Janesville Newspaper Shows a Change In Divide and Conquer Strategy

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In case you missed it and you probably did, the Janesville Gazette published their annual story about Rock County’s so-called “lobby day” held at the State Capital.

For the first time in recent memory, the Gazette, who by the way is the major contributing media sponsor for the area’s infamous divide and conquer business groups, Rock County 5.0 and Forward Janesville, made no mention whatsoever of the groups or any of their officials in the article.

But it was also very disappointing if not embarrassing to learn that not one county official, elected, employee or other, came forward with a resolution requesting Scott Walker implement Obamacare’s health care exchanges. Or a proposal to restore state aid for public education, local roads or a state grant for the county’s overburdened Blackhawk Technical College. That is the Rock County message I picked up from area voters in the last election.

Instead, the newspaper built the story around “civic leaders” and teams who remain united in promoting the business group's old school government-dependent tax-shifting corporate welfare legislative agenda. For a city and county that rejected Scott Walker and Paul Ryan’s collectivist-driven trickle-down economics, you sure couldn’t tell it by this story.

Which now leads me to the following questions. Why did the Gazette omit the names of the groups and their officials from the story? Was that the newspaper’s intention? ...the group’s idea, or both? Were officials from the groups even present at the event? Does it matter if the newspaper identifies those who are present? Sure it does since their agenda was obviously present.

If so, why did the newspaper deliberately try to prevent the public from connecting the agenda to its owners? Could it be that the group's government reliant business model of tax credits and entitlement runs counter to both Ryan's and Walker's phony small-government campaign talking points? Could it be that Forward Janesville and the Rock County 5.0 have bought so much power and own so many legislators including Gov. Scott Walker, that they no longer even have to show up at a lobby function that they actually invented?

I think the newspaper owes local folks answers to those questions and more. But don't hold your breath.

Previous stories on Rock County's "Lobby Days"

Rock Netroots - Business Groups Pushing For Their Own Entitlement Society

Rock Netroots - Forward Janesville Puppets Reaffirm Stand For Act 10

Rock Netroots - Interstate Expansion Comes At Higher Taxes For Maintaining Local Roads