Congress and the FBI

One of favorite things to hear when I was a staffer on Capitol Hill was "would the gentlemen/gentlewoman yield?" coming from Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA). The man is brilliant and whenever a Republican took him up on this request, they came away looking like a fool. His speeches often left me in stitches but also drove home important points at the same time.

The Talking Points Memo blog has posted a speech that Rep. Frank made on the floor regarding the FBI raid of a fellow Democrat's DC office. It is not one of his funny speeches but it is right on the mark. I wonder why we didn't hear something similar from Rep. Mark Green when his colleagues were being investigated. Oh that's right, he was too busy changing the rules to make sure the indicted Republicans could keep their leadership posts.

Rep. Frank's speech:

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I disagree with the bipartisan House leadership criticism of the FBI's search of a Member's office. I know nothing specifically about the case, except that the uncontroverted public evidence did seem to justify the issuance of a warrant.

What we now have is a Congressional leadership, the Republican part of which has said it is okay for law enforcement to engage in warrantless searches of the average citizen, now objecting when a search, pursuant to a validly issued warrant, is conducted of a Member of Congress.

I understand that the speech and debate clause is in the Constitution. It is there because Queen Elizabeth I and King James I were disrespectful of Parliament. It ought to be, in my judgment, construed narrowly. It should not be in any way interpreted as meaning that we as Members of Congress have legal protections superior to those of the average citizen.

So I think it was a grave error to have criticized the FBI. I think what they did, they ought to be able to do in every case where they can get a warrant from a judge. I think, in particular, for the leadership of this House, which has stood idly by while this administration has ignored the rights of citizens, to then say we have special rights as Members of Congress is wholly inappropriate.

WMC and the governor's race

The Isthmus has an interesting article about business vs the religious right in last week's edition (still available until tomorrow but not online) that is worth a read. It explores the problem groups like Wisconsin Manufacturers in Commerce (WMC) have with the religious right demanding things like bans on gay marriage and stem cell research that are bad for business in Wisconsin.

A potential ban on stem cell research will have massive consequences for our state. Wisconsin is truly poised to become the leader in stem cell research and the potential for our state's economy is in the billions. It is an industry that creates high-paying, long-term jobs too.

But a potential ban on gay marriage and civil unions could have a huge financial impact for our state too. The ban proposed in Wisconsin goes much farther than the ones in other states. It could put domestic partner benefits for everyone at risk which will make it harder for our state to recruit talented professionals. If the UW system cannot offer benefits to future researchers and other universities can, it means our state will pass up on the grants and potential patents that could be developed here simply because the religious right wants to be able to stick their noses in everyone's bedroom.

It could also mean Wisconsin will lose millions of dollars in convention spending if the past is any indicator. The Isthmus article revealed that the city of Cincinnati had $45 million worth of conventions pull out after they passed a ban on protections for gays in lesbians for employment, civil rights and housing. Many other potential conventions took Cincinnati off the list. The city repealed the ban in 2004. Wisconsin politicians should take note - those campaign slogans really do affect not only people lives, but the bottom line.

So what is a group like WMC to do? Should they back Governor Doyle because he is on their side when it comes to the potential economic development our state could have with stem cell research or stick with a Republican like they usually do and back Rep. Mark Green even though he could cost their members billions of dollars?

The Isthmus article notes that WMC mostly sat out of the last governor's race. Will they do so again?

Now I know change is brewing

I grew up in Burlington, Wisconsin. To say that it is a Republican area is an understatement for sure. But I recently came across a website of Burlington Progressives so political change must be brewing in our state. You can find the website here.

They are having a benefit to raise money for veteran families next Sunday so check it out if you are in the area next weekend. There will be a pig and corn roast and music too. The details are here.

53 Wisconsin residents that won't be at a barbecue this weekend

Wisconsin has lost fifty three soldiers in Iraq as of May 10th according to the Capital Times. They range in age from 18 to 43 years of age. The average age is just under 26 years old. They came from all parts of our state.

Marine Pfc. Ryan Jerabek died in April of the year he was 18 years old. The April I was 18 years old, I was looking forward to wrapping up my first year of college and the biggest decision I faced was whether or I would have more fun spending the summer at home with my old high school friends or stay in Madison with my new college friends. I can't even begin to imagine the daily decisions that Ryan faced while in Iraq. I can't imagine that I would have been mature enough to handle them.

Please take a moment between grilling out or swimming to read through and think about the soldiers below that will not be with their families this weekend. And say a silent thanks for those that are always willing to do what our country asks of them.

The soldiers are:

Army Sgt. Nathan J. Vacho, 29, of Janesville, died May 5, 2006.

Marine Lance Cpl. Eric A. Palmisano, 27, of Florence, died April 2, 2006.

Marine Lance Cpl. Adam J. VanAlstine, 21, of Superior, died Feb. 25, 2006.

Marine Sgt. Andy A. Stevens, 29, of Tomah, died Dec. 1, 2005

Army Pfc. Anthony Alex Gaunky, 19, of Sparta, died Nov. 18, 2005.

Army Spc. Benjamin A. Smith, 21, of Hudson, died Nov. 2, 2005.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Matthew R. Kading, 32, of Madison, died Nov. 1, 2005.

Army Spc. Michael Wendling, 20, of Mayville, died Sept. 26, 2005.

Army Sgt. Andy Wallace, 25, of Oshkosh, died Sept. 26, 2005.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Trevor J. Diesing, 30, of Plum City, died Aug. 25, 2005.

Marine Staff Sgt. Chad J. Simon, 32, of Monona, died Aug. 4, 2005.

Army Capt. Benjamin D. Jansky, 28, of Oshkosh, died July 27, 2005.

Army Spc. John O. Tollefson, 22, of Fond du Lac, died July 27, 2005.

Army Spc. Charles A. Kaufman, 20, of Fairchild, died June 26, 2005.

Marine Lance Cpl. John J. Mattek Jr., 24, of Stevens Point, died June 13, 2005.

Army Spc. Eric Poelman, 21, of Racine, died June 5, 2005.

Chief Warrant Officer Joshua Scott, 28, of Sun Prairie, died May 27, 2005.

Cpl. Mark Maida, 22, of Madison, died May 26, 2005.

Sgt. Andrew Bossert, 24, of Fountain City, died March 7, 2005.

Sgt. 1st Class Donald W. Eacho, 38, of Black Creek, died March 4, 2005.

Marine Lance Cpl. Travis M. Wichlacz, 22, of West Bend, died Feb. 5, 2005.

Staff Sgt. Todd Olson, 36, of Loyal, of the Wisconsin National Guard, died Dec. 26, 2004.

Marine Pfc. Brent Vroman, 21, of Omro, died Dec. 13, 2004.

Marine Lance Cpl. Richard D. Warner, 22, of Waukesha, died Dec. 13, 2004.

Marine Lance Cpl. Ryan Cantafio, 22, of Beaver Dam, died Nov. 25, 2004.

Marine Sgt. Benjamin Edinger, 24, of Green Bay, died Nov. 23, 2004.

Army Pfc. Isaiah Hunt 20, of Suamico, died Nov. 14, 2004.

Marine Cpl. Brian P. Prening, 24, of Sheboygan County, died Nov. 12, 2004.

Army Reserves Staff Sgt. Todd R. Cornell, 38, of West Bend, died Nov. 9, 2004.

Marine Cpl. Bobby Warns, 23, of Waukesha, died Nov. 8, 2004.

Marine Lance Cpl. Shane K. O'Donnell, 24, of DeForest, died Nov. 8, 2004.

Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Wyatt, 22, of Racine, died Oct. 12, 2004.

Marine Pfc. Andrew Halverson, 19, of Muscoda, died Oct. 9, 2004.

Marine Cpl. Adrian V. Soltau, 21, of Milwaukee, died Sept. 13, 2004.

Army Staff Sgt. Stephen G. Martin, 39, of Rhinelander, died July 2, 2004.

Army Sgt. Charles Kiser, 37, of Cleveland, died June 24, 2004.

Army Spc. Michael McGlothin, 21, of Milwaukee, died April 17, 2004.

Spc. Michelle Witmer, 20, of New Berlin, with the Wisconsin National Guard's 32nd Military Police Company, died April 9, 2004.

Marine Cpl. Jesse Thiry, 23, of Casco, died April 6, 2004.

Marine Pfc. Ryan Jerabek, 18, of Hobart, died April 6, 2004.

Army Pfc. Sean Schneider, 22, of Janesville, died March 29, 2004.

Army Capt. John F. Kurth, 31, of Columbus, died March 13, 2004.

Spc. Bert E. Hoyer, 23, an Army reservist from Ellsworth, died March 10, 2004.

Pfc. Nichole M. Frye, 19, an Army reservist from Lena, died Feb. 16, 2004.

Maj. Christopher J. Splinter, 43, of Platteville, died Dec. 24, 2003.

Army Pfc. Rachel Bosveld, 19, of Waupun, died Oct. 26, 2003.

Army 2nd Lt. Jeremy L. Wolfe, 27, of Menomonie, died Nov. 15, 2003.

Army Spc. Eugene A. Uhl III, 21, of Amherst, died Nov. 15, 2003.

Army Sgt. Warren S. Hansen, 36, of Clintonville, died Nov. 15, 2003.

Army Spc. Paul J. Sturino, 21, of Rice Lake, died Sept. 22, 2003.

Army Reservist Dan Gabrielson, 40, of Frederic, died July 9, 2003.

Army Maj. Mathew Schram, 36, of Brookfield, died May 26, 2003.

Marine Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam, died May 19, 2003.

-By Nick Anderson of the Louisville Courier-Journal via Slate.com

A change of pace

Since I'm guessing most folks aren't digging into politics on this holiday weekend, today I'm simply giving a movie review. Don't go see Mission Impossible III. Bad, really bad. And truly a waste of Philip Seymour Hoffman's talents. Cruise should stick to jumping on couches for a while.

Candidate for the 49th Assembly District

The Democratic Candidate for the 49th Assembly District, Phil Garthwaite, has launced his website. It's worth a visit just to see the hilarious picture of Phil when he was a child on his family's farm. He will be taking on Rep. Gabe Loeffelholz who has consistently voted against the needs and values of his district since he arrived at the legislature. You can find Phil Garthwaite's bio and the photo I mentioned on his new website here.

Madison power struggle

Earlier this week American Transmission Company (ATC) announced three proposed routes for a new high-voltage power line in Dane County. You can find a map of the three proposed routes here. Reaction has been swift and all three routes have proponents and detractors. Big company, not-in-my-backyard that I built in a corn field away from the current power grid, politicians, well-informed electorate, environmentalists, small towns vs big city - this has all the makings of an epic battle.

It seems believable that Dane County needs a power upgrade. We have had an explosion of growth of Dane County in the last ten years and most of it, unfortunately, has been in corn fields on the edge of Madison or outside the smaller communities. How could we not need more power lines?

But two articles in the Isthmus illustrate that ATC deserves the bad reputation for how they treat potential customers that they earned with the Wausau-Duluth power line struggle.

An article this week in the Isthmus details a tour of ATC's facility near Cottage Grove that reporter Adam Hinterthuer went through. The employees of ATC were condescending at best with comments like:

"Here in my home, the People's Republic of Madison, surrounded by reality, we're having a big debate over the system needs," he says.

Now I know everyone does not like Madison, but if you are currently trying to win over Madison and bring them to your side of the debate, perhaps insulting them is not the best tactic. ATC also tried to make the need for electricity sound absolutely critical:

"I have to speak with a cautionary tone," she says. "Even though all of the... assessments of our reliability have deemed us ready for this summer, you never know what's going to happen."

Tornadoes can bring down power lines. User demand during hot summer months can overextend the system. A car can ram into a pole and knock out power.

One of the reporters present is skeptical. When was the last time something like this happened?

Mogensen mentions a time last spring in Wausau when power demand exceeded capacity. The Wisconsin Public Service had to issue appeals for citizens and businesses to take it easy on electricity.

"We didn't end up losing the area," Mogensen says, "but we were right on the edge." The three other ATC employees in the room chuckle and shake their heads knowingly. In fact, all of Mogensen's anecdotes involve worst-case scenarios that "almost" occurred.

The cow from the movie Twister could fly through the air and take out a pole too but I'd like to think that is not the basis for their presentation.

And it turns out ATC might be using some fuzzy math. According to an article published in the Isthmus a couple of weeks ago by David Shutes, ATC is exaggerating the data to show energy needs. Shutes worked for Alliant Energy for 23 years and he calls the report commissioned by ATC to show the need for more electricity unbalanced and incomplete.

Shutes points out in his analysis that ATC is using a 6.8% compound growth rate to project power needs. That means twice as many homes would have to be built in 2015 than in 2005, which seems highly unlikely. We've had strong growth here during the low interest rates, but double the growth we've seen seems totally unbelievable.

The ATC study also shows that the current power lines can meet all of the demand we will have for power until 2012 except for 29 peak hours. That's it? We should invest over $100 million and put high voltage lines over at least 35 but possibly as many as 55 miles of land for 29 hours of electricity needs? Surely there are some energy efficiencies we could implement to take care of 29 hours.

Obviously, ATC and government leaders do not want to be on the receiving end of complaints if the power grid can't keep up and we have outages so they are trying to plan ahead. But that plan should not include insulting the customers both with the words out of your mouth and the data you are trying to feed them.

Student debt getting larger

And those students should all send Rep. Mark Green a thank you note for the higher interest rates on their students loan that he voted for this year.

From the American Progress Action Report:

EDUCATION -- COLLEGE GRADS FACE BURDENSOME STUDENT DEBT: While the USA Today reports some good news that college graduates are entering the best hiring market in the past few years, the Christian Science Monitor notes that those same students will be burdened by massive student debt. "Student-loan debt encumbers almost two-thirds of the Class of 2006, according to federal statistics. With tuition costs continuing to rise far faster than inflation and interest rates on federal student loans about to increase, the debt load for future graduates is set to become so heavy that it's likely to turn more students away from low-paying occupations like teaching." As the Center for American Progress recently reported, the growing student debt is hurting American families. The debt of the typical American family earning about $45,000 a year rose 33.1 percent from 2001 to 2004, primarily due to the increasing costs of education, housing, and health care. But as "60 Minutes" documented recently, the debt crunch for students has provided great business for federal loan providers. Federal student loans are now a $62 billion industry, according to the College Board. "With rates rising and tuition outpacing inflation, there is no end in sight to the student debt escalator."

This could explain Speaker Hastert's new found friend in Rep. Jefferson

From the American Progress Report Action Fund:

ETHICS -- HASTERT UNDER INVESTIGATION: Last night, ABC News reported, "The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress." The Department of Justice denied the report, but ABC said it was sticking by its story.

Of course, that still doesn't explain why Rep. Pelosi isn't taking a harder line with Rep. Jefferson.

Better numbers don't always equal better students

The right has worked itself into a frenzy about the UW-System considering a new policy that will give the personal essay students write more weight when being considered for admission to UW colleges.

Kevin at Lakeshore Laments is really worried that there are going to be hoards of rich, white kids not getting into colleges all over Wisconsin. He seems to think that the new policy means if a minority box is checked on the application, it automatically gets a green light. In reality, the new policy means that the essay will be one of many criteria examined for admission. If the rich, white kids can't write a good essay, they shouldn't get into college.

Rep. Mark Green says he supports increasing diversity but wants to put more Wisconsin in the University of Wisconsin. I guess as a state that's about as white as it gets, we are all supposed to guess what that means.

All of the numbers we use to rank students don't give a full picture of whether or not they are a good student or better than the one sitting next to them. When I attended the orientation program at the UW-Madison, there was a girl sitting next to me that was in the top five percent of her class but her grade point average was a full half of a point lower than mine. I don't know if she did better than I did in college but I don't think our class rankings gave an accurate picture of us as students either.

Background and life experiences do count for something in the real world though. A study released in 2003 showed one aspect of racism that white people never even have to see in their lives. The study took identical made up resumes and sent them to job openings in major cities. The resumes with white sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get a call for an interview than the resumes with black sounding names. That means the black applicants are being discriminated against because their name implies a certain background and heritage in the mind of the employer.

Couldn't we allow the background and heritage to count as one positive aspect out of many things considered when these kids are applying to college in the hopes that the racism they will face later when searching for a job will be overcome somewhat by a good education?

Rep. Jeff Wood's preferred government - Totalitarian

Rep. Jeff Wood gave a bizarre look into how he thinks government should work while chairing the Legislative Committee on Tech Colleges on Tuesday. The committee was discussing the merits of electing the technical college district boards when he remarked:

"Totalitarian government is the best form of government; after all Hitler had the trains running on time."

You can almost hear the needle being scratched against the record as the music comes to an abrupt stop.

-By Tom Toles of the Washington Post

Ross Across Wisconsin

Scot Ross, candidate for Secretary of State, has launched his website. You can check it out here.

Facts don't get in the way of Senator Kanavas' political attack

Yesterday Senator Kanavas issued a press release attacking Governor Doyle saying he is not cutting enough state employees. This can only be described as a political attack using state office letterhead since Senator Kanavas and many of his Republican colleagues didn't shown any interest in reducing the number of state employees as part of their state job until after Governor Doyle was elected. Oh they often talked about it on the campaign trail, but they never put it into action as part of the state budget.

And Doyle had to drag them kicking and screaming into actually making the cuts. In fact, Senator Kanavas and almost every other Republican in the legislature voted for a budget in 2003 that had 649 more state employees than Governor Doyle's budget. It also increased the state deficit by $282 million more than Governor Doyle's budget.

Seen unbelievable coming from me? How about an article from the June 16th edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel?

Democrats, senior aides to Doyle and even some Republicans said they learned that the GOP budget would:

-- Create a $1.1 billion deficit -- the imbalance between tax collections and spending -- in the two-year budget that ends June 30, 2007. The Republicans' long-term deficit is $282 million higher than the spending plan recommended by Doyle in February, according to the Fiscal Bureau. The size of the deficit will depend on growth in state tax collections.

-- Add 649 more full-time workers than Doyle recommended in his budget. Most of them would be prison guards to staff two new state prisons, reducing the state's reliance on out-of-state prisons.

-- Rely on $250 million more in one-time funds than the governor's proposal.

-- Increase general-fund spending by $1 billion in the second and final year of the next budget.

Republican fiscal conservatism at its very best.

Congress is concerned about Executive Branch power abuse all of a sudden

Why? Well it appears that the FBI raid of Rep. Jefferson (D-LA) has sparked a round of bipartisanship in DC - in order to protect themselves from future investigations.

Who would have thought the Republican Speaker would go to bat for a Democrat accused of illegal activities regarding his office?

I didn't believe it when TPMmucker had quotes from Speaker Hastert (R-IL) concerned about the FBI raid on the congressional office of a Democrat so I went to the Speaker's website and sure enough, there is a press release you have to read to believe. Hastert in NOW very concerned about the potential for Executive Branch power abuse.

"The Founding Fathers were very careful to establish in the Constitution a Separation of Powers to protect Americans against the tyranny of any one branch of government. They were particularly concerned about limiting the power of the Executive Branch."

Hastert and his colleagues have sat back while the Executive Branch outed a CIA agent, lied to them about intelligence matters to start a war, and started a domestic spy program on Americans that is starting to make the Gestapo look like amateurs, but now that one of their own is being watched - even someone from the other party - they are concerned about abuse of power.

I'm guessing the Republicans are a little worried that the FBI is going to, or has started to, go after a few fish bigger than Rep. Jefferson. Like Republican members that are in greater positions of power.

Haven't the Republicans defending the President on his domestic spying program been saying that if you have nothing to hide, you don't have to worry? It would seem that would apply to congressional offices no?

Booster seat law about to go into effect

The booster seat law passed by the state legislature will go into effect next week. That means all children between the ages of four and eight that are under 4 feet, nine inches must be in a booster seat.

Even though many conservative bloggers started calling Wisconsin a "nanny-state" for passing this law, it was the right thing to do. Cars safety belts are not built for children and this causes many injuries to kids. Our state is almost behind the times on this one. According to the Appleton Post-Crescent, 33 other states passed a similar law to this one before our state did.

The article also shows that parents aren't nearly as worked up about it as conservative bloggers were, even in the Republican dominated Fox Valley area.

"My primary concern is for their safety, and with it being so convenient, why not use it?" says Evers, of Combined Locks. "The safer I can keep them, the better."

Good thing the Republican legislature didn't listen the conservative bloggers and radio talk show hosts on this one.

Feds listening to our calls

-By Rob Rogers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There is new information out from a government consultant that the NSA is indeed listening to calls without warrants.

TPMmuckracker has this quote from a consultant:

Instead, the N.S.A. began, in some cases, to eavesdrop on callers (often using computers to listen for key words) or to investigate them using traditional police methods. A government consultant told me that tens of thousands of Americans had had their calls monitored in one way or the other.

Seven, ten, perhaps fifteen? Just wondering how many articles of impeachment the Republicans would have served up by now against the President of the United States if his last name in this situation was Clinton instead of Bush. You can find the rest of the TPMmuckraker article here.

Walker's new found love for local rule

Now that County Executive Scott Walker is no longer running for governor, he seems to be a big supporter of local rule. In a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on a proposal to increase the Milwaukee County sales tax, Walker had this to say:

Walker said later that elected officials should make direct decisions on county priorities...

What a crazy idea. Local elected officials being allowed to make the decisions they were elected to do in the first place.

This runs a little counter to some of the things Walker said in his support for TABOR/TPA during his run for governor. An article in the Beloit Daily News a while back had Walker saying this:

Walker said if elected he immediately would call legislators into special session to pass a property tax freeze. The freeze would require all taxing authorities in the state to limit the amount of tax levy to the 2006 amount for fiscal years 2007 to 2010. He said the levy could be increased due to growth or if voters approved an increase.

He also favors passage of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR).

If he would have been elected governor, he wanted to limit the ability of every single local government to be able to set spending priorities and cope with rising fuel and health costs unless they went to referendum, but now he thinks local leaders should be the ones to set spending priorities. I guess the view from Milwaukee looks a little different than the imagined view from Madison.

Good advice

Diamond Dave has some good advice for Rep. Nancy Pelosi. If the charges end up being not true, Rep. Jefferson can be invited back to the caucus. However, with an FBI video tape of the bribe, that seems an unlikely outcome.

What were they serving to drink at the GOP convention?

A story today in the Wisconsin State Journal reveals some of the worst cases of denial I have seen in a long time. The story is about how state Republicans think they can overcome all the negatives the GOP is facing before the elections this fall and it is full of comments that are pretty far removed from reality.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Rick Graber said:

"I've read all about the doom and gloom predictions for our party nationally, but when I look at Wisconsin, I think the political environment is outstanding."

Has anyone told Graber that they are running a candidate for governor that is part of the national team that created the gloom and doom?

The former mayor of Antigo, Michael, thinks voters will not even be thinking about the Iraq war or the failings of President Bush:

"This will have nothing to do with George W. Bush, Iraq or Dick Cheney."

Too bad the Republican nominee for governor fully supports President Bush on the war in Iraq and all the bad budgeting that has come with it.

But the comment that truly displays the desperation in the GOP camp is the Napoleon Dynamite "Vote for Pedro and all your wildest dreams will come true" type quote from former Governor Tommy Thompson when he said putting Rep. Mark Green in the governor's mansion will mean the Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl.

Expect "You will find oil in your backyard" on campaign signs soon.

Racine Zoo will no longer be free thanks to McReynolds

This weekend in the Wisconsin State Journal, there was a story about free zoos which of course mainly focused on Madison's great Vilas Zoo. Madison is blessed to have a zoo that families can visit without busting the budget. It also mentions that Racine is a community that could count an outing that wouldn't stress the family finances too much because the zoo there is also free.

But not for long.

The Racine Zoo has been free since 1923 but will begin charging admission next year. Why? County Executive Bill McReynolds cut the county support for the operating budget to zero. In 2003 when McReynolds took over, the county gave the zoo about $100,000. In both the 2004 and 2005 budget McReynolds cut that funding $25,000. In 2006 he cut the funding down to nothing. That means the zoo survived the financially tough times of the Depression and a World War, but not Bill McReynolds.

Unfortunately for Racine County, County Executive Bill McReynolds is running for another office this year. I say unfortunately because he is using Racine County as a tool for his election He so desperately wants to say he has not raised taxes (he has) during his run for the state senate that he is unwilling to find a way to continue to fund things like the Racine Zoo.

McReynolds says he has a mandate from the people of Racine County to do these types of things. A letter to the editor a while back in the Racine Journal Times points to the flaw in his logic by asking "Does he really believe he got elected on a cut the zoo platform?"

When I attended school in Racine County, we went on field trips to the Racine Zoo. No doubt the fact that it was free made this an option for schools and it seems likely that many schools will not be making that trip anymore.

The folks running the zoo should put up signs that say "Be sure to write a letter of thanks to County Executive Bill McReynolds for your admission price today.

Green and his shadow

The Wisconsin State Journal has a story about the GOP convention this weekend with the title "GOP gets fired up about Green". But right below that it says "Thompson delivers a rousing speech" so it's a little murky as to which politician they are fired up about.

As you read the article, it becomes clear that the best thing Tommy Thompson did for Rep. Mark Green that day was slip out the side door right after his speech without answering any questions so he would stop casting a shadow on the republican nominee for governor. Especially since one convention attendee 'gushes' about his "reasonable enthusiasm" for Mark Green in the article. Wow, talk about fired up.

The guy with reasonable enthusiasm goes on to say this about Green:

"I don't think he's a firebrand on the stump. I don't think he's an Abe Lincoln."

If this is the GOP version of rallying behind a candidate, I like the Dem's chances this fall.

Vicki McKenna's new flag rules

The Wisconsin State Journal had an ad this week for conservative radio talk show host Vicki McKenna. She likes to call herself the voice of reason in a city of chaos. After seeing her ad, I'd call her someone that doesn't respect the American Flag.

The ad shows McKenna with the U.S. Flag wrapped around her like a jacket or a cape. I didn't think this was a proper use of the flag so I looked it up. And, according to www.ushistory.org she it isn't:

Super Bowl 2004, Janet Jackson's "costume malfunction" made international news; that same half-time show featured the wearing of an American flag by performer Kid Rock. He later removed the flag poncho and hurled it over his head. Section 8d. reads, "The flag should never be used as wearing apparel."

Nice company to be in Ms. McKenna. Just because you are a conservative and think everything you and President Bush does is patriotic, doesn't mean you get to disrespect the flag. Yes, sometimes people like Olympic athletes wrap themselves in the flag for a victory lap, but they won an event for our country. McKenna is using the flag just to promote a show about her opinions.

Welcome back Hoffa

Does the FBI really have nothing better to do than waste our money digging for Jimmy Hoffa's body on a farm in Michigan? Oh I don't know, maybe they could look for people that are actually alive and threatening crimes to people? Maybe they could get in on some phone tapping with the CIA.

The guy has been missing since I was a toddler. The FBI is saying they are acting on a tip they received a couple of years ago that was firmed up recently. If all of your information is saying that he is buried somewhere in Michigan, how about we leave it at that? If they got a tip that someone had seen him in a coffee shop in Michigan, that would be a tip worth spending some resources on.

And we are talking about a lot of resources. The FBI is saying they will be there a couple of weeks! And The Herald has this:

As many as 40 agents, some with spades and other digging equipment, were working yesterday at the picket-fenced property which lies about 35 miles from Detroit.

Is the intelligence community so desperate for good news these days that we need to have 40 agents devoted to digging up the body of a guy that hasn't been seen since the television show Welcome Back, Kotter had its debut?

-By Steve Sack of the Minneapolis Star Tribune via Slate.com

Leibham's new election year caucus

Senator Joe Leibham issued a press release yesterday saying he created a new Great Lakes Caucus for state legislators that have districts along one of the Great Lakes. It must be election season since during the rest of the year, Leibham doesn't seem very interested in protecting our Great Lakes. Why go through the hassle of actually voting to protect our lakes when you can just set up a meeting or two of a caucus with a name that sounds like you are for protecting lakes in an election year?

In his release Leibham has the following:

“Our Great Lakes are two of Wisconsin’s greatest natural resources. They are important to our ecology and our economy,” Senator Leibham said.

In 2001 when temporary governor Scott McCallum proposed drilling in the Great Lakes, why didn't Leibham join the chorus of those saying no then? Perhaps he did and I missed it. But why didn't he sign onto AB 634, AB 433 or SB 214 in the 2001 session? All of these bills dealt with banning drilling of some sort in our Great Lakes.

And if Leibham really wants to do something to protect "two of Wisconsin's greatest natural resources" he should work to change the ring of red surrounding Lake Michigan on this map and this map. He could lead by example and change his own district, number nine, from red to green. Or at least to yellow.

This should keep the religious zealots busy for a while

This article says a study shows that early humans and chimps may have reproduced with each other for while.

I expect a bill banning educators from talking about this topic from Senator Tom Reynolds (R-West Allis) by the end of the week.

Rep. Mark Green violated his term limit pledge

In 1998, Rep. Mark Green was running for Congress for the first time when a pro-term limits group must have sent him a pledge to sign that said he would only serve for six years in Congress. According to this letter from Green, he signed that pledge. Green went on to win that election in 1998 and is still serving in Congress today in 2006. You do the math.

I think term limit pledges are dumb, but I also think it should be pointed out when someone signs them and then doesn't follow through because they are pulling one over on the people that do believe in term limits. They take their votes to get into office in the first place and then stay as long as they like. There are numerous current state office holders that also fall into this category.

So if Rep. Mark Green tries to say he will only serve a couple of terms if he is elected governor, be sure to send him the link to his own letter that proves he'll say whatever it takes to get elected, and then do as he pleases.

An advisory tale on the death penalty

All the legislators that voted in favor of the death penalty referendum would be wise to read Christopher Ochoa's story in the May 12 edition of the Isthmus. Rep. Sheryl Albers, Rep. Jerry Petrowski and Rep. Judy Krawcyzk, the three assemblypeople that skipped the vote so it could pass the Assembly, should read it twice.

Much of the debate on the death penalty focuses on people wrongly convicted being set free by DNA evidence. Putting the wrong people to death is of course the strongest argument against the death penalty. However, the people supporting the Wisconsin referendum will say they are only asking to use the death penalty in cases where DNA confirms the conviction. Ochoa's story proves there are other ways the death penalty can bring about injustice.

Ochoa was wrongly convicted of a rape and homicide and spent 12 years in prison before the UW-Law School Innocence Project set him free. The cops scared Ochoa into a false confession by holding the threat of the death penalty over his head. One of the cops grabbed his arm and said, "This is where they stick the needle in, and I'm going to be there to watch you die."

This scene will be played out in Wisconsin at some point if the legislature decides to enact a death penalty. The pressure put on police to get a conviction in high profile cases like the one Ochoa was sent to jail for is too great for the death penalty threat not to be used in interrogations. This will produce false convictions and closure for the families of crime victims in our state. Jeanette Popp, the mother of the woman that was raped and murdered in the case Ochoa was wrongly sent to jail for, now advocates abolishing Texas' death penalty for this reason.

It's easy to think nothing like this will happen to you or that you would never confess to a crime you didn't commit so why not vote for the death penalty? And chances are that if you are white and above the poverty level, it won't happen to you. Ochoa once thought no reasonable person could confess to a crime they didn't commit either but after days of interrogation, he broke. He says, "Who the hell is reasonable in that situation? You're not normal. You're there, never been in trouble before, you've been taught to respect officers with guns." He thought for sure the justice system would figure out the truth if he could just get out of that room. Instead he lost 12 years of his life.

The fact that this will happen to anyone should be enough for folks try to pick which 12 years of their life they would subtract and then check no at the ballot box this fall.

NG at border idea shot down

Guess who said the following:

"I think it would be a horribly over-expensive and very difficult way to manage this problem," Chertoff said. "Unless you would be prepared to leave those people in the National Guard day and night for month after month after month, you would eventually have to come to grips with the challenge in a more comprehensive way."

Has to be some crazy liberal right? How about Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

You can find the rest here at TPMmuckraker.

Don't spend all $20 in one place

-By Mike Keefe of the Denver Post.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has some statistics on the tax cuts that are being considered in Congress right now. The middle 20 percent on the income class scale will get about $20. Of course the amount the tax cut will add to our national debt will cost them far more than $20 so perhaps we shouldn't spend it at all. Some folks don't get anything:

the three-quarters of households with incomes below $75,000 would receive just 5 percent of the benefits. The 60 percent of households with incomes below $50,000 would receive less than 2 percent of all benefits. In total, 68 percent of all households would receive no benefits whatsoever from the tax-cut package.

You can find the rest of the report here.

Yard signs will have to come down

The circus has finally left town and the sign in my neighborhood for Thompson will have to come down. Former Governor Tommy Thompson finally announced that he will not run for governor again.

I saw a comment to a blog post that said this whole thing was orchestrated to give Republican Rep. Mark Green a boost in the polls over Governor Jim Doyle by having Thompson come out with a strong endorsement of Green in the end. If that was the plan, it didn't work so well. As Xoff points out today, Thompson's toying with the media on a run for governor led to a lot of questioning over whether or not Green can win and Thompson doesn't care enough about the team to produce a media event that will help Green enough to undo the damage Thompson caused during the last week or two.

But one of the most ridiculous things out of all of this has got to be this little section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story:

In a statement, Green said Thompson would serve as his honorary campaign chairman, adding that exactly 20 years ago Thompson "took on the Madison establishment and special interests" in his first campaign for governor.

Green vowed to do the same...

Oh I suppose you could say Thomspon took on the special interests, but he took them on to demand that they fund only his campaign and they give at new, higher levels. And the idea that Green is somehow an outsider that is going to be some leader on campaign financing and ethics reform is so funny that when I read it, I nearly dumped my coffee because I was laughing so hard.

Green voted change the rules to help indicted Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) keep his post as leader in the House of Representatives and had Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), who is about to be indicted, come to Wisconsin for a fundraiser. And after all of the scandal that is swirling around in DC, did Green make a big push to have major reform in our DC? No, he voted for a bunch of sham rules that only stay in effect until everyone is safely through election season. Then it's back to the trips paid for by lobbyists.

And has any journalist ever written the words "Rep. Mark Green" and "campaign finance reform leader" in the same sentence? I don't recall anything like that during his days in Madison or DC.

So without the big media tour for Green with Thompson, it appears Green will have to run on his own record in his quest to be governor. This is bad for Green because his record is horrible, but good for Green because Thompson would probably forget to even introduce him at numerous stops of a media tour.

Not enough support for the federal budget

Seems the Republicans are having a hard time getting enough support for their proposed budget. Some congresspeople are having a hard time swallowing huge cuts in programs for children's health programs since the cuts don't even translate into deficit reduction. From the American Progress Action Fund:

BUDGET -- HOUSE BUDGET RESOLUTION 'YANKED' FOR SECOND TIME: Yesterday, conservative leaders in the House "yanked the $2.7 trillion FY07 budget resolution from the schedule after failing to reach agreement with party moderates on health and education spending." "It was the second time in less than two months that they could not round up enough votes to pass a budget," CongressDaily reports, while the "window of opportunity is rapidly closing with the first FY07 appropriations bills reaching the floor next week." A Budget Committee head count showed its budget plan is "still a few votes short of a majority in the full House." "The money is not there right now," said Rep. Michael Castle (R-DE), "members are very concerned about medical research, university research," and spending on education and housing. A Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of the budget found the plan "does not score well on either fiscal responsibility or fairness." Over a five-year period, domestic discretionary spending (on programs such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program) would be cut by $167 billion and entitlement spending would be cut by $5.1 billion. These cuts would not go toward deficit reduction. The budget plan would instead increase the deficit by $254 billion over five years.

Big spender Green looking to spend more money on state agencies already

Hold onto to your wallets folks, Rep. Mark Green is outlining his vision for a state budget and it includes duplications of jobs and inefficiencies in state government. Green proposes splitting the DNR, something that Republicans have proposed in the past.

Does anyone remember why former Governor Scott McCallum veto a legislative attempt to split the DNR? For starters, his office received thousands of messages from people about the issue and they were 30 to 1 against splitting. Also, as noted by an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the state Natural Resources Board - a seven-member citizen board that oversees the DNR, strongly opposed the split and asked McCallum to veto the provision.

How is it fiscally conservative to propose having two agencies working on similar parts of state policy instead of the current system of having them all under one tent?

He proposes having one agency in charge of conservation law enforcement and one in charge of environmental enforcement? What is the difference between those two? Why do we need two sets of staff working on enforcement?

And doesn't his proposal set up a situation where the two agencies are working on the same thing but aren't communicating well enough to realize it? Or they don't care because they are competing for state resources? Can't you just see the reaction from a landowner that gets fined from both Green's proposed Department of Conservation, Forestry and Outdoor Recreation and his proposed Department of Environmental Quality?

-By Ann Telnaes via Slate.com

Many make minimum wage

For the critics that think hardly anyone makes the minimum wage, there are almost two million people who would argue that point with you. States are taking the lead to do what Congress won't do for workers. Governor Doyle led the fight here, but Rep. Mark Green is part of the crowd that won't raise the federal wage. From the American Progress Action Report:

More than 1.9 million U.S. workers earned the federal minimum wage just $5.15) or less last year. States are taking action by "using legislation and ballot initiatives to do what Congress has not done since 1997, when it last increased the federal minimum wage.”

And it's not just teenagers flipping burgers.

A last wish denied

At the risk of making myself sound weird, I will admit that I read the obituaries almost daily. No idea why I started but finding creative ones like the obituary for Edward Younger III yesterday keeps me reading. His said:

Ed lost his life in the same manner in which he lived - eloquently, dignified, and amongst good company. Confronted by state law, his family could not fulfill his wish to mount a keg upon his coffin; nevertheless, a spirited celebration has been planned in his honor.

Ed, I'm sorry that not even a beer loving state like Wisconsin could honor your last request but I hope your friends have a good party in your honor. You sound like a man that knew how to get the most out of life.

Petrowski's priorities

So what is this mysterious appointment that Rep. Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) supposedly had during the vote on the death penalty referendum? It must have been something very, very important for him to skip a vote since I don't think he skipped another vote all year.

He was there to vote on a bill that makes it legal to operate double decker buses on highways and for a bill to allow school buses to tow trailers. Are these two issues so important to the state that they deserved his time to vote on them more than the death penalty?

What's really odd is that a story in the Capital Times earlier this month even has members of his caucus saying he was counting up the votes on the measure.

Rep. Terri McCormick, R-Appleton, who opposes the death penalty and is opposing Gard in the 8th Congressional District race, also had some suspicions.

"As legislators we are each elected to represent over 56,000 individuals in voting on their behalf. The question surrounding how the vote was taken was not reflective of the gravity of the issue. Members were coming and going in the chambers and choosing just not to take a vote," McCormick said this morning.

"I thought individuals who were in the chambers had a responsibility
to vote. When we take head counts and manipulate who should stay and who should leave - if that happened, that's what I thought I saw. I saw Sheryl Albers walk into the speaker's office and then walk in after the vote. An awful lot of leaves were taken. I was looking for an honest vote on this very important issue. Is it just me that has their stomach turning this morning?"

She said that Petrowski was taking counts.

He cares enough about the issue to see if he can round up enough votes his way but then doesn't stick around for the actual vote?

Must have been some appointment.

People of the 80th district take note

Yesterday, the people of the 80th Assembly District got a little glimpse into just how far out of the mainstream their state representative is on an important issue. Rep. Brett Davis (R-Oregon) endorsed JB Van Hollen for Attorney General on the same day Pro-Life Wisconsin did.

From Van Hollen's press release:

Waukesha, WI] Rep. Brett Davis (R-Oregon) has announced he is endorsing JB Van Hollen in the race for Wisconsin Attorney General. Davis is one of the latest to announce they are endorsing Van Hollen, adding to the long list of state legislators and law enforcement leaders who have already announced.

“Our message of fighting crime and restoring integrity at the Office of the Attorney General is bringing us support in every part of the state,” Van Hollen said. “I’m extremely honored to have the support of Rep. Davis.”

That means Davis thinks women in his district should not be allowed to have an abortion even if they are likely to die in childbirth. He also doesn't believe rape and incest victims should have access to emergency contraception. He has to believe that or he wouldn't support someone for the AG office that clearly won't support any of the remaining laws we have left to protect a woman's right to reproductive health care and will fight to enact new ones that will put their health and lives in danger.

I used to think that Rep. Davis was a freshman representative that was being strong armed into voting against the views of his district since he has often voted for things that his district would not agree with by a long shot. Turns out it's worse than that. He actually believes in the way he is voting.

A tough week of work for Judy Krawczyk

It's safe to say that Rep. Judy Krawczyk is happy the legislative session is more or less over for the year. I mean, really, how many times can you be expected to vote against the interests of your voters or your personal beliefs in one week?

Judy's week:

Friday April 28th, 4:35 a.m. – Krawczyk is the 50th and deciding vote in favor of a hastily crafted TABOR amendment to the state constitution.

Here’s what Krawczyk’s hometown paper (GB Press Gazette) said about the plan:

But a more disturbing issue involves some legislators' efforts to use the Constitution to enact policy that can, and should be, dealt with in the state Capitol chambers. We elect out state representatives to make these kinds of decisions, not to bounce every tough decision onto the ballot. If we don't like their decisions, we can vote them out of office. That's how it works.

Tuesday May 2nd– Despite bipartisan support, Krawczyk joins her GOP colleagues to vote against consideration of an important ethics reform bill (SB 1). Seven Republicans join all 39 Democrats in an attempt to bring the bill to the Assembly floor.

Her hometown paper (GB Press Gazette) encourages voters to oppose Krawczyk at the ballot box:

Who can possibly disagree with a tough approach like that after five former legislators recently were convicted of running illegal campaign operations financed with taxpayers' money — under the noses of the ethics and elections boards?

The answer is GOP opponents, who contend that Wisconsin has some of the toughest ethics laws in the country and a new board with real authority would busy itself with witch hunts. Assembly Majority Leader Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, pooh-poohed the scandal that ruined the state's reputation for clean government by saying with a straight face, "In Wisconsin, we can be proud of our ethical traditions and ethical standards."

Pocan had a better read on the problem when he urged his colleagues to bring the bill to the Assembly floor. "The public is disgusted with our profession," he said, "This is an opportunity to restore public confidence."

Voters should remember the Legislature's failure to do so when they go to the polls in November.

Friday May 5th – On the last day of the entire legislative session Krawczyk leaves early to avoid a vote on a death penalty referendum. Krawczyk’s vote could have defeated the referendum which passed narrowly 47-45 after two other GOP members took a walk.

Krawczyk then told the AP that she has been “bombarded” with letters and calls against the death penalty and would have voted no, but had to leave early for an unspecified “personal commitment.”

Krawczyk goes on to tell the AP that she had to leave no later than 7:00 pm because of said personal commitment, however, Krawczyk is recorded as voting yes on AB 1132 at 8:02 pm.

Who knows what a special session could bring for Krawczyk?

-By Tom Toles of the Washington Post

What the legislature tried to do

Today's Wisconsin State Journal has an article about the bills passed by the legislature and the new laws created. It does mention a few of the bills passed that were vetoed by Governor Doyle, like concealed carry, but the article didn't list some of the really bad bills that would have been law had the legislature been left to its own devices.

Governor Doyle had to veto:

SB 58 which would have inhibited consumers' ability to seek retribution for negligence by requiring a consumer to provide an example of a safer design when seeking action against a defective one. Really. Yes, you have to do the work for the negligent company and give them a better design if a product injures you. What's that? You lost two fingers by using our product? Tough, come up with a better one then.

SB 138 which would have required doctors to make statements not backed up by science simply because the legislature believes them to be true. Ask yourself if you were sick, would you be ok with being diagnosed by the group running the legislature right now? So why should we let them tell doctors what to say to us.

AB 56 which would grant immunity from civil liability to the entire gun industry, virtually eliminating all incentive for safety innovations in the industry. Would you want a car manufacturer to have immunity from being sued for a defective product? Then why give it to a product design to kill things?

SB 207 which would have allowed a health care provider to refuse treatment and did not require the health care professional to advise patients of their treatment options, provide a referral for the patient, transfer certain patients, or render care even if the patient's health or life is in danger. That's right, a doctor could have refused to treat you even if you might die, because their political beliefs don't agree with the treatment if the GOP legislature had their way.

SB 68 which would have put children in a cynical fight for education dollars. This bill would have let schools take SAGE money to reduce class sizes but not reduce class sizes. It would have allowed the schools to use the money for special education. Why figure out a way to properly fund education when we could force first graders that would do better in a smaller classroom to fight it out with the children that need specialized education?

These bills are the tip of the iceberg too. If the GOP-led legislature didn't have a veto pen between them and the law books, our state would be in serious trouble.

DC scandal grows

The corruption scandal that brought down former Rep. Duke Cunningham seems to be growing many branches and now looks like it touches the CIA as well. The Wall Street Journal has the story.

Taking a walk

Three Assembly Republicans that are supposedly opposed to the death penalty missed the vote this week on putting an advisory referendum to a public vote this fall on the death penalty. Representatives Sheryl Albers (R-Reedsburg), Judy Krawczyk (R-Green Bay) and Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) all claim they had other commitments and could not be there for the vote. At least Petrowski and Krawczyk had the sense to stay away from the floor when the vote happened.

Why would any legislator have scheduled any items on their calendar on the last day of session? Is anything else they possibly had scheduled more important than giving their constituents a voice on the death penalty? They weren't naming a bridge after someone, they were voting on a serious issue.

If those three had voted with their 'pro-life' beliefs, the resolution would not have passed. Instead they chose to 'take a walk", a practice that has happened many times at the state and local level in order to get things passed.

Petrowski is saying he would have voted for the resolution in order to give people a say on whether or not our state should have the death penalty though. But he couldn't take that actual vote and risk his precious 100% voting record with Pro-Life Wisconsin in an election year. You know, that group that wants to allow mothers to die in childbirth rather than allow them to have an abortion when their life is at risk.

What do you want to bet that if the vote was on taking away yet another piece of a woman's right to control her own reproductive health, Petrowski and friends would have cancelled everything on their schedules to be there?

Team colors

This story has nothing to do about politics, but it's Friday so why not?

The American Progress Action Fund has a link to a story about the U.S. World Cup Soccer Team that caught my eye. Seems the bus to carry the U.S. team will not have the American flag painted on it for security reasons. From Fox Sports:

The 32 official buses were presented Thursday in Frankfurt and the other 31 buses have large national flags of the their teams painted on rear sides. German and U.S. security officials came to the conclusion to leave the flag off the U.S. team bus, an official of the German organizing committee said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the topic.

The bus is predominantly blue in color

Hey anonymous German guy, there is a reason you are not authorized to speak about this. If it's for security reasons, why are they telling people what the bus looks like? And if it's the only bus out of 32 buses filled with soccer players that doesn't have a flag on it, isn't it obvious which bus is full of Americans?

President Bush and Congress losing even the conservatives now

A new poll is out from the AP. It shows conservatives angry with the Bush Administration are driving his poll numbers ever lower and he is dragging Congress down with him. It also suggests:

Six months out, the intensity of opposition to Bush and Congress has risen sharply, along with the percentage of Americans who believe the nation is on the wrong track.

The AP-Ipsos poll also suggests that Democratic voters are far more motivated than Republicans. Elections in the middle of a president's term traditionally favor the party whose core supporters are the most energized.

You can find a story on the poll from ABC News here.

But we're doing it for the workers

Yes, Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) is actually trying to claim that he and and his counterparts in the Assembly want to change the legislative calendar to make sure they can approve any contracts with state employees that haven't be voted on yet. Who knows how he kept a straight face while making that comment?

Legislators wanting to raise money from lobbyists? No, never crossed their mind according to Schultz.

In a move last year filled with a spectacular lack of being able to see past their battle to keep working families from making a wage they can actually live on, the Republicans extended the legislative calendar until the end of this year to make sure they could block any attempt by Governor Doyle to raise the minimum wage.

Never mind that it hadn't been done since about 1997 and since 1997 the legislature has given themselves four raises totaling over $15,000 and increased their per diem rate. Yes, they have given themselves raises that total more than what a person making minimum wage will earn all year but they wanted to make sure they could dash back to Madison in a moments notice to stop those earning minimum wage from getting the slightest increase in salary.

Now they need to raise money from lobbyists to keep their own job but their move to keep working families from getting ahead is keeping them from raising money from the corporate lobbyists they were trying to stop the minimum wage increase for in the first place. They can't raise money from lobbyists if the legislature is technically still in session. So what to do?

Push another group in front of them as the reason why they are changing the calendar, get out of town, and go make those fundraising calls of course.

-By Rob Rogers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lafollette gets a primary

It looks like we finally have a real race for Secretary of State in Wisconsin.

And it's about time.

Scot Ross, who has worked in every corner of the state helping promote progressive values, is going to challenge the incumbent, Doug Lafollette.

Scot brings a real commitment to advancing progressive action in Wisconsin. He wants to ensure our elections are fair and all of the votes are counted. He wants to get the people of our state engaged in the issues that really matter to them.

Can anyone remember the last time the incumbent did the same? For that matter, can anyone remember the last time you even heard from Doug Lafollette?

The Secretary of State's office could be a real statewide bully pulpit to helping move a progressive agenda forward. Under the incumbent, though, this has been non-existent.

I did a news search on Doug Lafollette out of curiosity and the results were almost comical. He had two news stories come up for 2006. One was about Ross running against him and the other only mentioned that his office didn't call a reporter back about a story. The years 2004 and 2005 had one story each about Lafollette and Earth Day. Then there were no stories until 2001. One story again in 2000 and then no stories until 1997.

Lafollette was elected just two years after I was born. He was out for a while but has held the office since I was a freshman in high school. I'm not ancient, but I did graduate high school in the eighties. Maybe it's time we had some new energy in that office.

Scot Ross is a veteran to Wisconsin politics and has worked for Kathleen Falk, Peg Lautenschlager, Ron Kind and our elected officials in the State Capitol. In 2004, he was the top staffer at America Coming Together doing everything to keep George W. Bush from being elected and helping get progressives values talked about up and down the ticket.

Having someone like Scot out on the stump making sure everyone hears about why we should elect progressives would be an invaluable asset to ensuring we have a big win for progressives in every corner of Wisconsin.

But beating a Lafollette in Wisconsin? Can it be done? Interestingly, Scot has a famous ancestor too and Melanie Conklin of the Wisconsin State Journal had a story last Sunday about Ross' bid for Secretary of State that has a funny line about running with a famous last name. The big Lafollette name is something for Ross to overcome but it can be done.

Ross will be traveling across the state with his message soon and if you give him a listen you'll come away a supporter.

When the chips are down

Didn't Rep. Steve Freese supposedly threaten to quit his leadership post last week because his caucus was not going to allow SB 1, an ethics reform bill, to come to the floor of the Assembly for a vote? So how come when he had a chance to vote yes today to pull it from committee and bring it to the floor he voted no?