Political Heat

Company hosting governor's budget signing gave him $40,000 in campaign cash Gov. Scott Walker is set to sign the state’s budget on Sunday. The governor plans on having a relatively low-key event. But it wasn’t enough for him just to have a simple signing ceremony: in keeping with his track record of creating controversy out of the simplest of things, Walker plans to sign the budget in a private gathering at a company where two executives gave him $40,000 in campaign donations . ...it's worth noting the fact that Catalyst Exhibits CEO Paul Stahlberg forked over $20,000 to help Walker win last year's recall election, and the company’s president, Tim Roberts, kicked in another $20,000 , according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's campaign finance database . Both Catalyst officials gave $5,000 to Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch as well. Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign the budget this Sunday Emphasis added. It’s nice to see the governor branch out to other com...

The Defense of Marriage Act was ruled unconstitutional today, paving the way for states that recognize same-sex marriage to grant federal benefits to its citizens in such legal partnerships. While the ruling is historic, it's far from being the last word on the debate over same-sex marriage. Recognition for gay and lesbian couples still remains out of reach for far too many across the country, and until the day comes when every couple has equal marriage rights, regardless of sexual orientation, the fight will still go on. Still, the ruling today is worth celebrating. It's indicative of a changing society and an evolving populace on the issue of marriage rights for same-sex partners.

Disclosure allows parents to make informed choices, and voucher spending to be scrutinized With the Republican state legislature passing the budget bill last week, it now heads to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk for his approval. Included in the budget were last-minute provisions prohibiting the state from releasing information on newly-expanded voucher schools, requiring such information to be made public simultaneously: The amendment requires the Department of Public Instruction to release uniformly from all voucher schools the data on how well they are using that taxpayer money to educate students. To the casual observer, this makes sense: to make things fair, the information should all come out at once. Yet the amendment limits more than just when information is released, but also the data on individual voucher schools: ...the amendment also goes further, prohibiting the state education agency from releasing selective data on individual voucher schools unless the private school...

The debate on affirmative action is a tricky topic to tackle. On the one hand, it makes sense that people should only be judged on the merits of their hard work. Yet, opponents of affirmative action sometimes forget, purposely or otherwise, that people of color face other challenges that are daunting to say the least. Racism, whether overt or subtle, is not dead in America, and if two candidates for entrance into an institution for higher education are contending for the same spot, a person's race could be considered, given the challenges they have likely faced in their lives. Race in and of itself shouldn't be a determinant in whether a person should be accepted -- these individuals should have to show they have earned a spot in whatever school they apply to, just as other applicants have. But disregarding a person's background underscores what they have overcome so far to get to this point, and shouldn't be ignored when it comes to the application process for colleg...

There are many terrible things throughout the entire Republican-authored state budget. A tax plan that benefits the wealthy, the expansion of voucher schools, and many other items clearly demonstrate that the state GOP doesn't have the people's interests in their minds. Yet one aspect of this whole budgeting process has stuck out: the purposeful and deliberate concealing of the process, of conservative lawmakers refusing to be transparent for the people to observe. One thing is for certain... Whoever is in power next, whether it be Republicans or Democrats, the process needs a serious overhaul. The people should not be left in the dark, to go to bed understanding the budget one way and to wake up discovering new provisions the next morning. We need to change the process, to allow the people of Wisconsin to know exactly what is going into their budget.

Republicans show their true colors when they insist we are a "republic" to stifle the people's voices H/T to Monologues of Dissent , who posted the video from which quotations for this post are derived. Wisconsin Assemblyman Gary Hebl, a Democrat, had had enough . After seeing spectators removed from the Assembly gallery -- including those that hadn’t caused any disturbances to the legislators on the floor below -- Hebl made an impassioned statement on the threat to democracy: “And I do believe that it’s appropriate to talk about the guests that were here, and those who were removed.” he said. “ Especially those that did not engage in any activity that was cause for them to be removed . “And so, I do respect the institution greatly. I’m very proud to be here. But when we do not practice democracy, we give no warning to the members in the gallery, I believe we do a great disservice to democracy.” His statements were followed by applause...and scorn from his Repu...

Justification of abortion bill neglects current law that already informs women of the procedure Do state Republicans think every woman in Wisconsin is stupid? 

 There’s no other plausible explanation for their recent behavior. On Wednesday, Senate Republicans obstructed debate and passed an incredibly intrusive bill, requiring women who are seeking abortions to receive an ultrasound at least 24 hours before the procedure. That would include requiring transvaginal ultrasounds , which is considered the only way to receive a clear image 12 weeks or earlier into a pregnancy. Last night, the Assembly approved the same bill . It now goes to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk, who has indicated he will sign it into law . What is the purpose of the bill? For what reason does our state now require women seeking an abortion to be subjected to an unnecessary, possibly invasive procedure? Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) enlightened us on Wednesday : Women should not be going to facilities ...

Wisconsin GOP, under Gov. Walker's leadership, is sinking our state "I've been in the Legislature over 50 years, through different majorities and different minorities... ... and I have never experienced the abuse of power by the majority party that I experienced today." -State Sen. Fred Risser Wisconsin, as we know it and love it, is falling apart. Politically speaking, Wisconsin was once considered a wonderful place, where liberals and conservatives could be bitterly divided in the Capitol, yet still have time to put aside their differences for a beer across the street on the square. Mike Ellis loses it as he refuses to allow debate And while being divided on the floors of the legislature, Democrats and Republicans alike still had a sense of decorum, of understanding that our differences made our state stronger. That changed with the inauguration of Gov. Scott Walker. His attack on workers signaled a drastic departure from respectful dialogue. ...

Corporate leaders predict improvement, but do their opinions reflect realities for the rest of us in Wisconsin? Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) released a survey this weekend that showed business-owners in the organization think things are going in the right direction in Wisconsin. That shouldn’t be surprising -- WMC is one of the largest contributors to the Republican Party in the state, and has donated millions of dollars to electing Scott Walker and other like-minded conservatives to office. While some in the media have hyped up the WMC’s “findings,” the results of the survey couldn’t be more predictable . Why would WMC members say anything different? They support Walker and his “reforms” because they benefit from it personally. But do survey results reflect what’s actually happening in Wisconsin? The blunt answer: No. Take, for example, what WMC members say about economic growth and jobs over the next year (PDF). While 53 percent of CEOs expect good to...

Picking a candidate too soon could cause more damage than good for DPW Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chairman Mike Tate says we don’t need a candidate for governor quite yet . Tate said it was good that his party had not yet put forth a candidate to run against Walker. “It does us no good to give him a target to shoot at one day sooner than we should,” Tate said. Much as it’d be nice to have a definitive candidate to build up a full year and a half before the election, Tate is absolutely right. Having a gubernatorial candidate this early would provide nothing but fodder for Republicans. That isn’t to say the Democrats don’t have great candidates ready to take on Scott Walker. There are a handful of progressives who’d be perfect for the job, highly capable of defeating the current governor and turning the state around. But beginning the election season so early risks tiring out the electorate months before they’re set to vote. It also provides a person for Walker -- and his ...

Republicans in Wisconsin fail to focus on issues that matter to citizenry in latest budget (and other) proposals In the dead of night early morning, the Joint Finance Committee Republicans passed many of the controversial provisions of the Walker budget. They voted to expand a voucher system that has never been proven, in 20 years of existence, to improve student performance. They chose to reject federal funds for Medicaid, opting for the Walker plan that calls on spending more state taxpayer dollars while insuring less Wisconsinites. They pushed forward a tax cut in which 60 percent of the returns will go to 20 percent of the richest Wisconsinites . Through it all, what was missing the most in last night’s spectacle was any indication on what the Wisconsin GOP plans to do on jobs . In fact, I have yet to hear from Republicans what parts of the budget, if any, proposed by Gov. Scott Walker will spur job growth. The laser-like focus on jobs that Walker called for earl...

City council hopes to curb bullying by bringing concerns to bullies' homes The City of Monona has taken a stand against bullying that may actually work ... ...fine the parents if their kids are persistent bullyers. The Monona City Council passed the measure last month (PDF), which levies fines on parents of bullies if they continually harass their peers. It’s an unprecedented move that, so far as anyone can tell, hasn’t been adopted anywhere else in the nation. The law wouldn’t target parents of first-time bullyers, but rather those whose children are consistent offenders. Before receiving a ticket, parents would have to be informed of a bullying incident that had occurred within the past 90 days. If the child continued to bully after the initial warning, the parents could then be fined. Parents would receive a ticket of $114 for the first violation (following the warning), and $177 for every violation thereafter for the next year. Does this policy goes to far? Jason...