Political Heat

Alexander's Twitter feed is a case study in ignorant commentary I usually make it a point not to post things that are too political on the holidays. It being Christmas eve, I had every intention of ignoring politics today and focusing on other things. The actions of Milwaukee County Supervisor Deanna Alexander , however, cannot be ignored. So with some spare time in hand, it’s worth looking what transpired last night and in days prior on Alexander’s Twitter account (H/T to Capper). It all stems back to tweets she made earlier this month regarding the #ICantBreathe hashtag that has become popular on the social network. “I can’t breathe,” of course, were the final words of Eric Garner, an African-American male who was choked to death in New York City last summer.

Walker's policies since 2011 have sunk Wisconsin's jobs rankings Scott Walker has said in the past that the state is growing jobs faster because of policies he’s put in place. Well, the election is behind us now, but we can still see that’s clearly not the case. The second quarter 2014 jobs report is out , and Wisconsin is still lagging behind other Midwestern states , remaining in the lower half of states in the nation overall. While the U.S. as a whole saw a 2.3 percent growth in private sector jobs , Wisconsin’s rate was only 1.5 percent, ranking us as 32nd in the nation. Among the states deemed as part of the Midwest (defined during the past election), Wisconsin is dead last -- just like it was in the previous quarterly report.

Walker lacks qualifications to make real commentary on international matters Reacting to comments from President Barack Obama regarding a change towards normalizing relations between Cuba and the U.S. , Gov. Scott Walker said it’s a “bad idea” to move towards more openness between the two nations. “ I think it’s a bad idea,” Walker told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t think there’s been any noticeable change towards making that a more free and prosperous country. There’s a reason why we had the policy in the first place .” ... “I think it opens up the doors to problems, and I think in a similar way changing relations with Cuba right now without them showing a noticeable change in terms of what kind of freedoms they’re going to put in place is a problem,” Walker said. “ In the past, we’ve said if you want to have a more normal relationship with the United States, you need to show you’re committed to the same freedoms and rights that we have here in the United States .” Emphases ...

Granting students equal access to sports activities the right move to make; qualms against the policy are based on unwarranted fears The Baraboo school district has agreed to adhere to Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) standards allowing transgender students to participate in sporting activities that correspond with their gender identities. The move by the district to accept the policy standards (PDF) is the right one to make. Students deserve equal opportunity to participate in sporting events that public schools may offer. Preventing students from participating in sports that correspond to their gender identities would be a grave mistake, and one that would devalue or demoralize any student who may identify with a gender other than the one assigned to them at birth. Parents in Baraboo (and across the nation) have been primarily concerned with students committing fraud through this policy (for example, boys who say they identify as females only to have ad...

Can the governor actually cite "teach a man to fish moments" in the Bible? About a month ago I wrote an article noting that Gov. Scott Walker , himself a PK (pastor’s kid), didn’t understand the difference between a Chinese proverb and Biblical text. Walker had said, “My reading of the Bible finds plenty of reminders that it’s better to teach someone to fish than to give them fish if they’re able.” I correctly pointed out that the “teach a man to fish” lesson was never mentioned in the Bible -- and that handing out fish like “freebies” was something Jesus Christ himself had done during the miracle of the loaves and fish. That post received renewed popularity following the “Molotov” Hanukkah mishap that Walker was recently ridiculed for. Over at Cognitive Dissidence , Capper took note of the gaffe, in conjunction with new reporting from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Dan Bice on the subject: "The governor specifically says it’s in his reading of the Bible...

Scott Walker's promise that concealed carry would make state safer is clearly inaccurate “By signing concealed carry into law today we are making Wisconsin safer for all responsible, law abiding citizens.” Those were the words of Gov. Scott Walker when he signed legislation allowing for concealed carry in the state back in 2011. The promise of the legislation was that it would make us safer . Has it? Before I go on, it should be noted that the data provided doesn’t show whether concealed carry contributed to higher crimes -- the data is so young and the numbers so negligible that increases could be attributed to any number of things. What I’m trying to show is whether we’re safer under concealed carry or not. To see if we’re safer, we simply need to look at crime statistics since concealed carry came into play. If crime goes up, we’re not safer. For fairness, I’ve also compiled the data of crime over the past 21 years -- from 1993 to 2013. We can simultaneously look...

Repairing our global image will take time, but it will require being honest about what we did as well We know that Bush administration officials used torture tactics to obtain information from suspected terrorists. And we also know that the information obtained didn’t help us to defeat terrorists abroad or at home. The Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture helps the nation find closure in this dark chapter of American history. And it’s important that we acknowledge these mistakes so that we don’t repeat them again in the future. There are, of course, people who still defend the methods that were used . Among them is former Vice President Dick Cheney , who said the report is “full of crap.”

Embarrassing stories highlight Walker's ineptitude, low value for voters Millennial translator: Facepalm = a hand gesture used to indicate extreme disappointment. Our governor isn’t unfamiliar with embarrassing situations, but today must have been a tough one for him. Three stories are worth noting, providing a hat-trick of disappointment in Scott Walker within a 24-hour period of time . Two of them are religious in nature, while the third has to do with a slipping health care ranking.

Walker is showing reluctance for a right-to-work bill, but his record and past statements suggests he's all for it Click to enlarge Where exactly does Gov. Scott Walker stand on right-to-work in Wisconsin? In recent days, it would seem that the governor doesn’t care all that much about it. Don’t be fooled -- his past record says otherwise.

Video evidence suggests that a jury trial was more than justifiable following Garner’s death A New York City police officer who put Eric Garner in a lethal chokehold, a move that ultimately ended Garner’s life, will not face formal charges for his actions . A grand jury determined that the officer, who used a chokehold maneuver that had been banned by NYPD for more than 20 years, would not face indictment for taking Garner’s life earlier this summer. This is the second high profile incident of a white officer avoiding indictment from a grand jury for killing an unarmed black civilian in nearly as many weeks. On November 24, Officer Darren Wilson of Ferguson, Missouri, also faced indictment for shooting teenager Michael Brown. The grand jury there ultimately determined that Wilson would not face charges for his actions. The situation in Ferguson became an instance of “he-said, she-said” as no documentable evidence (such as video recording) exists of the episode. Still, much of t...

Latest quarterly report the second slowest year of WI's recovery (even slower than Doyle's last year) The Department of Workforce Development has released details about the latest quarterly jobs report due to be released nationally in December. Since the time of Scott Walker’s recall, the DWD has released the quarterly reports a month early. The numbers for this report – which counts the number of jobs created between June 2013 and June 2014 – shows that more than 35,000 jobs were created during that yearlong period. The DWD is quick to paint a rosy picture about the numbers, with Department Sec. Reggie Newson stating, “The latest quarterly data further demonstrate Governor Walker's comprehensive strategies and targeted investments are creating jobs and growing Wisconsin's economy.” When compared to the previous year, in which less than 28,000 jobs were created, it does indeed seem like a stark improvement, worthy of praise that the DWD is handing out. When ...

Gov. Walker called agency requests a budget shortfall when it came from Doyle Is it fair to call the $2.2 billion in budget requests a “budget shortfall?” These are, after all, simply requests from the various agencies in state government. Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch was quick to say so in his department’s report (PDF) detailing the requests, which states unequivocally that the “assumption that ALL agency budget requests will be funded” is “flawed.” Calling these new $2.2 billion budget requests a shortfall, then, is a bit of a stretch. But that doesn’t mean that these budget requests aren’t alarming. Indeed, alarmist behavior is how Gov. Scott Walker reacted when there were similar requests before he took office. As pointed out by WisPolitics.com , this “method” for these budget requests “was also the foundation for the $3.6 billion deficit” claim that Walker has consistently made on campaigns and other self-promotion tours across the country. To ch...

Governor confuses Chinese proverb and Christ's message of compassion Scott Walker opposes expanding Medicaid and BadgerCare because it contradicts his understanding of the Bible. “My reading of the Bible finds plenty of reminders that it’s better to teach someone to fish than to give them fish if they’re able. … Caring for the poor isn’t the same as taking money from the federal government to lock more people into Medicaid,” Walker said. Oddly enough, the quotation Walker references above never actually appears in the Bible. It's a Chinese proverb . If we want to be clear on Jesus's position on handing out fish to the poor, we can look to the book of Matthew for guidance, where He literally hands out fish to the poor : When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.  As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the ...

Political payback evident following tumultuous election year Robin Vos has essentially suggested that political blacklisting is back -- and acceptable -- in Wisconsin. Conjuring the spirit of Senator Joseph McCarthy, Vos, who was re-elected to serve as Assembly Speaker this week, suggested that the political ties of Milwaukee Bucks owners could influence the state's decision to help fund a new arena. Bucks co owner Marc Lasry greeted President Barack Obama when he came to campaign on behalf of Mary Burke. "If you are looking for people to support [the Bucks] you certainly don't want to poke people in the eye," Vos said on Sunday. Read another way, Vos is essentially saying, "Support our cause, stay out of our way, or suffer the consequences." We've seen pay-to-play and other forms of cronyism in the past four years from Wisconsin Republicans. Now we are seeing firsthand open political payback against those whose opinions differ fro...

A quick thought on the Assembly Speaker's reluctance to help the Bucks (based on the owners' liberalism)

Redistricting reform, blended proportional representation and a citizens veto would encourage greater democratic involvement In 2009 Time Magazine declared the Republican Party an endangered species . You’d never know it given last week’s midterm results, but pundits and political insiders were questioning, just as they are now with the Democrats, whether conservative lawmakers would ever be relevant again. The GOP suffered huge losses in 2008. But they had a game plan, a strategy to help them recover. They stuck to it, digging their heels in and eventually took back control both houses of Congress. Wisconsin, too, was a Democratic state in 2009. But now we’re under full Republican control as well. How can progressives come back? What will it take? The people of Wisconsin obviously want change . So Democrats should deliver, bringing about real change for the better. They should become the party of reform , coming to office on the platform of bringing stronger “small-d” democr...

Messaging (too much of it negative) was a big problem this election year Scott Walker shouldn't have won reelection . On the main issues, more Wisconsinites supported his opponent's policies over his own: A majority of Wisconsin citizens support raising the minimum wage . Walker does not. A majority support accepting federal Medicaid funds to expand BadgerCare . Walker said no to that. Most Wisconsinites want to increase funding to public schools . Walker cut funding and gave taxpayer dollars to private schools. So why did Mary Burke lose? The Walker campaign made Burke into a monster. They successfully convinced a majority in the state that she would be a terrible leader, through unsubstantiated rumors and innuendos. Burke did her best to combat that characterization, but it wasn't enough. The conversation, no matter how hard she tried, couldn't be steered a different way. That wasn't the only problem, however. The messaging in favor of Burk...

Walker works to further his own ambitions and to appease his donors; Burke will work to serve out her constituents' wishes and preserve Wisconsin ideals There are two different paths that the citizens of the state of Wisconsin can choose to take come Election Day. One option is to take a path already forged by the sitting governor. Scott Walker’s vision for the state is to appease business interests, with less emphasis on actual constituents. Easing regulations that pollute our waterways or make it more difficult to prosecute workplace discrimination, among other items, seems to be the endorsed M.O. for the Walker administration. But it isn’t just his policies that matter -- how Walker goes about governing is also of importance. His “divide and conquer” strategy is all at once both startling and effective, and it has resulted in an unprecedented era of partisanship that the state has traditionally been unfamiliar with. His poor managerial style is also worth noting. Has...

The allegations against Mary Burke, that she was fired from Trek, are completely unfounded and should be ignored. Why the mainstream media is picking this story up is beyond me, and it's irresponsible journalism in my view. Here's what we know: Gary Ellerman, the man making the claim, was himself fired from Trek. He is a Republican Party operative, and is known for not necessarily playing by the rules -- he was one of several "fake Democrats" to run against legitimate candidates in the 2012 recall elections;  The organization that "reported" the claim, Wisconsin Reporter, is hardly neutral. It is founded in major part by the Franklin Center, which itself has major financial dealings with conservative groups like the Cato Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Koch brothers, and the NRA;  And Mary Burke's brother, John Burke, the current president of Trek, denies all allegations made against his sister. As the president of the company, who was...

Statistical analysis of crime data exposes crime rise in state during national plateau In 2010, the year before Gov. Scott Walker took office, there were 97 gun related homicides in the state of Wisconsin. This week, according to Wisconsin Public Radio , we’ve already reached that number for the year, with 65 days still remaining in 2014. If we keep up the current pace we should reach 118 gun homicides by the end of the year . What has happened to have made Wisconsin (if it keeps this pace) surpass a 20 percent increase in annual gun-related homicides from 2010 to the present? Funding to police departments fell , in large part due to cuts to localities imposed by the Walker administration : The governor's first budget, passed in 2011, delivered the single largest cut to shared revenue in a decade — $76 million, or 9 percent. Walker also imposed strict limits on local governments' ability to raise property taxes to make up for those cuts. While not saying he is directl...

"Divide and conquer" politics still the go-to strategy for embattled governor Gov. Scott Walker recently talked about the role that the city of Madison will play in the upcoming gubernatorial election: There are a lot of people who love what we've done across the state. There are many people in Madison who are angry and they're going to vote no matter what . We have got to make sure that people who love what we do understand they have to come out just as strong. If they do, we'll win this election. Emphasis added. Describing Madison voters as “angry,” Walker refuses to confront the fact that as governor he’s meant to serve the entire state, not just the “WOW” counties. Rather than do that, however, Walker goes to his trusted strategy of “divide and conquer,” an offensive maneuver to say the least. By making the conversation into “us-versus-them,” Walker hopes to villainize the people of Madison so that the rest of the state targets Dane County instead o...

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board is downplaying the importance of Scott Walker's promise to create 250,000 jobs during his four years in office: The Walker critics argue you should care about this. But you shouldn't. It's just not that important. Walker's promise was always more rhetoric than reality, a nice sound bite. "A nice sound bite?" That's not what the Journal Sentinel called it when they endorsed Walker in 2010, and it's not the standard Walker placed on himself while running back then, calling the number his "floor," the minimum he would accept. The Journal Sentinel would like you to believe that these pledges didn't matter. They also want you to think that "politicians don't create jobs." But if politicians don't create jobs, then why was it acceptable in 2010 for the Journal Sentinel to endorse Walker in the first place, in part for his jobs promises? It doesn't add up. I w...

Co-chair of national party, at an event featuring Lt. Gov. Kleefisch, makes embarrassing comment about state voters' collective intelligence I’ve asked several times on this blog whether Republicans think we’re stupid . In August, I asked if Scott Walker and state Republicans thought we were dumb for an ad they ran, in which the governor pinned the loss of 133,000 jobs on Jim Doyle rather than the global economic recession that occurred during his tenure: [The ad] catches the attention of its viewers, but it also causes anyone with a critical mind to question: just how gullible, how stupid does Gov. Scott Walker think the average voter is? And when he repeated the line days later, I asked again: does Walker really think we’re stupid? This campaign of lies isn’t just disingenuous -- it’s also relying on the hope that the people of Wisconsin can’t remember the events of the past ten years. Walker is banking on the average voter -- you, me, your Aunt Irene, and so forth --...

A tuition freeze is nice, but Walker won’t address student debt problem On the campaign trail for governor, we often hear so much from candidates that what they really are saying to us doesn’t get the proper attention it deserves. The subject of college loan student debt is one of those issues. Gov. Scott Walker talks a big game about his record on student loans. He frequently cites the fact that he put into place a tuition freeze across the UW system (although he neglects to point out in his first budget there was an 11 percent tuition hike . While a freeze is helpful, it doesn’t fix the problem . It’s like turning off the faucet when you have a clogged up sink. Sure, there’s less water in the basin, but you’ve still got a mess to deal with in the pipes. Tuition freezes are the first step towards fixing the bigger problems associated with the debt crisis. What Walker’s plan for student debt lacks, however, is the next step : finding a way to lower the burden on Wisconsin s...

Latest jobs numbers represent one month of recovery; during other 44 months, Walker’s average rate of growth has been grudgingly slower **Note** When I first wrote this post, the job numbers I calculated for Gov. Walker were too generous. This post has been updated with more accurate data .  We’re less than one month away from an election featuring Gov. Scott Walker, so it should come as no surprise that a jobs report with positive numbers is being scrutinized. While the report shows that Wisconsin gained 8,400 private sector jobs in September, we ought to remain skeptical. These types of reports, after all, are misleading, based on a survey of less than 4 percent of businesses, and are terribly unreliable . But don’t take my word for it: that’s what Gov. Scott Walker and his administration have said in the past about these reports in the months leading up to his recall election. During the last month of the recall campaign, Walker instead cited the state’s quarterly j...

Other claims in videos, including that lower corporate taxes create jobs, are also misleading Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the campaign arm of the Chamber of Commerce-like organization in Wisconsin, is hoping to “educate” the workers of this state . Wisconsin’s Chamber of Commerce (WMC) is urging employers to educate their employees about how government policies affect their employees’ livelihood in an innovative series of animated videos, WMC announced Monday. “We are launching a series of animations that employers can email to their workers or post on their company social media sites to help workers understand the importance of good public policy,” said Kurt R. Bauer, WMC President/CEO. In other words, through a series of whiteboard animations, the WMC is launching a propaganda campaign meant to misinform the typical Wisconsin worker.

A commentary on three items from Friday night’s gubernatorial debate The first gubernatorial debate is past us now, and while many have offered their opinions already on the several topics discussed between Mary Burke and Scott Walker, I figured I should throw my two cents in as well. I’m not going to go line-by-line about the debate, though I certainly could. Burke gave some great answers to questions and held her own against the incumbent Walker. That in itself is a victory, but she did more than just debate well: she offered a concrete vision of what kind of governor she would be should she win election on November 4. Those who had been skeptical of Burke in the past ought to re-examine their concerns with her as a candidate following her performance on Friday night. Despite no huge news-making statements from herself or blows to Walker , Burke was stellar on the debate stage, touting progressive ideals and appealing to voters across the state. While I won’t talk about eve...

Two parents on minimum wage no longer qualify for BadgerCare Gov. Scott Walker's administration stated this week that they determined $7.25 an hour was a livable wage . They cited, among other things, that state "public aid" helps make it so. Two parents working minimum wage jobs earn around $30,160 a year. Before Walker, their family would have indeed qualified for BadgerCare coverage.  But now, because of Walker's health care "reforms" and refusal to accept federal Medicaid funds, they no longer qualify. They're on their own. So the "public aid" that supposedly makes $7.25 a livable wage is, in many cases, gone because of Walker. The minimum wage, even with help from the state, is a challenge to survive on. But shame on both the Department of Workforce Development and on Walker himself for saying aid makes it easier, especially after this very administration took said aid away.

Past comments from the current Lt. Gov. should cause some to question whether she would be a good governor, should Walker pursue the presidency With the recent decision of the Supreme Court to not review appeals on bans of same-sex marriage from Wisconsin and several other states, one has to wonder: does marriage equality matter anymore in state politics, or more specifically in this year's elections? You bet it does. Gov. Scott Walker may not be vocal about his stance on marriage equality anymore, but his Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch has said quite a bit on it in the past . These comments are truly worrisome, and indicate that Kleefisch might not be a responsible leader should she assume the post of governor in the future. While running in 2010, Kleefisch was vocal about the same-sex marriage issue , comparing the practice to that of bestiality and other relationships. “At what point are we going to OK marrying inanimate objects?” Kleefisch once asked rhetoricall...

Appeals court decisions in five states brings equality across the nation closer to reality UPDATE 10:29 AM >>> A couple of reactions from the gubernatorial candidates:   UPDATE 10:10 AM >>> Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruling was issued today: "Based on the Supreme Court’s denial of Cert and advise of the Dane County Corporation Counsel’s office, my office will again be issuing same sex marriage licenses today. Our hours will be the normal 8 to 4pm for licenses." The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected hearing a slew of cases on same-sex marriage , effectively allowing appeals court decisions in several states to become the rule of law. That means in Wisconsin, gay and lesbian couples can now wed. Previously, a week-long period of marriages occurred when Judge Barbara Crabb ruled that denying same-sex couples marriage licenses was a violation of the Equal Protection clause in t...

Fact-checking site misrepresents candidate Mary Burke with its latest rating I have mixed feelings when it comes to PolitiFact , the fact-checking site that makes rulings based on statements made by politicians, pundits, and candidates for office. I’ve cited PolitiFact on this site several times. I’ve also come to understand that, while their articles usually contain a good measure of information in them, reading only their ratings on statements is a good way to remain misinformed on issues . The ratings, in fact, are largely subjective to whoever is making them, and in many cases they ignore the very rating system that they have set up in the first place. The PolitiFact Wisconsin site recently commented on Democratic candidate for governor Mary Burke’s assertion that Wisconsin has “ fallen to dead last in Midwest job growth ” under Gov. Scott Walker. They rated that statement as “False.” And they're wrong.

Let's examine Scott Walker's record, specifically his scandals,  and compare him to Mary Burke. He's sending state workers to political events, a violation of the necessar separation between state and electoral spheres. There was improper coordination between his campaign and third party groups, in an apparent effort to hide campaign cash during his recall. He has consistently hired and promoted political allies, not to mention family members of high-paying donors, over more qualified employees in state government jobs. Finally, let's not forget the secret email router system that linked government workers mere steps from his desk to his 2010 campaign activities, a clear violation of campaign ethics and rules. In spite of all of these scandals, and then some, Gov. Walker has the nerve to call Mary Burke untrustworthy? Burke's biggest "crime" is that she didn't proofread a document. We can't say the same for Walker, who's biggest crime may...

Latest "Video Heat" showcases how much we've struggled to create jobs under Gov. Walker's watch Here's my latest "Video Heat" video, examining the job creation record under current Gov. Scott Walker. With a little more than three months to go until his first term is up, Walker is barely 40 percent of the way towards fulfilling his 2010 jobs pledge. This, and more failures in the video.

Michelle Obama's appearance alongside Mary Burke probably did more good than having Gov. Chris Christie alongside Gov. Scott Walker Here’s the difference between the two political “celebrities” (for lack of a better word) that visited the Badger State today. On the left, you had First Lady Michelle Obama . What comes to mind when you think about her? Someone who dares to push for a better America. Someone who doesn’t settle for “good enough,” who thinks that our nation can rise to greatness, even in the shadows of adversity. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m inspired by this woman, and I think that her presence in Wisconsin was a positive one, and very helpful for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mary Burke. On the right, you had New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie stumping for current Gov. Scott Walker. Let’s not kid ourselves -- Christie is seen as a rising star on the conservative side, someone who represents the future of the GOP. But let’s also not forget that he's also e...

The divided en banc decision of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals doesn't necessarily validate the voter ID law. If anything, it demonstrates more reason to delay its implementation. The court could not come to a comprehensive decision, which shows that at least half of its judges realized the complexities of implementing an ID law just weeks before an election. Confusion of voters and registration problems will abound. I previously called on Gov. Scott Walker to delay voter ID for this election season. If an appellate court is divided on this issue, it stands to reason that it's an important topic not to be taken lightly, and deserves more review before it's just suddenly thrusted upon the citizenry a mere month before Election Day. Walker should still delay its enforcement to ensure voting rights are preserved for this election cycle.

Scott Walker, other political leaders, demonstrate moral decline when it comes to minimum wage workers Wisconsin Jobs Now , an organization dedicated to empowering workers in the state, has brought attention to a statute on the lawbooks , more than 100-years old, that requires employers to pay a livable wage. It’s their hope that in doing so, Wisconsin lawmakers will be coerced (or forced) to raise the minimum wage. It’s really ridiculous -- not on the organization’s part, but rather the fact that it might take an obscure law like this to force action from the state. The minimum wage as it stands today isn’t livable -- and that makes it morally reprehensible. Those lawmakers who stand in the way of raising it do so at the detriment of thousands of their own constituents, who work hard every day and struggle to make ends meet when the paycheck finally comes. If ever a law could be needed to improve the lives of people, to improve our own moral standing, the minimum wage is it. ...

No religious tests should ever be required for those willing to serve The decision to make optional the phrase “so help me God” at the end of the oath for enlistment into the U.S. Air Force is the right move to make. What’s surprising isn’t the sudden policy change, but rather that it took this long to happen. I’m not an atheist, but I’m often erroneously called one by those who know my views on Church and State. In spite of those short-sited accusations, I do believe in God, and celebrate my specific religious beliefs where it’s appropriate to do so. My religious beliefs stop with me. Going beyond my own being, and demanding others to accept my beliefs as their own, goes against my moral thinking. Similarly, requiring those enlisting to serve their country to speak the words “so help me God” -- whether they are religious or not -- is a violation of the tenets our nation was founded upon.

Republicans in the state continue to make absurd accusations and demands. Now they are calling on Mary Burke to drop out of the race for governor. Nevermind the fact that it was a subordinate's use of "plagiarism" that created this mess, not actually Burke. And never mind also that this person used their own words from previous documents of their own writings, negating claims of plagiarism itself. No, Burke apparently acted so egregiously in this instance, according to Republicans, that she MUST drop from the race. For those keeping track at home, questionable "plagiarism" is more terrible than any action of Governor Scott Walker's, including cronyism, secretive email systems on the taxpayer's dime, illegal collaboration between campaigns and issue groups, appointments to offices based on donor contributions and proximity to the governor himself, and lest we forget, broken campaign promises on jobs. If Burke has to drop out over this small in...

Republicans in the state blow Burke scandal out of proportion, and ignore the scandals under the head of their party Let’s set the record straight: plagiarism is a bad thing. There’s no doubt about it. Taking someone else’s original ideas and claiming them as your own is morally, ethically, and at times legally wrong. Now, it’s questionable whether Mary Burke or her campaign engaged in actual plagiarism . An article at the New Republic explains it best: So is Burke guilty of plagiarism? Of course not. She’s guilty of sharing a campaign consultant with other Democrats in her state. ... The Burke scandalette...[is] an instance of lazy p.r. tradecraft, and the consultant who “plagiarized” his own talking points has been fired for it. ... If a politician copy-pastes large segments of his academic thesis, it’s plagiarism. If he recites long passages taken from various sources in his speeches, it’s plagiarism. If he regurgitates the same sanitized Plan for AmericaTM as a fellow ...

Latest “gold standard” numbers proves that a strong consumer base is required to grow jobs. The QCEW jobs survey -- called the “ gold standard ” of jobs surveys in the past by Gov. Scott Walker and his administration -- came out today. Once again, we see that Wisconsin performed poorly when it came to job creation. And when you look over the entire tenure of Walker’s time in office, it paints an even worse picture . First quarter annual job growth (from March 2013 to March 2014) grew at 28,712 jobs. That puts Wisconsin 33rd in the nation in growth, below the national average and 10th out of 12 states in the Midwest over the year .

To partake in debate and exercise your speech rights, you are not required to show an ID. Nor are you culpable to felony charges for using your religious freedoms in whatever way you deem without identification. So why the extra standards on voting? Voting is only meant to be different in one way. You must prove you reside in the district you want to vote in. And you are capable of doing so without an ID. Rampant fraudulent voting hasn't been an issue in Wisconsin. Yet now, this basic right requires an ID for participation. If we are going to start requiring identification for the use of our rights, I have a suggestion: a Corporate ID law, one that requires corporations to disclose their expenditures for political purposes in the state. Failure to disclose should have similar penalties -- a hefty fine, jail time, and a felony record. Such a plan would be more beneficial to our democracy than IDs at our polls.

With tens of thousands of absentee ballot voters potentially deprived of their vote; With handfuls of elections officials scrambling to determine a course of action on how to implement the new ID law; And with an uncountable number of citizens lacking the proper paperwork, adequate time, or documents in their hands needed to enter the voting booth; With all of these concerns in mind, voter ID ought to be delayed at least one more election cycle.

Campaign promises will fail to mean anything if Walker's "good enough" attitude is acceptable In 2010, then-candidate for governor Scott Walker made a lofty jobs pledge . Walker said he would enact reforms that would create at least 250,000 jobs in his first term -- but with a little more than three months left until that time expires, the governor is about 150,000 jobs short of his pledge by most measures .

Gov. Scott Walker has no excuse for why the state's financial books are in disarray Wisconsin is facing a $1.76 billion budget shortfall , and Gov. Scott Walker has no one to blame but himself and his Republican friends in the legislature -- the structural deficit is their own creation, and blame cannot be spun to portray it any other way. Gov. Scott Walker (image by Gage Skidmore ) The new shortfall blunts the argument that Walker has made previously that he and his so-called “reforms” helped turn things around in Wisconsin. In campaign advertising , Walker continually says he turned things around in the budget, inheriting a deficit and creating a surplus. Now, due to his irresponsible budgeting and election-year tax cut gimmicks , Walker is facing a significant budget shortfall of his own, one that couldn’t come at a more problematic time for the embattled governor. Walker currently trails Democratic candidate for governor Mary Burke by four points in the latest poll ...