Political Environment Excerpt:
Within that file are less than fifty words which sum up what the entire Walker experience has done to our state - - and, again - - don't miss the why, because it screams the same kind of sweetheart pay-to-play undercurrent which has roiled public WEDC 'job development' financing to DNR land and permit decisions:
From the John Doe files:
Washington Post Excerpt:
“Take Koch’s [sic] money,” Kate Doner, Walker’s fundraising consultant, urged him in September 2011. “Get on a plane to Vegas and sit down with Sheldon Adelson. Ask for $1m now. Corporations. Go heavy after them to give . . . Create a list of legislation that passed and benefits whom.”
*emphasis added*
In other words, Doner directed Scott Walker to get on a plane and tell his wealthy supporters and corporations about the "gold" he can offer them in exchange for large donations ...and make a check list to keep track.
Huff Post Excerpt:
Walker traveled the country, asking wealthy donors to give to Wisconsin Club for Growth. Of course, he would remind them that corporate contributions were accepted and their identity would remain hidden.
He flew to New York City and met with Donald Trump, who gave him $15,000 (and later lied about how much he donated). He solicited money from Adelson, the Koch brothers, TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts, coal baron Joseph Craft, former Ambassador Mel Sembler, Morgan Stanley’s John Mack, Steve Forbes, hedge fund billionaire Louis Bacon, Stanley Herzog, Harlan Crow and countless other executives and corporations or corporate lobbying groups.
Of course it wouldn't be fair to leave out the huge donations from Wisconsin billionaires John Menard Jr. and Diane Hendricks. Since then, Menard has been awarded $1.8 million in state tax credits and may have benefited from an overall reduction in environmental enforcement actions. Hendricks eventually got her "red state" and anti-union right-to-work request passed.
We also recently discovered after the billionaire owner of a lead producer contributed $750,000 to a political group that provided crucial support to Walker and Republicans in recall elections, they approved a measure aimed at retroactively shielding paint makers from liability.
All in all, Scott Walker and his fund-raising team sold an estimated $30.5 million worth of legislation to fend off the recalls.
ADDITIONAL:
The Guardian - Because Scott Walker Asked
2 comments:
The depth and breadth of the corruption in Wisconsin's state government is almost beyond belief.
Don't forget the seven day work week. That smacks of hendricks.
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