One Wisconsin Now

It looks like we can all expect the races for the state Assembly to get really ugly this year, primarily because Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) plans on buying up as much ad time as possible. Some observers expect them to spend as much as $7 million to keep their iron fisted control of the state Assembly and its agenda. Wisconsin is still recovering from the dishonest and disgusting attacks that they helped launch earlier this year against Louis Butler. Their actions helped draw very negative national attention to Wisconsin. The vast majority of independent observers condemned their actions in that race and the nonpartisan Wisconsin Judicial Campaign Integrity Committee described the WMC ads as “deceiving the public”. Why would we expect anything else from them when their gravy train in the Assembly may be at stake?

Whenever WMC prepares to spend record amounts of money to influence elections, they often send out their resident joke man Jim Pugh. It is his job to serve up the real whoppers that can sometimes get him laughed out of a room. His most often joke is that WMC’s nonstop flow of deceptive ads are merely an effort to “educate the public.” The Milwaukee Journal has reported the contents of a July fund-raising solicitation from WMC that appears to very clearly state their real goal for the fall, retaining Republican control of the Assembly. The story describes this as their “top priority.” It also reports that they would like to raise some $1 million by Labor Day to use for political ads that would serve that underlying goal. Flooding the public airwaves with deceptive ads is merely a vehicle for WMC’s real goal of maintaining their control over the Assembly.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that all the usual business suspects are going to pump cash into an effort to fight the paid sick day referendum. The story further reveals that if they don’t get the result that they want on the referendum, that they will spend even more money by challenging the will of the people in the courts. So what is a person supposed to take from this news? That business interests are willing to invest their money in an expensive ad campaign and possibly a protracted lawsuit but not in their own employees and the public health? Are they really going to launch such an effort to keep some of the poorest workers in the city from having a benefit that most people take for granted?

The business interests involved in the fight against paid sick days list all of the same talking points that they have always used when asked to invest more into their employees and the common good. This story is no exception, once again they claim that requiring paid sick days will put people out of business and chase others businesses from the city. How many times have we had to endure this tired old argument? It is straight out of central casting but they have simply replaced the last issue with paid sick days.

(cross-posted from Wisconsin Labor 2008 blog: http://labor2008.typepad.com/wi/2008/07/rep-steve-kagen.html)

WATCH Rep. Steve Kagen in Appleton talk about the value of the Employee Free Choice Act:

As a top advisor to predatory lenders, as well as John McCain ex-Texas Senator Phil Gramm has been taking heat for calling people concerned about the tanking economy and the loss of the homes, jobs and futures as “whiners” experiencing a “mental recession.”

Having studied the career of Gramm as part of a research paper I had to write in the mid-90s, it was like a trip down memory lane when I heard the Huffington Post had posted something about Gramm investments in a couple failed Russ Meyer-inspired soft-core porn flicks.

To be certain, in the hypocrite hall of fame, Gramm’s got his wing. The smaller government, except when it comes to giving taxpayer money to my corporate clients, Gramm made a career of railing against “guvment” spending.

In a 4-3 decision the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled against the State of Wisconsin in the Department of Revenue v. Menasha Corporation case. Of all people, ethically challenged Justice Annette Ziegler wrote the majority opinion. Last year hundreds of Wisconsinites called for her to recuse herself from the case because it was a major priority for her benefactors at Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Who could forget that they spent some $2 million helping to get her elected? That was more than she spent on her own campaign and almost more than both campaigns combined. She refused to recuse herself and now has delivered a big victory to her benefactors.

It looks like WMC just won a $265 million return on a $2 million investment in just one year. Unfortunately this special interest gain is a big loss for Wisconsin. During this troubling economy and a time of tough budgets, Ziegler’s decision gives us $265 million less to invest in schools, public safety, or to fix our crumbling infrastructure.

Although she chose to step down from many cases last year, oddly this was one that she refused to leave. At the time she said that she would only consider recusing herself if one of the parties in the case requested it. The person that was supposed to represent Wisconsin in the case was Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, who also owes his current job to WMC’s deep pockets. Naturally Van Hollen didn’t cross them by asking for their latest installation to step aside. WMC really covered their bases on this one and it got what it paid for, meanwhile the rest of us just get the shaft.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting on the prospect of $200 a barrel price for oil by the end of the year. The price has shot up over the last 7 years but that increase has been much more rapid in the last six months. During that time we have seen it go up from $100 to $150 a barrel. If the price actually hits the $200 prediction, that will translate to well over $6 a gallon for gasoline at the pump.

The pain at the pump is only the beginning of the budget crunch for the average working family. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that natural gas is also at a high for this time of year. Experts in that industry are predicting major sticker shock for energy customers, especially when we try to heat our homes in winter. Natural gas futures have jumped 82 percent since just the start of the year. The story reports that increases in the price of natural gas have already driven up electricity bills twice since March.

All of these costs are overburdening working families and impacting our already fragile economy. This is where the failed Bush policies of irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy, coddling Big Oil, and lacking a forward thinking energy policy has brought us. U.S. Senator John McCain has been a rubber stamp for those polices in the Senate. He supported Bush as much as 100 percent in 2008 and 95 percent in 2007. In addition, McCain now says that he will make Bush’s tax cuts for the rich permanent. Actually he will go even further by offering unprecedented tax giveaways to some of the biggest corporations in the country. Under this economic scheme, Big Oil would get some $3.8 billion in tax giveaways. To the average person, such a massive giveaway to the very industry that has us over a barrel makes no sense at all. To John McCain it’s just business as usual.

Former Assembly Speaker John Gard has scheduled several town-hall meetings that he says will focus on gas prices. Unfortunately his positions on our addiction to oil is no different than the failed policies of the most unpopular president in history, George W. Bush. More specifically Gard is talking about giving Big Oil a free pass to dig up and take over wherever they think that they can find oil. Whether it is endangering pristine areas of wildlife or erecting Big Oil monuments right off our coasts, Gard’s folly is trying to drill our way out of this energy crisis. Even some of his fellow Republicans do not agree with this shortsighted gamble for what is sure to be a very limited gain.

While Gard is busy promoting Big Oil’s self serving agenda, I wonder if he will take a moment to correct himself on a recent related claim. Talking Points memo reported recently that Gard parroted a conservative talking point that had been completely debunked. The conservative claim that China and other nations were drilling off the coast of Florida was repeated in a Gard flyer even after Dick Cheney had to admit that it was not factual. When reporters for Talking Points Memo called the Gard operation to ask them about the misinformation, they were given several different false and conflicting answers. Perhaps it would be good for John Gard to take a moment during the town hall meetings to explain why he put out such inaccurate information for public consumption. Like his energy policy in general, the flyer demonstrates the length that he will go to in order to protect Big Oil and their narrow interests.

Last week it was reported that a Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) staffer condescendingly referred to the Epic Systems founder and well-respected progressive business leader as “that computer lady.” As a result the Institute for One Wisconsin launched an education effort this week questioning WMC’s attitude toward women and their history of opposing legislation that would have been helpful to both women and their families.

The online campaign includes a WMC Watch News Alert available at WMCWatch.org and a letter to the editor writing tool. Individuals can write a letter to the editor of their local papers expressing their outrage at both the dismissive WMC comments and their legislative positions that have been bad for Wisconsin women.

Although the media is trying its best to paint him as something different, Congressman Paul Ryan continues to prove that he is from the same polluted conservative mold as the most unpopular president in history. While the rhetoric around Ryan may suggest otherwise, reality and his actual record have proven him to be nothing more than a rubber stamp of the worst kind. The latest example came only yesterday when he voted against a bill with massive bipartisan support. The bill postponed a planned cut in payments to physicians who treat Medicare patients. If the bill is not passed before July 1 doctors that treat Medicare patients will take a 10.6 percent hit. Such a dramatic pay cut could easily jeopardize access for both seniors and the disabled. Why would Paul Ryan vote for that?

Ryan’s vote is even more peculiar when you consider that 129 of his fellow Republicans joined with the Democrats to support the bill. There are only two explanations for Ryan’s hard line against this measure. Either he is just that loyal to a grossly out of touch president that has promised to veto it or he has a deep desire to protect big insurance at all costs. The cut to doctors was replaced by a reduction in payments to private insurers that participate in the Medicare Advantage program. According to a congressional advisory commission, those companies get some 13 percent more than it costs Medicare to offer services itself. For a guy that prides himself on his imagined budgetary prowess, it seems an odd thing to defend. Someone should corner Ryan and ask him exactly why he would rather cut doctors and seniors rather than slow down the gravy train for big insurance.

Today Paid Sick Days Milwaukee, a coalition of labor, educational and community organizations, delivered over 42,000 signatures to the Milwaukee Common Council. The effort was lead by 9 to 5, National Association of Working Women. They are asking the council to pass a requirement that all businesses in Milwaukee provide employees with paid sick day benefits. The council can either vote on it themselves or they could put the measure on the November ballot.

The proposed ordinance would require all private businesses in Milwaukee to give their workers one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. Full-time employees for a large business would earn 72 hours a year. Smaller businesses (with 10 or fewer employees) would only be required to provide 40 hours a year in paid sick days. The days could be taken for illness, medical care for the worker, for their children, parents or any other person related to the worker.

George Lightbourn is the former budget advisor for Governor Scott McCallum. Now he is a glorified shill for corporate interests at the right wing Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. Thursday corporate interests attacked the $2-billion-saving “Healthy Wisconsin” plan through their chosen outlet. Before taking WPRI’s rantings too seriously, perhaps one should first consider the source, because Lightbourn has zero credibility on sound budgeting and related issues.

When George Lightbourn was working for Governor McCallum, he played a major role in digging our state into a historic budget deficit. Then they had the bright idea of selling off $6 billion in future tobacco settlement payments for only a short term fix to a budgetary problem that he helped cause in the first place. Certainly his advice is not the kind that we needed then and it is definitely not now for this health care crisis.

Lightbourn twists himself into an ideological pretzel in his recent attack on the savings provided by the Healthy Wisconsin plan. Conveniently Lightbourn provides no real healthcare reform, rather he only attacks the bold initiative of the State Senate. In the attack of Healthy Wisconsin, he makes clear that he disapproves of hugely successful government healthcare programs like Medicare, BadgerCare and SeniorCare. This extreme position is not only a purely ideologically driven one but also is totally out of step with the vast majority of people that have greatly benefited from such successful programs.

One Wisconsin Now was proud to help sponsor a Milwaukee stop during David Sirota’s book tour. David Sirota is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of the New York Times best selling, Hostile Takeover. Sirota came to the Schwartz bookstore on Downer last night to discuss the issues addressed in his new book, The Uprising. It is an investigative look at America’s new populist movement. To research for the book, Sirota traveled all across the country interviewing people on the front lines of the movement from both the left and the right.

About 40 people attended Sirota’s presentation Tuesday night. He covered the over arching points from his book regarding this new populist movement. He talked about the broad frustration with our government among regular working people and how it was fostering the movement on all ends of the political spectrum. He pointed to the success of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who won in some very conservative states using an economic populist message. He commented that this should be a hopeful sign that regular people across the political spectrum are beginning to understand that they have been locked out of our current system.

U.S. Senator John McCain has proposed a gas tax “holiday.” This is a concept that has been universally panned by economists. The average consumer would see almost no savings. It seems clear that it is little more than a pander to people that are struggling with record gas prices. While John McCain offers only smoke and mirrors to the average American, all indications show that his feet are firmly planted on the side of Big Oil and their record profits.

Although he has said in past town halls (Rindge, NH, 11/18/07) that he would “oppose any tax breaks or good deals for the gas and oil industry…” his current tax plan does the exact opposite of what he promised last year. McCain’s plan would actually give the top five oil companies $3.8 billion a year in tax breaks. Further, McCain has consistently voted against windfall profits taxes for Big Oil and has voted against taxing them in order to provide rebates to severely strapped consumers.

In an editorial today the Tomah Journal highlights a case that came before the Wisconsin Supreme Court last week. The case involved the family of a three-year-old boy suffering from brain cancer and a large HMO. The same day that the court slapped fellow Justice Annette Ziegler on the wrist for her willful violation of ethics rules, the court narrowly ruled for the family of the young boy. In a surprise to no one Ziegler dissented favoring the corporation.

The editorial reminds its readers that the state’s corporate lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), spent unprecedented millions on her campaign. Even in the midst of facing a Judicial Conduct Panel last year over her conflicts, she still refused to step off a case involving her benefactors at WMC. It should be no surprise that she ruled against the young boy and his family and for the big corporate interests.

Although John McCain claims the mantle of “reformer” he has chosen to surround himself with lobbyists for all sorts of questionable interests. We also know that John McCain has admitted that he still needs an education when it comes to the economy. Given those two facts, why would anyone be surprised that he chose Phil Gramm as his teacher. He is not only a former colleague but he has also been a lobbyist for the mortgage industry. MSNBC is reporting that while Gramm was advising John McCain about his economic policy, he was also being paid by a Swiss bank to lobby Congress about the U.S. mortgage crisis.

When Phil Gramm chaired the Senate Banking Committee, he wrote and passed deregulatory legislation in multiple industries. Some economists point to both this and general lack of enforcement as not only a key reason for the mortgage crisis but also for its spread to other sectors of finance. Given this history it shouldn’t be a surprise that John McCain has proposed even more deregulation and nothing of substance to help individuals that are struggling.

We already know that John McCain has a small army of lobbyists that either work or raise money on his behalf. Although some have started to resign he still has over one hundred at last count. He also has some 70 registered lobbyists that have bundled money on his behalf. Even more, the Center for Responsive Politics reports that McCain has received more than $610,000 in direct donations from lobbyists. The lobbyist army working for John McCain represents all of the corporate elites and even foreign interests including some of the worst regimes and dictators.

Today’s John McCain stands in stark contrast to the John McCain from 1997. At that time he was trying to recover after his involvement in the Keating Five scandal. At that time he twice introduced legislation that “would ban a candidate or a candidate’s authorized committee from paying registered lobbyists.” McCain was quoted at the time as saying that, “registered lobbyists who work for campaigns as fundraisers clearly represent a conflict of interest. When a campaign employs an individual who also lobbies that Member, the perception of undue and unfair influence is raised.” Reading these comments makes me wonder what the 1997 McCain would think about the current one. Whatever the reason for his politically convenient change, one thing is certain. John McCain is now knee deep in lobbyists and up to his ears in “conflicts.”

The Institute for Wisconsin’s Future (IWF) released a new report on Wisconsin non-profit hospitals and their billions of dollars worth of tax-exempt property. The report finds that those properties could be generating at least $117 million in property taxes yearly to help ease the property tax burden on individual taxpayers and small businesses. The report includes a list of all 124 tax-exempt hospitals and medical centers, located in 100 communities statewide. It includes tables with data on each non-profit hospital in the state, including potential local property tax payments.

Wisconsin’s property tax exemption for non-profit hospitals dates back to a time when they largely served the poor. But now, as the IWF report says, “these former almshouses are massive, sometimes luxurious institutions.” In addition, most of the facilities that were once located nearest to the poor are closing while large palace-like structures are being erected in wealthier areas. Increasingly the larger non-profit hospitals are behaving more like their counterparts in the for-profit world. According to data that IWF obtained from the Wisconsin Hospital Association, these hospitals posted nearly $1 billion in income in 2006.

I don’t envy the lobbyist that has to argue a case for what has become a massive industry in Wisconsin. Non-profits with a combined revenue of $11.5 billion. A combined 2006 profit of $1 billion. Non-profits owning a combined $5.8 billion in real property. Erecting palaces in more affluent areas while closing down operations in the poorest areas of the state. With this kind of data, how can even the most seasoned lobbyist defend the status quo with a straight face?

The State Senate took the lead today to end the loophole that lets Wal-Mart and other big corporations evade $15 million annually by exploiting the state tax law (and the taxpayers).

Under the tax evasion scheme, tells the Institute for Wisconsin's Future, Wal-Mart would have one part of its business pay another part of the biz for rent allowing it to "reduce" its Wisconsin profits and consequently, reduce the amount of money it's required to provide the taxpayers of Wisconsin.