April 2010 Archives

Enforcing court orders for child support, or any other court order, is not only essential in any nation of laws, but, as the name implies, it supports children.

For every one dollar spent on enforcement, about six dollars is colllected-- making it one of the most successful government programs ever created. And considering that nearly 90% of children on food stamps have a parent that is not paying child support, it is also one of the best ways to "get people off of welfare." Because of this, the program generally has garnered bipartisan support-- including that of former President Ronald Reagan.

So, how did our newly converted Dick "Reagan conservative" Leinenkugel vote on child support enforcement when he was on the Waukesha County Board in 1998?

Before you answer, let me set the stage: Waukesha County is the polar opposite of Dane County: Republican Central. And to add to the drama, Leinenkugel was the deciding vote for a measure that needed a 2/3 majority to pass: in other words, 2/3 of the conservative board was for the measure.

If you answered that Leinenkugel voted against, you are right! Leinenkugel shocked everyone when he fought with the 1/3 minority of far-right loons to oppose the child support enforcement measure.

But, don't feel bad, if you answered that Leinenkugel voted for it, you are also right!

 

 

 

 

 

Statement released from Leinencuckoo: 

Friends, recently my comments regarding my lack of wealth have come under fire.  I'm not backing down, though. 

Like most hard-working Wisconsites, I am NOT a wealthy man! I'm going through the same struggles as YOU!  

Like most hard-working Wisconsites, I was born into a family that still owned the family business that my great-great grandpa started in the 1800s. And, like most hard-working Wisconsinites, I joined that family business and quickly became a vice president and earned a meager six figure salary. And, like most hard-working Wisconsinites, my family would sell the business to Miller and make me the heir to a meager cajillion dollars.

That's right: I only made a six figure salary and am only heir to a cajillion dollars!  At best, like most hard-working Wisconsinites, I'm a cajillionaire.  I'm no billionaire or trillionaire, but still people want to call me "wealthy"!?! Absurd! John Menards?  Herb Kohler?  Now your talking "wealthy"! But me?!? A meager Leinenkugel heir?!? "Wealthy"?!? Ridiculous!

The reality is that, like most hard-working Wisconsinites, I'm in the lower 99% income bracket, struggling from paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet.  

 

 

U.S. Senate Candidate Dick Leinenkugel claimed in a recent Wispolitics.Com inteveriew that "I'm not a wealthy man, but I'm rich in my convictions." Now most would think that Dick got it exactly wrong-- because he is actually a wealthy man and going from the Democratic Party one day to the Republican Party the next demonstrates and obvious lack of convictions, but those people don't understand Leinencuckoo speak.

 

 

You see, in Leinencuckoo land, up is down, down is up, left is right, right is left... well, you get the idea: whatever he says, he means the exact opposite! Got it?

 

 

Read this page-turner courtesy of righty writer Owen B. Robinson and the West Bend Daily News. In fact, to grasp fully the breadth and depth of analysis and research stacked eye-deep in this advancement of opinion journalism, I suggest reading it aloud.

In his continuing effort to seize the Alsop-Reston mantle, Owen diagrams the current and potential opponents to Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold.

It’s not news to One Wisconsin Now that JB Van Hollen is a partisan hack. After all, this is the guy who not only tried to disenfranchise hundreds of thousands of voters in 2008 after John McCain and the Republican Party begged him to try.

And this also the guy whose office allegedly let every squishy Milwaukee legislator know he was going to file charges against some on-paper felons who improperly voted in the days leading up to the non-vote on the Wisconsin Voter Protection Act.

First Dick Leinencuckoo entered politics 18 months ago by asking Democratic Governor Jim Doyle for a job as Commerce Secretary, saying that he was a "strong supporter" of Doyle and was "non-political."

Then Leinencuckoo said he was running for U.S. Senate, as a Republican and was accused yesterday of being a a RINO (Republican In Name Only). So he told Wispolitics.org that he is not only a conservative Republican, but agrees with the cuckoos of the Tea Party!

Amazing: In just 18 months Leinencuckoo has gone from a member of a progressive Democratic governor's administration to the cuckoos of the Tea Party.

If ever there was a time the Republican Party and the political right proved they were institutions with an active agenda aimed against non-whites, it is April 2010.

“Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker voted to allow late-night lawmaking when he was a member of the Assembly even though he rails against the practice now.” [AP]

Despite assurances from the anonymous blogger behind ScottWalkerforGov.com that the blog is NOT CREATED OR ENDORESED BY THE WALKER CAMPAIGN! [caps lock and emphatic exclamation point theirs], one would be hard pressed to find anyone who actually believed the ridiculous anti-Neumann spin and gutter-snipe rhetoric wasnt coming from inside the campaign. Now, thanks to a Dan Bice column last week, the whopper is officially starting to unravel.

Five days ago I launched a blog for the purpose of reporting and commenting on environmental issues in Wisconsin and elsewhere. More personal pieces of nature writing will probably appear, too, from time to time.

The Seagull can be found at kaufmansgull.wordpress.com

A sample of my work in this area is "KIng Coal" published in the Nov. 2009 issue of Milwaukee Magazine. This feature article received a Milwaukee Press Club 2009 First Place Award for Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism for a Business Story.

Did you get a HUGE bonus this year? Or are you maybe one of the 218 new BILLIONAIRES?!?! Are you OPTIMISTIC about your financial future? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then perhaps you’re one of the economic-top 1%. And congratulations, you and your friends OWN 70 PERCENT of all financial assets in the U.S! HUZZAH! Now, do the right thing and thank those who made it possible... EVERYONE ON THE RIGHT!

Wisconsinites values our natural resources and hunting and fishing traditions. We take pride in our farmland and as the Dairy State, producing the nation’s best cheese and dairy products. We have a state parks and trails system that rivals the best in the nation. We have wonderful farmers markets and strong local food traditions. So in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, our former Governor and US Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, and of our great love and respect for our state’s natural resources,  I thought I would take a quick look at the environmental records of two of the candidates running to hold the seat he capably held for two terms in the late 1950’s and early 60’s.

It’s pretty abysmal.

Mark Neumann:

* Introduced a bill to loosen regulations on developing wetlands in flood plains to benefit his business, and that would have exacerbated flood risk, putting potential homeowners in jeopardy. [Business Journal, 11/07/97]
* Paid $30,000 to settle a lawsuit for environmental violations by his company Neumann Enterprises.  [Janesville Gazette, 12/07/07]
Opposes taxing businesses for the pollution they emit.  [Green Bay Press Gazette, 9/23/09]
* Dreams of an end to government subsidies for green technologies, though remains silent on government subsidies to oil companies. [Green Bay Press Gazette, 9/23/09]
* Supported restricting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to enforce the 1972 Clean Water Act.  [National Journal, 9/30/95]
* Proposed an amendment to prevent EPA from adding sites to its Superfund National Priorities List. [Superfund Week, 7/11/97]
Opposed funding for conservation programs for endangered species. [WSJ, 7/10/95]

Scott Walker:

* Would dismantle the Department of Natural Resources if elected governor.  ["Statement from Milwaukee County Executive and Candidate for Governor Scott Walker on the Complaint Against the DNR in Washington County", scottwalker.com, 2006]
* Opposes ethanol mandates.  [Walker Weekly 51, 2/16/2006, scottwalker.org, 2006]
* Supports wider freeway expansion despite environmental concerns. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/5/06]
* Opposes legislation for a regional transit system to improve traffic congestion.  [ Milwaukee Business Journal, 1/19/2010]
* Supported suing the Environmental Protection Agency over reformulated gas rules. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/28/00]
* Was slow to implement the county’s “Green Print” program and hire a director of sustainability and environmental services after the County Board approved and funded the position in 2008. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/13/08]
* Ran the county parks system into the ground through mismanagement, underfunding, layoffs and downsizing, increased fees and reduced access through closures.
* Walker had eight years and eight budgets to address the problems, yet deferred maintenance costs have soared to over $200 million and the sale of county parkland could be imminent to close the maintenance gap. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/4/2010]
* "Any time you have a gap to make up, parks is one of the first places you look," admits County Executive Scott Walker. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/21/2005]Opposed a 0.5 percent sales tax increase to save the financially strapped and decrepit parks and public transit system. [The Daily Reporter, 6/10/2005]
* Repeatedly tried to privatize management of the county parks system. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/19/2003; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/26/2006; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/27/2008; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 7/3/2009; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/13/2010]

Compare this to the record of Governor Nelson, a man who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of his environmental work, they fall pretty short indeed. 

 

The state of Wisconsin has an extraordinary opportunity to protect Democracy and ensure more, not less voices, have a say in the future direction of our state.

Our self-governance requires adequate access to the polls for all eligible Wisconsinites – no matter where they live in Wisconsin, where they serve the military on our behalf and whether they are a college student away from home for the first time, or a senior enjoying their golden years.

For those of you unconvinced by the public relation efforts claiming the Tea Partiers have dropped their vulgar extremism, here's something to warm your heart.

Republicans like Attorney JB Van Hollen say theyre against expanding access to the polls because a non-existent problem"voter fraud"will be carried out by non-existent groups"like ACORN. In reality, the Wisconsin Voter Protection Act will give individuals in the military and their families a better opportunity to vote and will improve the voting experience at the polls by reducing lines and easing the burden on polling staff.

I went to a few tea parties last week. There was a lot of singing and yelling, lots of costumes, and LOTS of signs with coiled snakes on them. I have to admit, in a weird, Dungeons and Dragon kind of way, it was kind of fun and easy to get lost in the moment: An evil insurgent that looks like the Joker has taken over! He wants to take away our freedoms! We have to stop him! We have to get our country back!

But, once I got home, took off my costume, put away my snake flag, I started putting all the pieces together. I realized that the tea party was nothing more than a role playing fantasy game. In fact, there was nothing about the entire event that was based in reality.

It just never ends with these folks. Weve reported time and again whats really behind the Tea Party movement " the extremism, the hatred, the violent rhetoric, the racism, the intolerance. Now theres a new poll out from the University of Washington that verifies what weve been saying all along.

WISTAX is aghast at the temerity of One Wisconsin Nows WISTAX Watch report showing WISTAX has long ties to both the corporate-funded Tax Foundation and ties to the corporate-funded Americans for Prosperity.

In response to a One Wisconsin Now release earlier today pointing readers to its report on the ties between the organizations, WISTAX President Todd Berry selectively noted a few things about the organization claiming they have no formal affiliation with either of the two leading conservative groups.

Unless theres a murder, dont expect Walker and his staff to care about the doctors, nurses and patients at the mental health complex.

After reports of repeated sexual assaults, we now learn that for months Walker and his administration ignored a doctors concerns about safety at the county mental health complex after multiple patients carried in weapons.

But its Milwaukee County Sheriff Clarke, not Walker, who is finally investigating the problem.

One has to wonder, however, whether Clarke is actually going to pin any responsibility on Walker and his administration over failed leadership and chronic defunding of the Behavioral Health Division, or even fully scrutinize the performance of the budget busting rent-a-cops that Walker pushed for in his zeal to eliminate county jobs, given Clarkes past swallowing of Walkers House of Correction scandals.

Are we going to see Clarke taking over the mental health complex, or will they attempt to pass the center off to the state, like so many other social programs? And if so, whats going to happen to these programs if Walker gets elected governor? Scandals and mismanagement redux? Attempts to pass management of the programs off to the federal government? Or back to the county government? Without Doyle to blame, whos Walker going to pass the buck to?

The big business TEA Party is set for April 15, 2010 at the Capitol. And while were hard at work preparing our mobile billboard to send pro-working class American messages to the tea folk, heres a little trip down memory lane at last years TEA Party at the Capitol.

For one rainy day last week I followed the Tea Party Express hundreds of miles as it made its way through Wisconsin. I hoped to see firsthand the groups leadership offer real solutions to solve the woes of its financially struggling followers. Instead, I heard Wisconsinites being fed anger and resentment, which make for headlines but create neither jobs nor hope.

Last year I wrote a blog about the fact that the Tax Foundation, the think tank behind "Tax Freedom Day," was once owned and operated by Americans for Prosperity. And because today is today is Tax Freedom Day in Wisconsin, and because Americans for Prosperity will be using Tax Foundation talking points this Thursday at a TEA Party in Madison, I'm reprinting my original post:

Will the rising tide of scandal about pedophile priests, and the Catholic church's handling of them, splash up on,or perhaps even sink, State Supreme Court Justice David Prosser's re-election campaign next year?

There is every reason to think that the issue, which has reached all the way to Pope Benedict XVI, will be one Prosser is forced to confront if he seeks another 10-year term on the high court.

In 1979, Prosser, then Outagamie County District Attorney, told a mother he did not want to prosecute a Green Bay priest who had abused her sons because "it would be too hard on the boys" -- even though the two victims were prepared and willing to testify.

The priest, John Patrick Feeney, who is now 81, went on to abuse other children before he was sent to jail in 2004. Prosser, meanwhile, went on to become Speaker of the State Assembly a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

In 2008, Prosser recused himself from two Supreme Court cases involving the Catholic Church and allegations of sexual abuse of minors, following reports that had he declined to prosecute a priest accused of child molestation while serving as district attorney in Outagamie County. The priest was convicted of the charges almost 30 years later.

Prosser was less than open about his involvement at the time. Prosser had participated in other similar cases in the past, but his recusals came only after his refusal to prosecute the case when he was a DA became public, and after one of the priest's victims spoke up.

Scot was on public radio this week debating Brain Fraley of MacIver Institute on the health insurance reform bill.

Check it out here: http://wpr.org/wcast/download1.cfm?mp3file=jca100407b.mp3&iNoteID=89348

I don’t even know which gaggle of malcontents this particular teabagger affair was, but they were in Madison Tuesday night, and One Wisconsin Now stopped by to see first-hand more of the well-financed intolerance, anger and unfortunately, ugly appeals which have sadly typified this GOP-fueled movement.

And then this sign caught the eye.

 

According to a district attorney in central Wisconsin, to teach a kid how to use a condom equates sexually assaulting said kid. I can’t even believe I typed that sentence, it’s so insane.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

To explain what’s going on here, the Juneau County District Attorney, Scott Harold Southworth, sent a letter under his office letterhead to five school districts in the region, dated March 24, 2010, regarding a recently passed law that requires comprehensive sexual education in schools (rather than abstinence only, which had been law here).

See his batshit crazy letter here.

In this letter, Southworth makes the following (not based on any normal legal interpretation of the law) claims:

Teaching a child how to utilize contraception is to engage in sexual assault with a child.

Teachers of sex ed are possibly criminally liable in that they are “Contributing to the Delinquency of a Child” if his or her instruction is “practically certain” to cause the child to engage in underage sex.

Undermines parental authority because “the child must be instructed that it’s ok to seek advice on sexuality from another family member (including another child!). This can lead children to “shop around” for any family member who will provide the approval they want in order to justify illegal and dangerous sexual behavior.” A direct quote from his letter.

“Requires school districts to condone controversial sexual behavior” -- in other words it’s problematic to teach kids not to discriminate against gay classmates because they will be introduced to “homosexuality”, “transgender”, and “transsexual individuals.”

Gives the “contraceptive industry” access to our kids. Apparently schools can bring in “volunteer health care providers” to teach sexual education, you know, nurses and such. But, whoa, Southworth threatens that these “”health care providers” might come in the form of contraceptive industry representatives (e.g. employees of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion and contraceptive provider) and who can effectively market sexually-oriented products to our children.”

And lastly, exposes school districts to civil litigation if instruction about how to use contraceptives “lead[s] to sexual assault, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, emotional trauma, etc.”

Southworth also says at the end of his letter, in a threat to teachers of those five school districts:

“I am forced to deal with the numerous sexual assaults that occur in Juneau County each year. I witness first-hand the pain and suffering child victims must endure. As you well know, I am doing everything I can to put offenders behind bars and protect our children. However, these new mandates will make my job much more difficult by converting objective human growth and development programming into a radical program that sexualizes our children as early as kindergarten. This, in turn, will lead to more child sexual assaults.”

While millions of Americans are fighting for survival – whether it’s to keep their homes or keep their jobs – it appears financial industry banksters have been lining their pockets through a heartless scheme that capitalizes on financially struggling folks.

Marty Beil, never one to mince words when it comes to standing up for working men and women across Wisconsin, responded to the continuing assaults by the GOP shills at the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute against our dedicated public employees:

“If Scott Walker wants to communicate with me, I would think he's man enough to do it himself and not use a surrogate or a pimp like George Lightbourn.”

 

Last week the anti-government group Guardians of the Free Republics made a name for themselves by sending letters to governors across the U.S. demanding they leave office. The FBI fears the letters could provoke violence. Also last week, FOX News celebrity Sean Hannity called the anti-government TEA Party "Tim McVeigh wannabes" to their applause. All this is domestic terrorism stuff is actually pretty frightening.

In his latest brown bag gimmick ad, an idea he recycled from a campaign in Ohio, Scott Walker references saving money to pay for his kids’ college education. Given the $50,000 raise he gave himself back in 2008, I would guess his savings is probably going pretty well.

Unfortunately for many other families, college tuition costs are getting out of hand, if not completely out of reach. And for those who go and utilize student loans, the debt they’re saddled with upon graduation is absolutely crushing, putting the purchase of a home, or a new car, out of reach for potentially decades. But Scott Walker doesn’t care about that.

Walker has repeatedly proven he’s not on the side of middle class and poor families when it comes to higher education. He opposed the 2009-11 state budget which protected Wisconsin students and their families from tuition increases at UW institutions, and provided additional support for low income students at all Wisconsin colleges and universities. He also opposed increasing funding for the technical college system, the front line for worker retraining efforts in our changing economy.

And, in the midst of his gubernatorial campaign, while he’s had time to send out press releases condemning the state for moving forward with the job creating and local-economy building passenger rail between Milwaukee and Madison, Walker has remained silent on the recently passed Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act that will save taxpayers $61 billion over 10 years, and makes college loans more affordable for students to pay off.

SAFRA will even lower the federal budget deficit by at least $10 billion over 10 years, something that should be a big deal to Scott Walker, who despite claims that he balances the Milwaukee County budget every year, has actually had two budget deficits. And perhaps even more importantly, the new federal bill invests over $400 million in Pell Grants in Wisconsin over 10 years, and $8.1 million to bolster college access and completion support – that’s $400 million invested in our kids, that means a well-educated work force attractive to new businesses thinking about moving to our state.

The Wisconsin Voter Protection Act (WVPA) is a great piece of legislation that will, among other things, ensure veterans and their families have an equal chance to participate in the democracy they fight to defend. It also addresses unconscionable acts of voter intimidation and voter suppression. Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) says it assists “the lazy or uninformed."

April Fool's. He hasn't.

Since we were previously denied access to one of Scott Walker’s recycled “Brown Bag” campaign gimmick stops, we have been trying to get him to answer five questions regarding fiscal management, spending, job creation and priorities. Again, Scott, our phone number is 608-204-0677