Federal Report: Vegan Diet Best For Planet
Fish Oil Claims Not Supported By Research
Why The Paleo Diet Is Half-Baked
How Medicare Reduce Spending By $315 Billion Without Even Trying
No, The Estate Tax Isn't Destroying Family Farms
Obesity Is Hurting The U.S. Economy In Surprising Ways
Get A Job? Most Welfare Recipients Already Have One
Debunking The Myth Of The Job-Stealing Immigrant
Corporations Now Spend More On Congress Than Taxpayers Spend Funding Congress
Showing posts with label campaign spending. Show all posts
Showing posts with label campaign spending. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2015
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
The Last Days Of A Scoundrel?
Gov. Scott Walker declined again Sunday to answer whether he knew of the existence of a secret email system in his Milwaukee County executive office.
Instead, during the appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Walker called the controversy over the release of thousands of emails "old news" and said Democrats were trying to switch the subject from his budget successes.I guess if you consider borrowing and digging the state deeper into debt than when your administration began, kudos, well done, Mr. Walker.
"If you look at the facts out there, this is old news," Walker said. "This is about a case that was closed last March. A Democratic district attorney in Milwaukee County spent multiple years looking at all this information.
"The 27,000-plus pages of documents that were just released this week have been looked at by a team led by a Democrat from Milwaukee County, and last March he announced the end of that case, plain and simple. It's old news."Which, when the district attorney ended his investigation, brought charges against numerous individuals working for Mr. Walker.
His comments echoed those he made Friday while speaking to reporters for the first time since the release of the documents.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm's office launched an investigation in May 2010, lasting nearly three years and leading to the convictions of six individuals, including three Walker aides, an appointee and a major campaign contributor.
Documents released Wednesday linked Walker to a secret email system that was used in his county office. The documents also showed close ties between his campaign operation and taxpayer-paid staff members during the months leading to the November 2010 election for governor.Now we have documents, discovered by further investigation, tying the governor to the secret e-mail system used for illegal campaign (and who knows what else, at this point) activities.
"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace pressed Walker on whether he knew there was a private email account.
Walker responded, "Again, it's one of those where I point out the district attorney looked into every single one of those issues."
Wallace interjected: "But sir, you're not answering my question."
Walker said, "No, because I'm not going to get into 27,000 different pieces of information."
The governor continued, "The bottom line is a Democrat who led the district attorneys office, looked at all this, decided not to charge anything other than the individuals you mentioned, who were people who had worked for the county in the past but don't work for me today.Wow. Talk about being detached from reality. "Decided not to charge anything other than the individuals you mentioned." So Walker does realize his former employees were charged with committing illegal acts for his benefit. (Which is probably why they're not working for him anymore.) Now, more information points to the governor being involved with and knowing about such activities. Yep, old news. Move along.
"I think that's pretty straightforward. It's one of those things where they want to keep pushing this issue into the forefront because in the end the folks running against us can't counter our positive message when it comes to the economy and creating budget surpluses."Or, maybe those interested in the truth and honest politics just want to point out what a corrupt, lying bunch of Machiavellians the Walker administration has been all along. I'm so glad Walker has had such a positive message about the economy, but most Wisconsin workers actually want to see positives that translate to earnings, not just platitudes. And, as mentioned earlier, those "surpluses" are illusory. So, Walker's message doesn't hold water, and now we're finding out their whole operation is fraught with dishonest activities.
Mike Tate, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said there are additional questions that Walker needs to answer.
"What we continue to see is the further erosion of public trust in the governor's judgment," Tate said. "Did he know his staff was breaking the law, and if he didn't, how is that possible with what has come to light? How will his public and campaign staffs interact moving forward? And how do citizens know that their tax dollars won't be misused by mixing private-public staff going into an election year?"Luckily some are still looking into the e-mails and documents concerning Walker's improprieties. It's highly unlikely things are going to get better for Mr. Walker.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Scott Walker Among Worst Governors In America
Group names Scott Walker among the worst governors in America
The Worst Governors In America
Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) was elected in 2010 and won a recall election in 2012. He is running for re-election in 2014. His inclusion stems from: (1) using his office to promote donors’ interests; (2) illegally using state troopers to track down his political opponents; (3) an investigation into illegal activity by his aides; (4) diverting money from a nationwide mortgage settlement; (5) an investigation into the state economic development corporation he chairs; (6) dismissing a political appointee for signing the recall petition against him; and (7) advocating for new voter identification restrictions.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Don't Trust A Republican Waxing Philosophical About Democracy
It's awfully sad that the Journal Sentinel has sunk so low they need to publish hacks, like Christian Schneider of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, and claim they're furthering debate, clarifying the issues, or even practicing journalism.
Yes, those darned "union sympathizers" have mucked up our sparkling democracy. Never before, claims Schneider, have things gotten so messy.
Rather strange that the party (Republicans) which prefers shouting and heckling at town hall meetings, mudslinging instead of debate, and sabotaging elections (tearing up recall petitions, running Republicans as Democrats in democratic primaries, creating the phony voter fraud issue, etc.) is suddenly up in arms over the sanctity of the process.
Mr. Schneider wants us to know, "The current use of the recall is far different from what the original drafters had envisioned ... In Wisconsin's history, only two state elected officials had been successfully recalled before 2011. Nationally, only two governors have ever been recalled from office. Yet in 2012, Wisconsin will be seeing its 15th recall election in the span of one year."
He forgets the numerous uprisings in our history where vast numbers marched and rallied, and forced politicians to do as the majority of citizens wanted.
Now we're actually going through the drudgery of the whole recall process. That seems sophisticated considering what once was.
As Schneider points out, "At the time the recall amendment was adopted [1926], supporters believed the threat of recall would keep elected officials representative of the people. As the argument went, officials would be more responsive to the public than to special interests if their constituents could pull them out of office for corruption. Numerous progressives argued that recalls would aid in keeping the influence of money out of politics."
He then, with keen misdirection, claims the recall efforts are at fault for the flood of money in our electoral process. Seemingly oblivious to the recent Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court. You know, the decision that made corporations people and ruled it's OK to funnel limitless money to a Super PAC to fund campaigns without transparency.
Schneider then, astoundingly, cackles "The modern recall is being used in a way that its original supporters never expected or likely would have endorsed. As recall supporter and progressive leader Robert M. La Follette Sr. once said, "the supreme issue involving all others is the encroachment of the powerful few upon the rights of the many." The modern use of the recall demonstrates that to be true."
Over 41 percent of the number of people who voted (2,158,723) during the last gubernatorial election signed recall petitions (900,938). Hardly just a "powerful few." But I guess that's part of the civilized Republican response to this messiness - blame it on the "thug" "union sympathizers" and pretend it's some small-numbered fringe interest group.
Nevertheless, all of the smoke and mirrors used by Schneider and the WPRI can't hide the truth - Scott Walker is being recalled because the policies he has pursued since being elected do not match up to those which he campaigned on, nor are they the policies many citizens want. Concealed carry, ending the Equal Pay Act, ending collective bargaining ... if Walker's radical agenda was made clear during his initial gubernatorial run, he never would have been elected.
Yes, those darned "union sympathizers" have mucked up our sparkling democracy. Never before, claims Schneider, have things gotten so messy.
Rather strange that the party (Republicans) which prefers shouting and heckling at town hall meetings, mudslinging instead of debate, and sabotaging elections (tearing up recall petitions, running Republicans as Democrats in democratic primaries, creating the phony voter fraud issue, etc.) is suddenly up in arms over the sanctity of the process.
Mr. Schneider wants us to know, "The current use of the recall is far different from what the original drafters had envisioned ... In Wisconsin's history, only two state elected officials had been successfully recalled before 2011. Nationally, only two governors have ever been recalled from office. Yet in 2012, Wisconsin will be seeing its 15th recall election in the span of one year."
He forgets the numerous uprisings in our history where vast numbers marched and rallied, and forced politicians to do as the majority of citizens wanted.
Now we're actually going through the drudgery of the whole recall process. That seems sophisticated considering what once was.
As Schneider points out, "At the time the recall amendment was adopted [1926], supporters believed the threat of recall would keep elected officials representative of the people. As the argument went, officials would be more responsive to the public than to special interests if their constituents could pull them out of office for corruption. Numerous progressives argued that recalls would aid in keeping the influence of money out of politics."
He then, with keen misdirection, claims the recall efforts are at fault for the flood of money in our electoral process. Seemingly oblivious to the recent Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court. You know, the decision that made corporations people and ruled it's OK to funnel limitless money to a Super PAC to fund campaigns without transparency.
Schneider then, astoundingly, cackles "The modern recall is being used in a way that its original supporters never expected or likely would have endorsed. As recall supporter and progressive leader Robert M. La Follette Sr. once said, "the supreme issue involving all others is the encroachment of the powerful few upon the rights of the many." The modern use of the recall demonstrates that to be true."
Over 41 percent of the number of people who voted (2,158,723) during the last gubernatorial election signed recall petitions (900,938). Hardly just a "powerful few." But I guess that's part of the civilized Republican response to this messiness - blame it on the "thug" "union sympathizers" and pretend it's some small-numbered fringe interest group.
Nevertheless, all of the smoke and mirrors used by Schneider and the WPRI can't hide the truth - Scott Walker is being recalled because the policies he has pursued since being elected do not match up to those which he campaigned on, nor are they the policies many citizens want. Concealed carry, ending the Equal Pay Act, ending collective bargaining ... if Walker's radical agenda was made clear during his initial gubernatorial run, he never would have been elected.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Republican Election Obfuscation
Wisconsin Republicans want to make the already dirty process of campaigning even dirtier.
Wisconsin bill would roll back funding transparency
Wisconsin bill would roll back funding transparency
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
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