Holiday Reading

The Shrinking Middle Class
Good Dogs
The Rise And Fall Of Scott Walker
The Corruption Of The Republican Party
You're Worth $1 Trillion. Why Do You Need Our $3 Billion?
GE Powered The American Century - Then It Burned Out
How The IRS Was Gutted
Sins Of The Fathers
Progressive Labor Standards
Kimberly-Clark To Receive $28 Million In Taxpayer Funds From Scott Walker
Foxconn & The Village: The $10 Billion Factory Deal That Turned One Small Wisconsin Town Upside Down
New Election Data Highlights The Ongoing Impact Of 2011 GOP Redistricting In Wisconsin

You Lost, You Lost, You Lost!!!

Best Metal Albums 2018

Jesus Piece - Only Self
Behemoth - I Loved You At Your Darkest
Archgoat - The Luciferian Crown
Necrophobic - Mark Of The Necrogram
Harakiri For The Sky - Arson
High On Fire - Electric Messiah
Sleep - The Sciences
Tribulation - Down Below
Ministry - AmericaKKKant
Pig Destroyer - Head Cage
Horrendous - Idol
Windhand - Eternal Return
Rivers Of Nihil - Where Owls Know My Name
Panopticon - The Scars Of Man On The Once Nameless Wilderness
Amorphis - Queen Of Time
The Ocean - Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic
Zeal & Ardor - Stranger Fruit
Primordial - Exile Amongst The Ruins
Between The Buried And Me - Automata I, Automata II
Skeletonwitch - Devouring Radiant Light
Nekrogoblikon - Welcome To Bonkers
Rebel Wizard - Voluptuous Worship Of Rapture And Response
Tomb Mold - Manner Of Infinite Forms
Jungle Rot - Jungle Rot
Anaal Nathrakh - A New Kind Of Horror
Gorod - Aethra
Ghost - Prequelle

Weekend Reading

Is Trump Country Really Better Off Under Trump? No. It's Falling Further Behind
The Scandinavian Style Of Capitalism
What Do We Actually Know About The Economy? (Wonkish)
How The Koch Brothers Are Killing Public Transit Projects Around The Country
A Stats-Based Look Behind The Venture Capital Curtain
Working Class People Are Underrepresented In Politics. The Problem isn't Voters.
P/E Ratios Are Misleading...Especially Right Now
America's Monopoly Problem In One Chart
America Has A Monopoly Problem - And It's Huge

Ari Melber Destroys Paul Ryan's Pathetic 'Legacy'

Hypocrisy, Cronyism, Scott Walker, Police & Firefighters, And Budget Gimmicks

Jeramey Jannene in a recent article, 10 Curious Details In City's 2019 Budget, made an interesting point, one that I've made here often, regarding Wisconsin Republicans' cronyism and hypocrisy.

The Failure of Act 10 

Outgoing Governor Scott Walker‘s defining policy achievement will likely be the implementation of Act 10. The act, which decimated public unions and reduced take-home pay for most government employees, had one carveout that is still hammering the city. The act exempted “public safety” employees including police officers and firefighters, whose unions had endorsed Walker’s gubernatorial run. 

The police and fire departments are two of the biggest aspects of Milwaukee’s budget. The police department’s $295 million budget is larger than the city’s $281 million levy. The fire department has a $111 million budget in 2019. The city, which contributed $83 million to pensions last year, saw 77 percent of the annual cost of pension benefits accrue to retired police officers and firefighters. 

If Walker was really interested in saving cities money, instead of decimating his political foes, he wouldn’t have exempted public safety employees.

Midweek Reading: Wisconsin Republicans Are Horrible, Lying, Cheating Douchebags Edition

Republicans To Hold Lame-Duck Session To Limit Tony Evers And Advance GOP Priorities
Eric Holder Says Wisconsin Republicans Risk Lawsuit Over Lame-Duck Plan
Scott Walker Decried Lame-Duck Session And Permanent Political Appointments In 2010
Wisconsin Republicans Are Bending Over Backward To Make Sure The Midterm Election Doesn't Count
Republicans Worked All Night To Limit Power Of Democratic Governor Elect Tony Evers
Lame-Duck Power Grabs Aren't New, But Republicans In Wisconsin And Michigan Are 'More Aggressive'
Wisconsin Gerrymandering Was Awesome
In Stunning Power Grab, Wisconsin Republicans Pass Bill Weakening Governor
Are Lame-Duck Sessions Undemocratic
'Democracy Dies...In The Early Morning Light' As Wisconsin GOP Rams Through 'Lame Duck Legislative Coup'
Wisconsin GOP Scheme To Keep Scott Walker As Zombie Governor
After Raucous Hearing, Bills To Restrict Early Voting, Curtail Evers' Powers Move To Full Legislature
Wisconsin Lawmakers Reject Bill To Protect Pre-Existing Conditions, Scale Back Democrats' Power

For Further Reading:
Paul Ryan Departing Washington In A Blaze Of Fraudulence
Let's Pour One Out For Paul Ryan, The Biggest. Fake. Ever.
Republican Gerrymandering Has Basically Destroyed Representative Democracy In Wisconsin

Midweek Reading: Foxconn Edition

Putting The Con In Foxconn Wisconsin

Wisconsin's $4.1 Billion Boondoggle

Foxconn In Wisconsin Vs. Amazon In New York And Virginia: How Do The Subsidies Stack Up?

Foxconn Covets Intellectual Property Rights