A new study from the Citizens for Tax Justice shows just how far Ryan is willing to go to sell out the middle class for the sake of America’s richest one percent.

When the University of Wisconsin-Madison Political Science department announced a new polling partnership with the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, one of Wisconsin's most prominent right wing think tanks, we were immediately worried about the credibility of the poll -- and more importantly, the credibility of the UW.

And when through a public records request, we uncovered that the corporate interests at WPRI pressured UW professor Ken Goldstein to alter the presentation of the poll results to more closely reflect a narrow right-wing agenda, our worst fears were realized.

UW's partnership and promotion of this propaganda polling project must end. Today. Can you sign on to the petition demanding an end to the UW-WPRI scheme? We'll deliver the names to the UW Political Science department chair, John Coleman, and UW Chancellor Biddy Martin to make sure our united voices are heard loud and clear.

Sign the petition: http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/uwpolling

The latest talking point to trickle down from Fox News to the rest of the GOP is that an up or down vote, also known as reconciliation, on health insurance reform in the Senate is outside the Senate rules. GOPer talking heads have equated using reconciliation with the "nuclear" option -- which, gentle reader, you'll be surprised to learn, is a total lie.

The latest liar to join the fracas is Reince Preibus, chair of the Wisconsin GOP. '"Democrats like Senator Feingold and President Obama have clearly and publicly opposed the use of reconciliation, also know (sic) as the "nuclear option" without equivocation...Democrats' willingness to contradict themselves by changing the rules in the Senate...blah blah blah talking point talking point etc blah.”

Now, now, Reince. Just because Hannity or Rush says something certainly does not make it true.

Competition. The ubiquitous cry of rabid free-marketers, Ayn Randites and conservatives as the answer to all that ills us. Just undo regulation and UNLEASH THE POWAH of the free market and competition! I can hear the bellowing now. Despite the repeated failures of total deregulation (current recession, runaway credit card industry, stock market crashes, etc.), conservatives still beat the “increase competition at any price” drum.

If there’s one thing new Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce board chair Tom Howatt and his corporate cronies at WMC enjoy more than anything, it’s a big ole handout from the government.

During some downtime between creating super awesome and totally relevant Ayn Rand fanboy videos and posting them on Facebook, Paul Ryan managed to find time to offer up the latest GOP lead-balloon plan for propping up the rich and corporations while selling out the middle class. Ryan’s ‘Roadmap for America’ was brought to the forefront of the debate during the question and answer session between the President and House Republicans. The President even praised Ryan for offering a substantive idea, and though President Obama didn’t say so, I’m sure he was thankful to hear something from the Republicans that didn’t question his citizenship, attempt to incite racially-charged violence or contain a reference to teabagging. A breath of fresh air, if you will.

One of the more rousing cheers during the State of the Union last night came after President Obama called out the ridiculous ruling from the Supreme Court last week that threw open the door to a new flood of corporate cash into campaigns. The Bush boys, Justices Roberts and Alito, swore up and down during confirmation they weren’t “judicial activists,” wouldn’t “legislate from the bench” and then promptly overturned campaign finance legislation already passed in state after state, and essentially halting efforts in Wisconsin to toughen up existing laws.

The failed conservative economic policies of giving endless tax breaks to corporations and the rich finally got a full-throated repudiation last night as voters in Oregon passed a tax increase on the wealthy and corporations to fill that state’s gaping budget hole.

Voters sick and tired of watching corporations get rich while state services and funding for public education are cut endlessly finally stood up and said ‘ENOUGH!’ Despite the typical crying and scare-tactics from corporate interests that somehow paying their fair share will “kill jobs,” Oregonians knew better. Many corporations in Oregon have skirted taxes for years, often paying the minimum tax allowed by Oregon law, ten bucks. Ten dollars – yeah cause that’s paying a fair share for the state services that corporations so willingly use.

Nine out of ten times isn’t just a coincidence; it’s a pattern of behavior.

And nine out of the last ten years, silver-spoon fed real estate developer Terrence Wall paid no state income tax. Because one of Madison’s wealthiest business men didn’t make any money in the last ten years. Right.

When T-Wall’s income tax doge was first revealed, we only new about the last five years, and T-Wall chalked up his non-existent tax payments to the down economy. But that certainly doesn’t explain his lack of tax payments over the last 10 years. T-Wall tried to explain it away by claiming he paid his fair share in business taxes, but we haven’t uncovered any proof of that, nor has T-Wall provided any.

The polling project between the UW-Madison Political Science department and the state’s shrillest right-wing, corporate-friendly think tank has turned out to be as suspicious as we first feared.

Documents obtained by One Wisconsin Now through the state’s open records law reveal that political considerations were front and center in the decision making surrounding the polling project and the publication of the poll’s results. The results of the poll showed statewide opposition to private school vouchers, but the press release from both UW and the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI) played up figures that showed support for school vouchers in Milwaukee.

According to the email we obtained, in the day before the release of materials on the poll, the head of WPRI pushed to have the statewide opposition to vouchers to be removed and to use the Milwaukee County numbers instead. When UW professor Ken Goldstein pushed back, saying the change would go against standard operating procedure, George Lightbourn of WPRI pushed back even harder, saying:

“I’m not concerned about journalists. I’m concerned about the Scott (sic) Ross types who would enjoy being able to portray WPRI’s own data as showing lack of support for choice. I know it’s a pain in the ass but I’ve been burned a couple of times and I don’t need to be the one holding the gas can.”

Here's the latest WisOpinion "That's Debatable" featuring One WI Now's Executive Director, Scot Ross on the MacIver Institute's fake news service -- check it out!

http://www.wisopinion.com/index.iml?mdl=article.mdl&article=25627

As is the tradition, a tour through the best and worst of the year.

The Best

The year started off on the high note that was watching the Worst President Ever leaving the White House for the last time, which brought with it another yearly best: the endless video compiliations of the worst Bush moments. YouTube never had it so good. 

Here in Wisconsin, decisive and effective action from Madison earlier this year is leading Wisconsin out of the worst of the Bush recession. Unemployment here has been dropping since June and is lower than the national rate, and despite the worst rhetoric from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce bashing Wisconsin’s economy, business are opening and relocating here and bringing jobs to the state. 

For sheer entertainment value, President of Teabag-istan Sarah Palin’s descent into madness during 2009 is second to none. Remember when she quit being governor on July 4th weekend? What a patriot! Remember how she doesn’t even ride in that stupid bus on her stupid book tour? Or how she still demands to be called governor and requests English-only reporters? 

Combining two of her most juvenile and irritating hobbies, namely lying and facebooking, she launched the Lie of the Year: Death Panels. And at her no cameras, no cell phones, no media, no nothing event in Milwaukee for Wisconsin Right to Life on November 6, she floated another whopper, suggesting that President Obama and “teh libruls” conspired to move “In God We Trust” from the new dollar coin when in reality it was the previously mentioned Worst President Ever. 

Here's the latest WisOpinion feature 'That's Debatable' in which One WI Now Executive Director Scot Ross takes on Brian Fraley from the conservative MacIver Institute. This week's topic is the most hyped story of 2009 -- check it out!

You can also keep up on the latest from 'That's Debatable' on Facebook here.

Voter rights and expanding access to the polls are the main topics of the Institute for One Wisconsin’s second annual “Protect Wisconsin’s Vote Education Summit,” set for Tuesday at Madison’s Museum of Contemporary Art on State Street. Among the speakers will be Adam Skaggs, Counsel in the Democracy Program at New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice.

The multimedia program will include a panel discussion, video presentations and speakers on a host of voter rights issues, including: Early voting and voter registration modernization, strengthening and protecting absentee balloting, accessibility to the polls, ex-offender re-enfranchisement, pitfalls of voter ID and benefits of preserving same day registration.

Once again, Scott Walker’s desire to score political points with his right-wing teabagger base rather than act as an effective and responsible leader leads to a black eye for Milwaukee County.

A revealing, albeit stomach-turning video at WISN.com shows overflowing trash bins, plugged toilets and at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Just last month, Walker’s county budget called for layoffs of the county workers in charge of housekeeping at the court house in favor of a contract to a private cleaning company, the owner of which just so happened to give Walker $1,000 donation.

Here's the latest WisOpinion "That's Debatable" featuring One WI Now Executive Director Scot Ross.

This week's topic is ACORN - check it out!

The employment outlook for Milwaukee County snowplow drivers? Like many other Milwaukee County employees, layoffs. Fully half of all the drivers in the county could be laid off in the next year unless the County comes up with more money. Milwaukee County might have enough funding to get through this winter, but next summer and winter are already looking like rough roads ahead. mmmmmm. Potholes.

Here's the latest WisOpinion "That's Debatable" exchange featuring One WI Now's Executive Director Scot Ross.

http://www.wisopinion.com/index.iml?mdl=article.mdl&article=25053

This week's topic? Climate change. Check it out!

The U.S. Senate is a serious place, where serious people tackle serious issues in a serious way.

No, seriously.

Consider the most important issue of our time, health insurance reform. Whether you support expanding health insurance to every American, or you support the rights of health insurance companies to take billions while they deny coverage to millions, one thing we can all agree on: let’s at least have a debate, a serious debate, where both sides can offer ideas and solutions.