May 2011
53 posts
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Maddow Blog: Wisconsin's New Concealed Carry Bill...
With the arrest of a man accused of plotting to shoot up Planned Parenthood in Madison, Wisconsin, the news seemed to condense to a frightening cosmic singularity.
On the day Ralph Lang got arrested, a Wisconsin state Senate committee approved a bill that allows people to carry concealed weapons without permits or training. HuffPo reports that Planned Parenthood opposed the bill, and also that...
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Democratic Party of Wisconsin: Convention
This year’s guest speakers: Anthony Weiner and Debbie Wasserman Schultz!
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Man Charged In Federal Court With Going To Madison... →
words fail me.
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Poll: Paul Ryan Unpopular Back Home in Wisconsin →
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Wisconsin Union Law Struck Down By County Circuit... →
herblondness:
MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge has struck down a law taking away nearly all collective bargaining rights from most state workers.
Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi ruled Thursday that Republican legislators violated Wisconsin’s open meetings law during the run up to passage. She says that renders the law void.
The law pushed by Gov. Scott Walker takes away all bargaining...
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“…we’re in a strange state now where people who actually take textbook economics...”
– Paul Krugman (via azspot)
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“What should you be reading? Everything. Don’t feel guilty if you spend the...”
– Nate Silver’s words of wisdom to the Columbia Journalism School’s graduating class of 2011.
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How To Spin Paul Ryan's Medicare Plan: A Guide for... →
brilliant.
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janf asked: Do you think Russ Feingold will run for and, if he does, win Sen. Kohl's seat next year? Also is he your preferred Dem candidate or would you like to see someone else, e.g. Tammy Baldwin, run?
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“The medical and mental health care provided by California’s prisons falls...”
– Brown v. Plata. The Supreme Court ruled today that the conditions of California’s prisons are so bad that they violate the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment. California has been ordered to reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 prisoners in order to alleviate the...
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Wisconsin Gov. Walker wants to hand out a quarter... →
quickhits:
State proposal would send $250 million to certified capital companies (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
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Following Recount, Prosser Defeats Kloppenburg in... →
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Scott Walker's Power Grab
Maybe Republicans think “limited government” means letting one person have most of the authority. Thanks to Republican lawmakers, Scott Walker will become the first governor:
To have veto authority over rules from the Department of Justice
To have veto authority over rules from the Department of Public Instruction
To appoint the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs
To...
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WatchDemocratic Senators Fred Risser and Lena Taylor on The Ed Show. It’s a must-watch.
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“This ghastly voter suppression legislation saves no money, creates no jobs,...”
– Mike Tate, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, on the voter ID bill passed by Wisconsin Republican Senators in a 19-5 vote today.
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Republicans Decimate Family Planning Programs in...
Today, Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee passed a budget amendment that will have devastating repercussions for Wisconsinites.
Eliminated: Wisconsin’s only women’s health and family planning program
Eliminated: Access to BadgerCare Family Planning program for men
Reduced: Medicaid funding. By $500 million. With no specification about which programs will be cut.
You can...
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Ron Johnson Sides with Big Oil
Yesterday, Republican Ron Johnson voted against a bill that would repeal $2 billion per year in tax breaks for the five biggest oil companies, which isn’t surprising considering his funding sources. Does Mr. Johnson still own stock in BP? That was a campaign issue that I don’t recall ever being resolved one way or another.
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Tommy Thompson Claims He'll Run For Senate →
linked above.
Unlike Paul Ryan, Tommy Thompson has said he’ll run for Kohl’s senate seat. This is not exactly newsworthy, though, since he pulls this stunt a lot. He’s like the Brett Favre of politics (minus the creepy texts) in that he loves to play the “will he or won’t he?” game with the media.
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Planned Parenthood has asked for help
…so I’m spreading the word. Wisconsin’s Joint Finance Committee votes tomorrow on budget issues that will have a major impact on reproductive health in Wisconsin. Walker’s budget:
Eliminates the state’s only women’s health and family planning program
Kicks men out of the BadgerCare Family Planning program
Reduces Medicaid funding by $500 million
What can...
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Wisconsin Bill to Eliminate Regulation of Drinking... →
linked above.
Wisconsin Republicans adore government interference with local laws and schools (bonus points for targeting public schools in Milwaukee!). They think government should be able to pick & choose which citizens are allowed to visit loved ones in the hospital. Hell, they even want to further the need for government-issued IDs.
But when it comes to regulations for clean drinking...
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Paul Ryan Won't Be Running for Kohl's Senate Seat →
linked above.
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Scott Walker Asserts That Wisconsin's Domestic...
Scott Walker is seeking to stop hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples.
Gov. Scott Walker believes a new law that gives gay couples hospital visitation rights violates the state constitution and has asked a judge to allow the state to stop defending it.
Democrats who controlled the Legislature in 2009 changed the law so that same-sex couples could sign up for domestic partnership...
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The New Activists →
linked above.
To hear Republicans tell it, the protests against Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposals have been organized by “union thugs.” Professional troublemakers from big labor are pulling the strings to advance their self-serving agenda. In reality, many of the activists are ordinary citizens suddenly politicized by Walker’s approach. With no experience serving as...
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Bob Dylan Responds to Maureen Dowd & Co.
Or: Reason #115 why somebody needs to be fact-checking Maureen Dowd’s columns.
Bob Dylan responded to allegations by Dowd and others that he censored his lyrics to comply with demands from the Chinese government. The last paragraph is especially hilarious. From Dylan’s website:
As far as censorship goes, the Chinese government had asked for the names of the songs that I would be...
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Capitol Police Report Describes Drunken Republican...
Among the police reports from the capitol protests is this gem describing a drunken Republican staffer.
On Feb. 19 a state trooper responded to a report of an “intoxicated subject” and found a staffer for Rep. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, sitting on a bench. When approached, a deeply besotted Jonathan Pollitt informed the cops that he’d locked his “f—-ing keys”...
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“I’m proud to vote for a faculty union at UWGB. As we have seen this past year...”
– Aeron Hayne, Associate Professor of English & Humanities at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. UWGB faculty voted 117 to 2 to unionize and affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin. Turnout in the election was 71 percent.
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“Even though I continue to love this job, I have decided that the time has come...”
– Democratic Senator Herb Kohl, announcing his plans to retire. He is the sixth senator from the Democratic caucus to announce he won’t be seeking re-election.
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Wisconsin Secretary of Workforce Development... →
linked above.
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As voter ID bill heads toward passage, the only... →
Wisconsin’s voter ID bill moves to the Senate after being approved by the Assembly. linked above.
Widespread voter fraud remains unproven, as does the allegation that photo ID laws suppress turnout. One thing is clear: The bill could cost the state millions at a time when Republicans are also fighting to dramatically cut the budget.
On election night in November, after it was clear...
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“Everything passes. Everything changes. Just do what you think you should do.”
– Bob Dylan.
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Assembly passes bill ending requirement to... →
cognitivedissonance:
From the Ayn Rand devotee files:
The [Wisconsin] Assembly has passed AB 23, which would, unless mandated by federal law, end a DNR requirement that municipal water systems be continuously disinfected. The bill passed 58-35.
Dems charged that the law meant the state was walking away from its commitment to provide clean drinking water to the public, listing a wide range of...
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WatchA must-watch.
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Walker & Co. Reversing Green Initiatives
Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican Legislature have moved quickly to weaken a string of environmental and energy programs as they contend with a budget deficit and make economic development their top priority.
The governor and GOP lawmakers have pushed more than a dozen initiatives that would reverse the course set by Democrats when they held power.
Among the changes:
• Trying to eliminate...
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Remembering the Bay View Massacre
Today marks the 125th anniversary of the Bay View Massacre. After 5 days of protests demanding an eight-hour work day, thousands of striking workers from the Milwaukee area gathered at the Milwaukee Iron Company rolling mill. The National Guard, under orders from Republican Governor Rusk, shot into the crowd of demonstrators, killing seven unarmed people (including a child) and injuring...
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