September 2011
61 posts
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Deteriorating Working Conditions Cause Wisconsin... →
As they face massive cuts to pay and benefits, as well as bizarre and belittling restrictions (no microwaves allowed, skirts must cover the knees…), Wisconsin teachers are retiring at an unprecedented rate. And this phenomenon isn’t limited to teachers:
In the first six months of 2011, overall public employee retirements were double that in all of either 2009 or 2010.
State...
August 2011
68 posts
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Republican Jeff Fitzgerald Plans to Run for U.S.... →
Jeff Fitzgerald announced his plan to run for Herb Kohl’s senate seat in 2012. Jeff is the Assembly Speaker and the brother of Scott Fitzgerald (who is the State Senate Majority Leader). His father, Steve Fitzgerald, was appointed by Scott Walker to head the Wisconsin State Patrol (an agency that was spared from Walker’s union-busting efforts). What a tangled web…
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The New Resentment of the Poor
Representative Michele Bachmann noted recently that 47 percent of Americans do not pay federal income tax; all of them, she said, should pay something because they benefit from parks, roads and national security. (Interesting that she acknowledged government has a purpose.) Gov. Rick Perry, in the announcement of his candidacy, said he was dismayed at the “injustice” that nearly half of...
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Walker's Controversial Appointee to Veterans... →
Earlier this year, while most of the state was focused on his union-busting efforts, Scott Walker quietly took control of the power to directly appoint the head of the Veterans Affairs Board.
With this new authority, Walker appointed John Scocos, a man who had already been fired from this position in 2009. Scocos is also currently suing the board members and the agency, seeking $500,000 in...
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Wausau, Wisconsin bans Republican politicans from... →
morninggloria:
That’s because the head of the group that sponsors the Wausau Labor Day Parade, the Marathon County Central Labor Council, is telling Republican lawmakers from the area that they’re not welcome Sept. 5.
“Usually they’ve been in the parade, but it seems like they only want to stand with us one day a year, and the other 364 days they don’t really care,” said Randy Radtke,...
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Neumann Announces He'll Run for Kohl's Senate Seat →
Mark Neumann, the Tea Partier who lost to Scott Walker in the gubernatorial primary, will be running for Senate in 2012.
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“Now, we don’t know who will win next year’s presidential election. But the odds...”
– Paul Krugman, Republicans Against Science. Notably, this was published the same day as an article about Michele Bachmann claiming Hurricane Irene happened because God wants the U.S. to cut spending.
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Rick Ungar Heads to Mother Jones →
My favorite Forbes writer will soon be making Mother Jones his home. If you don’t already read Rick Ungar’s work, I’d definitely recommend checking it out; he’ll be joining MoJo after Labor Day.
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“The Cubs, their owner and their fans either can be discouraged when watching the...”
– The Chicago Tribune.
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“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man...”
– Teddy Roosevelt.
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#MILWAUKEE SCOTT WALKER ALERT:
l3fan-o-rama:
bluecheddar:
Scott Walker will be in RIVERWEST at Messmer Prep (Fratney and Burleigh) in Milwaukee on Friday Aug 26 arriving around 12:30PM. Protest starts at noon on the other side of the street. - from FB friend Ellen MAP.
get on it, kids.
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League of Women Voters Prepares Lawsuit... →
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Governor Walker Preparing for Recall Effort →
According to the Journal Sentinel:
Gov. Scott Walker is expecting a recall attempt and already trying to organize his supporters to prevent it.
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A New Generation of Conservative Women →
Elle magazine has an interesting piece on a new generation of conservative women.
Feminist bashing remains the surest way to earn cred in the conservative movement, and “feminist” is an easy, all-purpose insult, eclipsed perhaps by only the dreaded “liberal.”
I was particularly surprised by the findings of a poll conducted among women ages 18 to 34 on the issues of health care and...
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“Harsh state judicial campaigns financed by ever larger amounts of special...”
– The New York Times, A Study in Judicial Dysfunction. A must-read.
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Watchaustinkleon:
World of Class Warfare - The Poor’s Free Ride Is Over - The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - 08/18/11
This is simply The Daily Show at its best. Amazing.
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“I learned: that no one is perfect but most people are good; that people...”
– -Bill Clinton, My Life.
Happy birthday, Clinton!
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“While I may seek elective office again someday, I have decided not to run for...”
– Russ Feingold, in an email to supporters.
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Wisconsin Loses 12,500 Private-Sector Jobs →
The loss is the deepest single-month decline since the depths of the 2008-‘09 recession, effectively annulling most of the previous month’s gains.
Heckuva job, Scotty.
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Tommy Thompson is Running for Kohl's Senate Seat →
Looks like Republicans are into recycling, after all.
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Recommended Reading
I sometimes read obituaries in the morning (is that weird?) and today I read one that has been on my mind all day. It reminded me to be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.
The author of the obituary frequently writes about mental health issues for the local paper and she wrote this article with honesty and compassion. I don’t know the man who passed, but his story was...
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Quick Hit Headlines: Ignore any spin →
This was exactly what I needed to read, exactly when I needed to read it. On, Wisconsin!
quickhits:
Wisconsin Democrats and unions have been the big winners in Wisconsin recalls. We may not have retaken the Senate, but Republicans won nothing and lost two seats. Gov. Walker’s assembly line of rightwing legislation is shut down, as moderates take center stage and the debate gets pulled to...
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FDR Went to Wisconsin To Battle 'Economic...
The last pair of recall elections will be held today and two Democratic State Senators are fighting to keep their seats. Obama will be within 20 miles of Wisconsin, but he refuses to cross the state line. The Nation has a great piece comparing Obama’s approach to that of another great Democratic leader, FDR.
Like Obama, FDR had been elected on a promise of “hope” and “change.”
Like...
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Wisconsin Teachers' Union Lays Off 40% of Its... →
Layoff notices have been issued to about 40% of the Wisconsin Education Association Council workforce. The complete story is linked above.
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In Milwaukee, A Fake Personality Turns Into a Real... →
Recommended reading for Brewers fans.
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Teacher Handbooks To Replace Union Contracts
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
With the start of school approaching on Sept. 1, about two-thirds of Wisconsin’s school districts are rushing to finalize employee handbooks to replace now-extinct collective bargaining agreements that for decades outlined duties and salaries for workers.
The passage of the state’s new “Act 10” legislation - in effect for...
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Obama will not set foot in Wisconsin on Monday....
Town Hall meeting. Bus tour. Avoiding Wisconsin. Obama’s 2012 strategy. Gross.
bluecheddar:
“The White House announced Thursday that Air Force One will land in Minneapolis on Monday morning and then the president will host a town hall meeting in Cannon Falls at Lower Hannah’s Bend Park.
The bus tour will also include events in Peosta, Iowa, and in western Illinois.”-LacrosseTribune
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Looking Ahead to 2012
The day after the President’s press secretary admitted he didn’t know whether the President was even aware of the results of the recall elections in Wisconsin, requests from the Obama 2012 campaign to start volunteering are coming in droves. That’s rich, Mr. President. Really.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is strong, organized, and frankly, deserving of more than...
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“Five months after Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin pushed through a law stripping...”
– The New York Times, Wisconsin’s Warning to Union Busters
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“We lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies…”
– Jack Kerouac, On the Road.
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“The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you’re not...”
– Keith Olbermann.
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Get Out The Vote, Wisconsin!
Need to register? You can still register on election day! Here’s info on how to do so. Also, check out this great 1-page info sheet with all sorts of info.
Not sure where to go? Find your polling place here. Polls are open from 7am -8pm.
Questions? Problems? Need to file a complaint? You can call the ACLU’s Election Protection hotline: 866-687-8683.
On, Wisconsin!
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WatchEd Schultz reporting from Madison on the eve of the recall elections.
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“As the people of Wisconsin stand vigil on the eve of historic recall elections,...”
– Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate, on Gov. Walker’s noticeable absence from the campaign events for Republicans facing recall tomorrow. (via quickhits) 