easy to dismiss the "kissing permission" stance as merely extreme feminist ravings. But they are not alone. Last year, universities often cited a statistic that showed one in five women on campus had been sexually assaulted. But, among other problems, that number was inflated by women who had been subjected to "unwanted kissing."

Ladies, Christian Schneider knows what is best for you.  If you dont want to be kissed, then your just a stuck up ornery liberal.  

Schneider:

But the unexpected kiss should remain the property of romance and not of the courts.

Free Bob Westman!

Schneider:

Or, as Robert Browning once said, "What of soul was left, I wonder, when the kissing had to stop?"

Not sure why you would insert a quote from a poem about mortality and death.

Christian Schneider is a Journal Sentinel columnist and blogger. Email cschneider@jrn.com. Twitter:@Schneider_CM

Homeless Shelters Fill During Deep Cold

Wisconsin is in the grips of another polar vortex, with wind chills expected to reach 30 degrees below zero and possibly colder. Due to the extreme cold, homeless shelters are filling up every night:

Milwaukee's homeless shelters have been filling as the temperatures have dipped in recent days. And warming houses, which typically close in the evenings, are keeping their doors open overnight.

"We've been open overnight Sunday and Monday, and it looks like we'll be open again tonight," said the Rev. James West, executive director of Repairers of the Breach, a daytime warming center at 1335 W. Vliet St. in Milwaukee.

The Rev. Karen Hagen of Tippecanoe Presbyterian Church near Bay View said its Divine Intervention program has been at capacity — around 20 people — for the last few days.

"But in these temps, we're also able to bump up," she said.

Homeless guests leave during the day — the local library is a few blocks away — then return in the evening for a meal and settle in for the night.

Hagen said staff have seen some cases of frostbite, and that those individuals are diverted for appropriate medical care.

Hagen said guests were troubled Monday to learn of the homeless man's death and are waiting for authorities to release his name.

"They were very upset emotionally. They want to know if it's someone they personally know," she said.

It is important to remember that if it wasn't for the Milwaukee County Board, these people could easily end up in the morgue instead of a shelter.

During the 2015 county budget process, Boss Abele thought that because no one froze to death last year, the shelters didn't need as much money. He completely missed the fact that it was because of the shelters that there had been no deaths due to the cold:

One of the actions that Abele did was slash the funding for homeless shelters in Milwaukee County. Apparently, Abele forgot about how horrible last winter was with the polar vortexes and dangerously cold temperatures.

To show the importance of this funding, Supervisor Peggy Romo West shared this message from Joe Volk of the Wisconsin Advocacy Project:

"Even though we in Milwaukee suffered through one of worst winters in history last year there were no reports of the homeless freezing to death thanks in part to the extra funding provided by the County Board to support homeless shelters in Milwaukee County. This is something we should all be proud of. This is serious business and should not be used as just another attempt of the administration to mislead the legislative branch of County Government."

There have already been two deaths this winter which have been attributed to the cold.

One would hope that Boss Abele would take this opportunity to give a second thought to the way he treats the poor and homeless. Unfortunately, it's obvious that he's never given them a first thought.

The Ghost of Bill Kramer

By Jeff Simpson

Not sure what it is about "Friends of Scott Walker" that they think women are their own personal play toys but the fun never ends when republican thugs gather to honor our Governor.

Well it is usually not much fun for single women.  At the inaugeration ball, Republican Bob Westman allegedly channeled his inner Bill Kramer:

Authorities were called to the ball at Monona Terrace around 10:30 p.m. Monday, and arrested Robert J. Westman, 45, of Madison, on tentative charges of battery and fourth-degree sexual assault, police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.
A 44-year-old Onalaska woman told police Westman had been bothering her -- touching and trying to kiss her even though she repeatedly asked him to leave her alone, police said.
The woman sought help dealing with Westman from a 55-year-old Onalaska man, who confronted Westman and told him to stop, DeSpain said. About 20 minutes later, the man told police, he saw Westman bothering the woman again and went up to him once more, telling Westman he was going to call security, DeSpain said.
Westman "responded by head-butting the second man in the face," DeSpain said.

Following a looooooong line of lack of personal responsibility within the Republican party, Mr. Westman fit right in:

Westman claimed he and the woman were "having a good time," and that the touching was consensual, DeSpain said.
"That’s not backed up by any of the witnesses we talked to," DeSpain said.

No word yet if Mr. Westman can get his trial moved to Waukesha or if Judge Randa has made it illegal to investigate headbutting incidences yet.

More info on this very unsurprising story, as it becomes available(pictures from facebook).



Or maybe Bob was just wearing Hai-Karate:

The Arrogance of Chris Christie

By Jeff Simpson

H/T David Sirota   Scott Walker's good friend and campaigner, fellow Republican Governor and head of the Republican Governor's Association, openly defies ethics rule.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s ticket and travel to the Dallas Cowboys playoff game on Sunday was paid for by team owner Jerry Jones, according to a spokesman for the governor. The gifts from the NFL team owner follow the Christie administration giving millions of dollars worth of tax subsidies to the NFL.
The announcement from the governor’s office followed International Business Times first reportingtoday on Christie appearing in the NFL owner's box despite strict New Jersey ethics rules. Those rules subject public officials to “a zero tolerance policy for acceptance of gifts ... that are related in any way to [an officeholder’s] official duties.” As governor, Christie has overseen the state’s business with the NFL, most prominently during the 2014 Super Bowl.
Christie has cited those same ethics rules in barring other New Jersey officials from getting special access to tickets to events at state-owned arenas. 

Even though its impossible for Christie to hide anywhere, our political class has pretty much decided to not even hide their flaws or their open defiance of the law.  As long as we keep voting for people because of the letter after their name and do not hold them accountable for their actions, this will only get worse.

Scott Walker Has Himself To Thank

By Jeff Simpson - Cross posted at Purple WI.

 In the wierd world of Wisconsin Politics. Governor Scott Walker took to social media, to slap himself on the back.   

"My property taxes went down largely because my technical college portion went down 35.5% because of the money we put in at state."
— Scott Walker on Friday, December 12th, 2014 in a tweet

In what has also become commonplace in Wisconsin Media, Politifact rushed to give him cover.   

In a tweet, Walker said: "My property taxes went down largely because my technical college portion went down 35.5% because of the money we put in at state."

He’s right. We rate his claim True.

A deeper look at the numbers, and we see why the Wisconsin Budget is in such a mess.  Scott Walker's property taxes did go down this year $118.
 

The governor owns and lives in a $360,000 home on a busy street in suburban Wauwatosa in Milwaukee County. An online database shows his total bill fell $118 or 1.4 percent this year.

His total bill: $8,364.

Of course last year, not so much - up $1100.  

Walker had less to brag about last year at this time, when his property tax bill jumped more than $1,100. It coincided with the 2013 citywide property revaluation in Wauwatosa. Walker’s property assessment rose 11 percent that year. 

OUCH.  By the way, in the four years Walker has been Governor - his property taxes(even after the massive$118 deducation) have went up $1300!  
 

Our Mathmatically challenged Governor consider taxes going up $1300/yr as a win.   he has himself (and maybe a really poor math teacher in high school) to thank for this.   

I know that the "amen chorus" will attack because the tax increase came from the city of Wauwatosa.  Of course it did, when the State Government starves municpalities and school districts as a way to pretend they cut taxes, the money has to be come from somewhere.  The streets of wauwatosa do not plow themselves.   

Cutting these payments is not saving taxpayers money, it is passing the buck. 

By the way while Scott Walker has his self to blame for his own MASSIVE tax increase, there have been a couple other things in the news that he also has himself to thank -  or blame.  

Thanks to massive cuts to the UW System our friends to the north are paying a steep price:

University of Wisconsin-Superior announced on Friday that it’s suspending five academic programs.

The following programs will no longer be offered at the school as of this Monday:

Educational Specialist Degree
Applied Discrete Mathematics concentration
French minor
French education minor
German education minor

Thanks Scott, now the students at UW Superior will be less prepared to tackle our world economy when they graduate.    

Then of course there is Wisconsin falling further in debt than we already are:

Over the next two years, the state's costs to keep up its current services will outstrip its expected tax collections by more than $800 million, according to the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office.

The brief analysis by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau provides the sharpest picture yet of the challenge that Gov. Scott Walker and lawmakers face as they try to keep the state's main account balanced while weighing competing concerns such as schools, health care and the pocketbooks of taxpayers.

Thanks Scott, sorry I missed your tweet on this piece of "great" news or I could have congratulated you sooner.   

Buckle up, I have a feeling there will be many many more things like this that we get to "thank" Scott Walker for in the next four years.   

Second Amendment Remedies

By Jeff Simpson

A "pro"second amendment website - called - wearagun- has started selling some T-shirts to gun enthusiasts across the country and a few really stood out.

Like this one:



I am sure Jared Loughner is mad he didnt grab one of those when he had the chance.

Then this is also another winner:



Pretty sure that one was on Lee Boyd Malvo's gift list this Holiday season.  



Probably best not to give this to this teacher for her Holiday present.



I wonder if the father of Christoper Bizilj is sporting this one?



Not sure if this is the T-shirt Adam Lanza was wearing at the time or not.

Also do not forget this old standby:



Where have I seen that flag before?

1. The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Remember keep Christ in Christmas!  

God Bless and Molotov!   

Lets Begin By Understanding Who They Are

By Jeff Simpson - Cross Posted at Purple Wisconsin

  The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty(WILL), run by fellow Purple WIsconsin blogger Rick Esenberg, recently released a report which unsurprisingly tells us that charter/voucher schools in WI have it rough and are over regulated.  

That the law branch of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation would come up with such findings surprises no one.  WILL is an extremely well funded "non profit" and they have the Bradly Foundation to thank.  It is always good to keep your donors happy, so advancing the agenda of the public school profiteers, is to be expected.   

Let's take a look at who WILL is.   This "study" was put together by three people, Rick Esenberg, CJ Szafir and Martin Lueken. A quick check of credentials and we see that neither Mr. Esenberg, Mr. Szafir nor Mr. Lueken have spent a day working in a public school, nor are they certified or eligible to teach in a public school.   Martin Lueken was a recent hire to the team, courtesy of the private school pushing Walton family.  

In New Wisconsin, working on a Republican campaign is all of the credentials you need to be an expert on any topic.  Not a single education credential went into this report, and future reports to come from WILL,  on voucher/private schools.  

Now that we see who they are, let's take a look at the four main findings they came up with. 

1.  State accountability laws on the school choice programs are at least as rigorous – and probably enforced more aggressively – than anything imposed on public schools. However, unlike public schools, schools in the choice programs must meet their mark or be immediately dropped from the programs, which will cause many schools to close.

We can look in WILL's backyard, to see this is blatantly not true.  As we pointed out recently:

Witness the example of Milwaukee voucher schools Ceria M. Travis Academy(437 students, K-12) and Travis Technology High School(179 students). These two schools receive over $4.6 Million Wisconsin taxpayer public education dollars and are being told to shape up or get kicked out of the voucher program.

After three years of not serving their kids, are being told to shape up or you might eventually get kicked off the program of taking taxpayer money(currently approx.  $5 million a year!)  So much for "immediately" when this school has received close to $35 million of our public education tax dollars and counting.    

2. The Department of Public Instruction interprets the accountability laws in ways that deviates from the statutory language, making it more demanding than originally intended.

There should be an asterisk here.  The DPI interprets the laws in ways that deviate from statutory language according to WILL.   WILL has a history of filing frivolous lawsuits to serve partisan purposes, so keep that in mind when reading these reports.  

3. Policymakers should consider the current accountability scheme on schools in choice programs before implementing any new regulations.

Here we actually agree, lawmakers should take into account current accountability of voucher schools. As we found out at the Travis Academy and Travis Technology High Schools(emphasis mine): 

But new documents and former employees have raised concerns about the internal workings at Ceria M. Travis Academy, a private school that's received more than $35 million in state voucher payments through the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program since 1996.

Complaints filed with the state in 2014 and obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel through an open records request allege that the school has violated state law by employing people without bachelor's degrees to teach students.

And former and current staff members say the close-knit family business has crossed a number of other lines that, while not illegal under state statutes governing private voucher schools, may be holding children back from getting the kind of education they deserve.

They say Dorothy Travis Moore, the founder and CEO of Ceria M. Travis Academy Inc., employs an unusually high number of family members and that it's hard to tell where the money for education goes, as classrooms lack adequate resources.

School officials counter that a recent review of the schools by an independent accrediting organization found the programs to be operating in accordance with state law.

That review was requested by the Department of Public Instruction as it sought to follow-up on the claims made via email about unqualified teachers at the school.

Double-checking the review's conclusion is difficult.

Travis Moore and Wilnekia Brinson, her daughter and vice president of the organization, declined to provide the Journal Sentinel with staff rosters from 2014-'15 and 2013-'14, as well as a current list of individual staff titles and salaries.

Because voucher schools are private, they do not have to make such information public.

We agree that voucher schools, taking public money should be held to the same standards as public schools.  Want to know how much money your favorite public school teacher makes?  They are all published in this paper.  

4. New accountability measures should be tailored with an appreciation for the value of diverse approaches and parental choice. There are a number of ways to measure school performance, and different families will place different weight on these measures and the outcomes that they reflect.

This is WILL's way of saying do not judge voucher schools based on test scores the same way that you judge public schools.  Which is smart because voucher schools seem to always come up short.   

As we pointed out, with the complete debacle of the Travis voucher schools, in the backyard of WILL and others, there has been complete silence.  

The silence was reinforced yesterday, after putting out their 16 page report, Mr. Esenberg added this disclaimer.   

The recent story regarding the Ceria M. Travis Academy illustrates this. I - and WILL - are not familiar with the school and, for that reason, take no position on its recent difficulties.

They know Nothing, they know nothing! 

Finally, why is this so important to know?  The Republicans who control the gerrymandered State legislature have made expanding vouchers and a school accountability bill top priorities.   During this debate amongst themselves, you will hear them reference this report and subsequent reports that WILL puts out on this issue.   

It is important to know it is not worth the paper it is printed on and if legislation is passed based on this report, we have all been shortchanged!   

An Admission About Our University System

By Jeff Simpson - Cross posted at Purple Wisconsin.

 As anyone with even a passing interest in The Wisconson Badgers football program knows, Coach Gary Anderson resigned this week for  a chance to live a life of obscurity, coaching at Oregon State.  

This move appears to be a step down,which leaves much speculation as to why he would do that.  One of the main possibilities that people have been bandying about, is that Coach Anderson was frustrated that Wisconsin's Academic Standards are too high.  

BadgerBlitz.com @McNamaraRivals: I can confirm that Mohamed Barry and #Wisconsin have parted ways. Academic standards at Wisconsin were an issue.

Let's get real, that was so 2010.  Wisconsin's current Governor and gerrymandered State Legislature have had the University of WIsconsin System on their radar to attack since they have been in power.   There is no other reason that they would appoint Rep. Steve Nass to be chair of the Assembly's Colleges and University committee.   

Scott Walker and the Republicans in charge, did not just stop there, they also made sure to cheapen the reputation of the University of Wisconsin system and diminisht he accomplishment of the college degree.   They implemented a "flexible option" degree.   

Madison – Governor Scott Walker released the following statement today after the University of Wisconsin (UW) System announced that UW-Milwaukee and UW Colleges received approval to begin providing Flexible Option degrees:

Our budget included $2 million to fund start-up costs for this first-in-the-nation approach, and I’m pleased to see this come to fruition because we’re making it easier for people to pursue higher education. This is great news for students and workers, and I thank UW System faculty and staff and the UW System Board of Regents for their hard work on this bold and innovative improvement.

YES!  You too can get your college degree and even skip the actual college part of it!   As Yakov Smirnoff might say --- "What a State!"

But Wait, there's more!   As if attacking the University System from the outside was not enough, they decided to plant a proverbial virus on the inside.   They created a new position for the University System called Vice President of Political Cronyism and, despite the fact that the interview committee begged not to hire him, hired Scott Walker's good friend Jim Villa.

Qualifications be dammed!  

The University of WIsconsin is still, for the time being, a World Class Institution but our politicians are working on that.  

While I too want to know Coach Anderson's thinking in leaving Wisconsin after two years, lets get real about our Academic Standards.   If you are one, who thinks we absolutely should not lower ourselves to help certain people get into our Universities, you have had your chance to speak up three times now.   

That ship has sailed and it does not appear to be coming back.

 

Abele's Ivory Tower Of Corruption

As I pointed out in my previous post, Lisa Kaiser of the Shepherd Express has done a pretty damning overview of Boss Abele's first year of unprecedented and unbridled consolidation of power in Milwaukee County.  As many of us progressives had warned, it has only opened the door to more secrecy and more corruption.  A prime example is Abele's monument to plutocracy, the Couture, a 44-story white skyscraper that remarkably resembles a giant Bic lighter:

But that (meaning Abele's attempt at privatizing the food services at the zoo) pales in comparison to proposals to sell off lakefront property for commercial development without a fully public RFP process. Not only has this allowed Abele to strike deals in private with developers, but it threatens to chip away at what’s known and admired by city planners throughout the country as the “emerald necklace” of public parks that rings Milwaukee County.

First, in 2012, the Abele administration offered a little-used Requests for Interest (RFI) for the Transit Center parcel, a more informal type of request for ideas than a traditional RFP. While most bidders offered vague proposals to transform the site, developer Rick Barrett served up a fully detailed plan to build The Couture, then conceived as a multiuse high rise with high-end condos, retail, a hotel and more. Abele was ready to sign off on the deal and presented it to the board as his preferred bidder, but prohibited supervisors from vetting all of the proposals in an open meeting. The board held public hearings on the project but the project was still ensnared by the state constitution’s Public Trust Doctrine, which requires former lakebed parcels to be held by public entities for the public good. Enter Abele’s conservative Republican legislator friends, who literally redrew the shoreline to allow Abele’s friend to move forward on his commercial development on the disputed property.

It needs to be noted that Rick Barrett had originally said that he would be able to build this Tower of Abele without the use of any public funds.

That has quickly changed.

 Barrett is now saying that he needs the City of Milwaukee to redesign the whole streetcar layout, using tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, if not hundreds of millions, to make his project feasible.  This includes nearly $9 million of federal taxpayer money because - gasp - a multimodal transit building needs, y'know, to be used by transit.

Lest the gentle reader thinks that I am overly exaggerating that the Couture and now diverted streetcar is only for the benefit of the top 1%, I would point to this report by Michael Horne of Urban Milwaukee, as he gushes over Mayor Tom Barrett's plan of diverting taxpayer dollars to support this debacle (emphasis mine):

Rick Barrett of Barrett Visionary Development plans to develop the site as the Couture, a “44-story mixed-use development comprised of approximately 302 market-rate apartments, approximately 49,835 square feet of retail and restaurants, and substantial public components,” according to the TID proposal. The Couture “will provide an integrated multimodal transit hub, publicly accessible plazas and publicly accessible natural indoor/outdoor spaces, pedestrian bridges and a new lakefront stop for the proposed streetcar line.”

The apartments will rent from $1,620 a month for a studio to $6,869 for a penthouse unit, or from $1.83 to $3.50 per square foot. Cash flow from the residential units will comprise 82 per cent of the project’s anticipated revenue.

The retail component of the project will provide 13 percent of the project revenue, with projected rents of $24 per square foot.

$1,620 a month for a studio apartment?! That is more than twice what people in the suburbs pay for a two-bedroom apartment. And for what they are asking for the penthouse, one could buy - or at least put down a substantial downpayment - on a house.

No, gentle reader, this project is not for the likes of you or me, unless you just happen to have more money than you know what to do with and less common sense than a housefly.

At least now we can understand Boss Abele's need for such secrecy.  If the public found out exactly how bad he is screwing them over, he'd be less popular than Tom Ament or Scott Walker.

Ironically, Boss Abele, Mayor Barrett and the other Republicrats are trying to push this plan to transform the lakefront into a plutocratic playground are claiming that it will help the economy and create good paying jobs.

In reality, if they wanted to accomplish those things and even be able to afford their plutocratic playthings, they would raise the minimum wage to a living wage, allow workers to unionize and provide benefits like paid sick leave and paid Family Medical Leave.  Instead, they have not only not supported these things, but have actively fought against them.

The most disappointing thing about these Republicrats is the way they misrepresented themselves as liberals and progressives.

If we wanted someone that would make overreaching power grabs, shut down any hint of transparency in government, let big money make the rules and to sell off public assets in no bid contracts, we have voted for Scott Walker and the Teapublicans.

Sometimes, I wonder if we didn't anyway.