Paul Ryan's National Review Opens Their Playbook For Latinos

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Saw this story first posted at the Democurmudgeon. Apparently one of Paul Ryan's biggest national media enablers, The National Review, wrote a editorial suggesting that the granting of amnesty for illegals at this time is a pointless approach for helping Republicans win elections because ...

National Review Excerpt:
While many are in business for themselves, they express hostile attitudes toward free enterprise in polls. They are disproportionately low-income and disproportionately likely to receive some form of government support. More than half of Hispanic births are out of wedlock. Take away the Spanish surname and Latino voters look a great deal like many other Democratic constituencies. Low-income households headed by single mothers and dependent upon some form of welfare are not looking for an excuse to join forces with Paul Ryan and Pat Toomey.

Thank you National Review! A rare burst of honesty always goes a long way when describing what conservatives think. I only hope Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Chicago gets the message.

RELATED:

Rock Netroots - Paul Ryan Trying To Sucker Latinos Through Rep. Gutierrez

Bain Workers Bus Tour Coming To Janesville

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Workers from Sensata, a manufacturing company based in Freeport, Illinois, are hitting the road to tell the nation just what a Mitt Romney Economy looks like. Sensata is owned by Bain Capital, a private equity firm founded by Romney that makes money by buying up companies, loading them with debt, stripping them of their assets and then finally shipping jobs overseas.

True to Romney's cannabalistic profit model, Bain is closing the Sensata plant before the end of the year and moving good manufacturing jobs to China. In fact, the Sensata workers are training their Chinese replacements right now.

They want America to know the truth about a Romney/Ryan Economy and are stopping in Janesville on Sunday, Sept. 23, to bring the message to Wisconsin.

A Romney/Ryan Economy means:

Steep tax breaks for for the rich ($160,000 goes to the average millionaire in Paul Ryan's budget)

Trillions in cuts to the safety net (food stamps, college grants, unemployment benefits)

The destruction of healthcare (huge Medicaid cuts and the destruction of Medicare as we know it)

A Romney/Ryan Economy benefits only one class of people -- the richest 1%. If you believe in a fair economy where we all have a chance to prosper, then you need to be in Janesville to let America know the truth!

Facebook event

Say NO! to a Romney/Ryan Economy
When: 3 pm
Sunday, September 23
Where: 1000 General Motors Drive
Janesville

Note: This posting is subject to updates.

Government Plays Huge Role In Janesville's Comeback

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Contrary to the Randian machinations of native son Paul Ryan, his hometown of Janesville is finding most of it's economic success through government interaction and for lack of a better word - coercion.

NPR Excerpt:
(Titled: Ryan's hometown and the route back to prosperity)

Janesville is making the same slow recovery that's typical elsewhere. City manager Eric Levitt said the city has added 1,000 jobs in the past 18 months, usually 50-to-100 at a time at existing employers. To foster that comeback, the city hasn't picked the Republican or the Democratic approach, but is using elements of both.

From the GOP: Streamlined permitting and tax cuts have aided in recruitment of new companies, including a medical technology company attracted by a tax break that could be worth as much as $9 million. The manufacturer of isotopes expects to open a new $24 million facility and employ 160 people in high-wage jobs by 2016.

From Democrats: Federal money for retraining assistance is filling classrooms at local vocational schools and colleges. At Blackhawk Technical College, welding programs that run from dawn until midnight six days a week are packed. That's helping address what city officials see as their biggest challenge: a mismatch between companies' expectations and the skills of those looking for work.

I can't imagine Janesville's city manager Eric Levitt (employee, non-elective office) would step any further into this political minefield.

This however weaves nicely with my earlier post referring to Janesville as Juliaville. There's not much to argue with except I find it odd how the writer(s) split the strategy into republican and democrat programs when in truth, both growth plans for Janesville's private sector rely heavily on the helping hand and collective power of government. It is this entire concept of government and the role it plays in society that Rep. Paul Ryan wants to bring to a halt. But keep this in mind - in fiction only.

But a paradox emerges when the story's writer aligns the collectivist power of government with the republican side, and individual empowerment through education for the democrat's strategy. That alignment is absolutely accurate, but it is also the exact opposite from the popular meme distributed by homeboy Paul Ryan and his Tea Party adherents. They claim it is Obama and democrats (particularly progressives) who are stifling growth by using the power of collectivism to expand the role of government into the free markets - thereby picking winners and losers in industry and creating uncompetitive advantages. Conversely, Ryan also tries to stake claim in supporting the empowerment of individuals in order to become productive members of society, when in reality that concept is owned and practiced by democratic progressives. Almost as the writer describes.

Sadly, it is Paul Ryan who seems to be living inside the novel Atlas Shrugged, while his hometown of Janesville has to struggle with growth concepts based in reality.

Is Janesville Metro Area At Crossroads For Progress?

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Kiplinger's recently issued their latest report on best American cities for every life stage and for your future. As was expected outside of the cost of living, Janesville did not fare very well.

Here's a snapshot of the chart listing a few cities posted at Kiplinger's Personal Finance considered for its list of Best Cities for Every Age, 2012. The Cost of Living Index is based on 100 being the national average. Job growth is the increase in employment from 2006 to 2011. Income growth is the increase in household income from 2006 to 2011.

Because the trends are taken within a five year window, The adverse economic effects from the closing of the General Motors plant are very obvious. As you can see, my town of Janesville is not doing well at all, particularly in the job and wage growth areas. It's in "Flint, MI" mode if I may be so blunt, and in fact has worse wage growth than Flint (2.5% vs 4.1%) over the same period of time.

With a feeling of complete helplessness, I've witnessed Janesville tumble down in slow motion from a solid upstart blue collar middle-class town and wrote about it all at this blog in real time as it happened, not after the fact.

Since 2006, I railed against the partisans and sycophants running the Janesville Gazette media monopoly and their decade long low-wage conservative agenda and war against school teachers, unions, liberals, democrats or anyone else who did not fit their particular brand of social engineering. Since that time I've "outed" the unholy alliance between the area's political action business groups and our local city and county governments. I even recall the dozens of emails I used to get from some Janesville residents telling me how wrong I was regarding my allegations of political activity about Forward Janesville and the Rock County 5.0.

I also remember like it was yesterday writing about the time when Congressman Paul Ryan, after being appointed to House committees, bragged that he would bring home even less of a return on tax dollars (federal aid, etc.) to his hometown and congressional district. These policies acted like a capital drain on the area and the results have been only short of catastrophic. I repeatedly warned readers that Janesville area workers and the people are losing the war many had no idea was being waged upon them, and that the American Dream isn't slipping away by chance, but is being systematically legislated out of our lives by right-wing ideologues. Apparently all to no avail.

All I can say now is let's hope we have bottomed out and the only way from here is up. But that's going to be a tall order to accomplish since most of the same phony people and the machinery that took us down that path are all still behind the wheel. That has to change first - before hope. With the opposition dug in with a divide and conquer mentality and in positions of power, we have a formidable enemy to overcome.

On the flip-side, there is some good news for Wisconsin. Madison, the Liberal Outpost and Unionista Sanctuary as eloquently described by the Democurmudgeon, was ranked No. 1 in the US by Kiplinger’s for young adults. The magazine said Madison was an “educated, tech-savvy city” with many recent college graduates who help foster an “entrepreneurial community” for start-up companies. Thugs. It even ranked high for families. Imagine that. Congratulations Madison!!

For the full report on best cities, click here.

Chart of 361 metro-areas and how they stack up.

Why So Bane?

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Here's the video clip of an interview with Ann Romney that has gone viral. In it she defends her husband's refusal to release any more tax returns than he already has by claiming he's not the type of person who hides things. Yeeyep! How does that work? Then she says, "We've Given All You People Need To Know."

For some reason and I have no idea why, the folks at ABC News said we should not believe our lying ears.

Excuses, Fearmongering and Sour Grapes Are Only Certainty In GOP's Response To Health Care Reform

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As a supporter of Medicare For All or a genuine public option at the minimum, I'm still only lukewarm to Obama's health care reform act despite the law being affirmed by the highest court in the land. I also suspect more fall-out from the court’s mixed decision, most notably in its weakening of the law’s Medicaid provisions in the name of states’ rights.

But if I were the republican governor of a state, I'd certainly proceed with the framework of state-run health care exchanges, knowing that the exchanges are a requirement in practically every proposal for health care reform written over the past 30 years.

Gov. Scott Walker however says Wisconsin will not proceed with implementing the Affordable Care Act because the SCOTUS decision he claims, creates uncertainty.

Channel 3000 Excerpt:
In the meantime, Walker says the state will not proceed with setting up a health care exchange as is required.[...]

He said the decision creates uncertainty for Wisconsin businesses and that's bad for job growth. Walker has also said businesses will be bullish about adding jobs since he won a June 5 recall election.

Bad for job growth but businesses remain bullish about adding jobs? Which is it?

But tell that to four (Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois and even Tea Party Mitch Daniels Indiana) of the six midwestern states that have all outjobbed Wisconsin in 2011 while instituting that "uncertainty" by building the framework for the state health care exchanges in the new health care law. Add to that the fact that two (California and New York) of the top three states in the country that have had significant increases in employment from May, 2011 to May, 2012 have implemented the ACA almost in it's entirety. While three states with dismal job growth, North Carolina, Alaska and New Mexico have literally banned the ACA. Beginning this week, New Mexico has finally initiated a task force to develop a proposal for creating a state health insurance exchange. So how can the decision be bad for job growth?

Even more ridiculous is to say the decision is bad for Wisconsin. But we'll have to go in circles here for just a moment to tackle that one.

Walker's belligerent failure to implement the law has the same impact on the state as if SCOTUS struck it down. So the decision can't be bad for job growth or create "uncertainty" for Wisconsin businesses if he refuses to implement it. Without implementing the Affordable Care Act, it's business as usual for the GOP and the state of Wisconsin. With the recalls behind us, the state should be gushing in certainty ...and jobs according to Scott Walker.

Conversely, he could have claimed Obama's health care reform was bad for job growth given the poor state employment results of the past year, but only if he had implemented it. He missed that opportunity by fighting it every step of the way. But this is where the rubber meets the road. The GOP's (and Walker's) biggest fear is not that Obama's health care reform fails - but if it would succeed. The idea of course is to never give it a chance.

So using Walker's fearmongering and certainty logic, only states that implemented the federal health care law have "uncertainty," yet those same states have experienced some of the most significant job growth over the past year AND if Walker was right, that should have translated into businesses and workers fleeing those states for Wisconsin.

But we know that's not happening and Walker is playing politics as usual and fabricating more uncertainty by hedging on not implementing the health care plan, with the intention to blame the health care law for all that fails in the state by not implementing it. That's full circle insanity.

Mitt Romney also found himself in a similar foot-in-mouth position earlier this week by saying if the nation’s highest court overturned what he derides as Obamacare, “then the first 3 1/2 years of this president’s term will have been wasted on something that has not helped the American people.”

Boston.Com Excerpt:
Yet the court, with the vote of conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, today upheld the law’s constitutionality.

Accepting Romney’s logic, that would mean that the bulk of Obama’s first term in office was spent on something that helped the American people.

Roberts is not someone Romney can dismiss, either. On his campaign website, he pledges to nominate Supreme Court justices “in the mold of Chief Justice Roberts,” as well as other court conservatives.

Epic backfire.

ADDITIONAL:

Political Environment - Who Does J.B. Van Hollen think he Is? The Party Boss?

Think Progress - Sen. Ron Johnson thinks freedom means having the freedom to deny health care to cancer patients.

Democurmudgeon - Tea Party Losers Whine, have Temper Tantrum, call for Armed Revolution.

Crooks and Liars - Republicans Biggest Fear: That Health Care Reform Would Succeed

Ed Show Video: Wisconsin Recall Is Big Test For The People

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Ed Shultz hits the nail on the head. I'm guessing that I'm one of few political bloggers on the Left who would rather see the national DNC and national based unions stay out of our fight in Wisconsin. I know that might sound ludicrous, but from the beginning this was between the people of Wisconsin and a hostile governor who was elected under false pretenses, plotted a divide and conquer strategy on a constituency and eventually pimped the state to wealthy out-of-state special interests. Walker has admitted to deliberately pitting taxpayers against workers, communities against communities and neighbors against neighbors in his effort to win support. That's no way to govern.

From early on Walker and his political allies including Paul Ryan and the RNC have made this an ideological classwar fight. To them it never was about the state budget, job creation, unemployment numbers or the people of Wisconsin. Those are all merely convenient little sideshows to keep the natives grappling among themselves. At the same time, we can't fully disarm against Walker's money machine but if the people lose this fight because of money, or the lack of it - so be it.

But it won't be over. It will however send a signal to the rest of the country that there is much, much work to be done if the people are ever to retake control of our own destiny. If Walker wins, billionaires win. Everyone else loses. America loses. Momentum will then be on the republicans side and they will turn our nation into a full metal jacketed corporatocracy controlled by special privileged people who for no reason other than the power of their wealth, will impose their beliefs on the rest of us. We're already halfway there. Ohio beat them back and now this is our time to make a stand.

As Ed said on his show if Walker were to win, "It could set the template for defeating democracy and destroying our political system as we know it." Ed also mentions the attack on teachers in Janesville, watch it:

Illinois Governor and Manufacturers Group Turn Walker Around

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If other governors did what Scott Walker is doing, we would have to officially change our country's name from the U.S.A. to the D.S.A. (Divided States of America). This time he paid another visit to our neighbor to the south and essentially insulted the host. Walker didn't have to go to Illinois but you'd think if somebody visits your house, they would at least have the dignity to be respectful. Not Walker. So I have to give much credit to Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois for his polite remarks in response to our partisan clown governor.

JS Online Excerpt:
"They have the worst job record in the whole country, dead last. And we certainly don't want to follow his prescriptions when it comes to economic growth," Quinn said. "He promised 250,000 jobs, and he's way behind. Since the recovery began, our state has created over 130,000 jobs. Our focus is not on any other state. We believe in cooperation with our midwestern neighbors. Every single one of those states we want to have good relationships with. But our focus is on Illinois."

Doug Whitley, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, said inviting Walker was designed to contrast the approaches taken by governments in Wisconsin and Illinois.

Great! A contrast between policies that resulted in Wisconsin's 12,000 job loss to Illinois 130,000 job gain! Walker said he's moving our state forward.

Chicago Tribune Excerpt:
A thoughtful analysis, however, shows that Illinois is a great place to do business because it is where the business is. This isn't an attack on Wisconsin. While Wisconsin is a great place to vacation, Illinois is where you want to locate your company.

According to a comprehensive state-by-state analysis by the 2012 Competitiveness Redbook, our state has twice the population of the Badger State and our workers earn 12 percent more than their Wisconsin counterparts — that's more consumers with more money to spend.

Our workers are more productive. Wisconsin ranks 46th nationally in worker productivity. We have twice the gross domestic product of Wisconsin and export twice as much. More businesses are started in Illinois and we rank higher in high-tech employment opportunities.

Michael Holewinski is president of Ace Industries and chairman of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association.

As Walker continues to shut down the economic engine of Wisconsin and divide the population, the state will likely lose it people-person friendly image and eventually become as crass and disrespectful as he is. Shame, shame, shame.

Republican Majority Stand With Norquist On Buffett Rule

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The Senate rejected the so-called “Buffett Rule” on a largely partisan roll call. The procedural vote was 51-45, falling short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster. Despite heavy support for the Buffett Rule, its rejection was a foregone conclusion to those who follow politics, particularly knowing that 41 senators are Norquist Pledge signers. It wouldn't stand a chance in the House either.

Politico Excerpt:
Senate Republicans derided the measure as an election-year “gimmick.” In a speech on the Senate floor Monday, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) accused Obama of shirking bipartisanship in favor of pursuing policies for political expediency.

“Isn’t this precisely the kind of thing President Obama campaigned against in the first place, politics as usual?” the Kentucky Republican said. “But that’s all we get.

Sure Mitch, anytime Republicans are asked to take a position with the majority, it must be an election year gimmick.

But who cares what Americans think? In fact, even without their allegiance to Grover Norquist, Republicans weren't going to fall for any stand-alone legislative measure that puts them at odds with the majority will of the American people. Because given that choice, Republicans will "courageously" vote against America 99 out of 100 times. They're not called the 1% for nothing.

Will the American majority respond in November and vote these traitors out of Congress?

Additional reading:

American Progress - Public Opinion Snapshot: Yes, Conservatives, Americans Do Care About Fairness

Reader Support News - How the GOP Became the party of the rich

PoliticalTicker - CNN Poll: 7 out of 10 support Buffett Rule

Remember Feb. 17, 2011 - The Day Scott Walker Dropped The Bomb On Wisconsin

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Never forget Feb. 17, 2011, a date that will live in infamy in Wisconsin state history. After explicitly promising voters he would negotiate with unions during his campaign run-up to election, that was the day Gov. Scott Walker suddenly reversed on everything during a press conference and officially declared war on Wisconsin.

Walker repeated those remarks during another news conference on Feb. 21, 2011.

"I campaigned on (the proposals in the budget repair bill for Wisconsin) all throughout the election. Anybody who says they are shocked on this has been asleep for the past two years." -- Scott Walker

Just days later, an incriminating conversation surfaced between Walker and a person impersonating Walker campaign contributor and Americans for Prosperity Founder David Koch. In an audiotape released Feb. 23, 2011, Walker compared his union plan to a history-making act and portrayed its surprise introduction on the people of Wisconsin as a "bomb."

As more evidence continues to pile up, it's becoming clear Walker's entire election campaign was one giant continuous lie. The state has yet to recover from the deception and devastation.

Liberation Day is set for June 5, 2012

Video - Before Election Walker Explicitly Promised to Negotiate With Unions

Video - Bait and Switch: Walker Promised in Pre-Election Video to Keep State Aid "Intact"

Paul Ryan's Cynical Catholic Claims

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I rarely post entire articles and never before posted a press release from a political party. But this statement by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Graeme Zielinski in response to claims made by Paul Ryan to justify his radical budget - was just too good to resist.

"For Paul Ryan to justify his radical budget using Catholic social teaching as an underpinning either arrives from designed error or unintended ignorance. Nobody can seriously believe that the "Church of the Poor" would make a fetish out of tax cuts for billionaire hedge fund managers who sip $350 bottles of wine at the same time destroying the social safety net advocated for by our American bishops since the end of World War I.

Many Catholics oppose the Ryan budget not in spite of our Catholic faith, but because of it. Catholics are taught that everyone, not just the rich, have a right to participate in our economic system. They also are taught that income inequality is a great threat to solidarity. Blessed John Paul cautioned against an "idolatry of wealth" that appears rampant nowadays. It can be argued that a Ryan budget that clearly gives priority to capital and the super-rich over workers and the poor alters that balance in a way that offends Catholic tradition. Blessed John Paul wrote, that, "It is the poor who have a claim to special consideration. The richer class can help itself; the poor have no resources of their own to do so. They chiefly depend on the help of the state."

Ryan justifies his budget employing Catholic teaching about "subsidiarity," which says that government should not interfere with what individuals could do themselves. Ryan seems to take this to mean that the only way to prevent this interference is to cut all government. In fact, what this means is a requirement for good government that works alongside the free market to ensure that the needs of everyone are met, with special regard for the poorest.

One need not be a Catholic to see that the Paul Ryan budget advantages the rich and powerful over working families and the poor. And it looks very much that Paul Ryan is animated by the teachings of someone in this document. That seems not to be the Catholic Church. Instead, it seems to be Ayn Rand."

Source

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Related:

Fighting Bob - Ryan Shrugged

Paul Ryan won't rest until he turns one novelist's wildest dreams into America’s nightmare.

Paul Krugman - The Paul Ryan phenomenon and the gullible center

Nation's Debt Skyrockets Since GOP Pledge To Norquist

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Despite previous claims that the Bush tax cuts would raise revenue, we now know the 2001 tax cuts was a half-baked attempt to starve the beast at a cost of approximately of $1.35 trillion over 10 years while the 2003 tax cut cost another $350 billion over 10 years. We also know that the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars was pegged at $1.26 trillion through 2011 and the unfunded Medicare Part D prescription drug program stands at $272 billion so far.

We also know there are hundreds of smaller discretionary spending bills passed through Congress each year without designating any revenue raising mechanisms to pay for them.

We also knew that without offering revenue mechanisms to pay as they go, nearly all of these expenditures beyond the government's regular operational expenses were thrown on the nation's credit card. But why?

For starters, one political party in America chose to commit themselves beginning in 1986 to the "No Tax" Pledge created by lobbyist Grover Norquist of the fallaciously named Americans for Tax Reform outfit. By signing Norquist's pledge, Republicans said the wealthiest nation on earth does not have to pay it's current bills with it's own money. Why should we pay now they figure, when they have our children and grandchildren to pay for it, or at least that's what they want us to fear.

Another untold known is the Pledge was never about limiting federal spending or creating new funding methods to pay the nation's bills. To do so would have meant the acknowledgment that the federal government is competent and fiscally responsible; a concept and perception that is intolerable to the pledge's adherents and mission statement. To the contrary, Norquist’s pledge was designed to not raise the revenue necessary to pay the nation’s bills. It's sole purpose is to seed debt without ever taking responsibility for it's destructive growth in a perverse if not evil attempt to drown the U.S. Government in a bathtub. It's that simple.

It's also no coincidence Norquist's mission to “drown the federal government" runs parallel to Paul Ryan’s Randian struggle to destroy the American social compact. That Ryan repeatedly states that the current path will drown our children and grand-children in a pool of debt is consistent with Norquist's messaging narrative, however intentionally misleading.

The current Norquist path of debt was purposely designed to act as an ax on the hull of a ship stuck in place with an immovable expense anchor. Sooner or later, the hole in the hull would cause the ship to sink, while the men swinging the ax will swear it's the spending anchor and flooding waters that is sinking it.

However, if we return to Norquist's core mission statement of drowning the federal government in a bathtub, you'll soon realize that none of these evil characters actually care about reducing the deficit - ever. It's the feeling of sinking and drowning they want us to fear most - not the actual sunken ship. It's like being waterboarded.

One of their back-handed remedies to stop the waterboarding, Ryan's alternative "Path To Prosperity" budget manifesto, doesn't involve patching the hull they've axed. It instead pulls up the anchor by slashing non-security discretionary spending while ramping up tax cuts for the establishment's wealth extractors under the guise of tax reform. When you pull away the smoke and mirrors, Ryan's budgets amount to nothing more than a cruel joke holding the same goal as Norquist's pledge; to wipe out the federal government.

By far, one of the most visible examples of Norquist's influence takes place during the Bowles-Simpson Debt Commission, a mini-Congress partly made up of six Republicans and six Democrats. The Commission was doomed to fail from the start simply because half of the commission signed the Norquist Pledge.

Nation Of Change Excerpt:
Note how many deficit hawks regularly trash President Obama for not endorsing Simpson-Bowles while they continue to praise Ryan — even though Ryan voted to kill the initiative when he was a member of the commission. Here again is the double standard that benefits conservatives, proving that, contrary to establishment opinion, Obama was absolutely right not to embrace the Simpson-Bowles framework. If he had, a moderately conservative proposal would suddenly have defined the “left wing” of the debate, just because Obama endorsed it.

Yet through all of the different administrations, presidents, congresses and failed budget policies, if there's one common denominator and material cause that stood in the way of our nation's ability to balance a budget for the past 25 years, it's Grover Norquist "No Tax" pledge and those Republicans who signed it.

So I've created a little chart here, based half on arithmetic and half on intuition, that takes into account all the larger spending bills and tax cuts of the past decade and runs them in reverse back to 1986, assuming Congress would have also raised the revenue and closed tax loopholes during that time to pay for them - as if the Norquist tax pledge never existed. Without the Norquist pledge, the federal government would have paid it’s bills with minimal borrowing and we would not have the perception of a debt crisis we now have today.

Future Uncertain With Pledge-Induced Debt

The truth of the matter is; if you're concerned about the causes of the nation's debt and decline without understanding the enormous negative impact from the Norquist tax pledge, you're simply not paying attention or in denial. I also contend that Norquist's pledge-induced-debt is intentionally laying down the foundation for a superstructure of debt to eventually cause the collapse of our Constitutional government, the American social compact and the end of the U.S.A. as we know it.

One way or another, Republicans claim disaster awaits. They should know.

Related:

Random Person Creates New Pledge For Congress

The Congressional Re-Affirmation Pledge

List of Bills Walker Signed Into Law Last Week

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This is what Scott Walker means ...

...when he says "We're moving our state forward. It's really about fundamentally changing things."



Are you starting to get the feeling republicans would repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if they could?

In Wisconsin, state republicans seem to be doing what all republican majorities in statehouses are doing across the nation, they're reversing or repealing many post-WWII laws dealing with equal employment rights and upward mobility programs while giving more state power to corporations. In fact, they seem to be doing it in an almost "dare to" revenging and "piling on" way of extremist laws where they are hoping to stir up as much rebellion as possible in order to create a contrast of courage for themselves against a population who they believe had it too good for too long. Paul Ryan's budget is perhaps the epitome of this uncompromising radical vision when Obama nailed it as "Social Darwinism."

Here's a list of some of those bills Scott Walker signed into law last week...

Bill History: AB-46 (11-0308)
Relating to: eliminating the World Dairy Center Authority.
AB-46 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 229

Bill History: AB-93 (11-0335)
Relating to: prohibiting purchase of tobacco products on behalf of, or to provide to, a minor and pr...
AB-93 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 249

Bill History: AB-152 (11-1872)
Relating to: state aid for airport improvement projects.
AB-152 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 248

Bill History: AB-216 (11-1679)
Relating to: maintenance and removal of vegetation obstructing the view of outdoor advertising signs...
AB-216 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 230

Bill History: AB-334 (11-2905)
Relating to: possession of certain animals killed by vehicles.
AB-334 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 251

Bill History: AB-384 (11-1883)
Relating to: weapons that may be used to hunt certain animals and requirements for establishing open...
AB-384 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 252

Bill History: AB-395 (11-2873)
Relating to: acquisition of land in the Niagara Escarpment corridor.
AB-395 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 250

Bill History: AB-418 (11-3443)
Relating to: agreements to locate unclaimed property reported to the state
treasurer.
AB-418 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 231

Bill History: AB-485 (11-0595)
Relating to: personalized registration plates for vehicles registered by certain veterans with a dis...
AB-485 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 264

Bill History: AB-486 (11-2685)
Relating to: the definitions of vehicle and motor vehicle (suggested as remedial legislation by the ...
AB-486 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 265

Bill History: AB-508 (11-3259)
Relating to: authorizing the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority to issue bonds to...
AB-508 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 239

Bill History: AB-548 (11-3873)
Relating to: the typeface used, and rates charged, for publication of legal notices.
AB-548 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 228

Bill History: AB-609 (11-0042)
Relating to: road closure barriers.
AB-609 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 246

Bill History: AB-611 (11-0063)
Relating to: vehicles required to stop at railroad crossings, providing an exemption from emergency ...
AB-611 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 247

Bill History: AB-638 (11-3906)
Relating to: technical changes to the qualified production activities income and franchise tax credi...
AB-638 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 232

Bill History: SB-92 (11-1730)
Relating to: prohibiting coverage of abortions through health plans sold
through exchanges.
SB-92 was signed by the Governor on 4-5-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 218

Bill History: SB-114 (11-1273)
Relating to: legislative consideration of a biennial budget bill.
SB-114 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 220

Bill History: SB-174 (11-2320)
Relating to: closing the parental choice program for eligible school districts to additional school ...
SB-174 was signed by the Governor on 4-5-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 215

Bill History: SB-184 (11-2712)
Relating to: the reporting date for the Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexi...
SB-184 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 221

Bill History: SB-202 (11-0322)
Relating to: elimination of compensatory and punitive damages for acts of employment discrimination ...
SB-202 was signed by the Governor on 4-5-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 219

Bill History: SB-237 (11-2088)
Relating to: providing instruction in human growth and development.
SB-237 was signed by the Governor on 4-5-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 216

Bill History: SB-260 (11-3056)
Relating to: allowing members of a dairy cooperative to claim the dairy manufacturing facility inves...
SB-260 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 237

Bill History: SB-271 (11-3340)
Relating to: return of absentee ballots and voting in person by electors who have voted by absentee ...
SB-271 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 227

Bill History: SB-284 (11-1627)
Relating to: affecting various provisions of the statutes to correct errors and reconcile conflicts ...
SB-284 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 257

Bill History: SB-285 (11-0187)
Relating to: affecting various provisions of the statutes to correct errors and reconcile conflicts ...
SB-285 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 258

Bill History: SB-286 (11-1649)
Relating to: revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of supplying omissions and ...
SB-286 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 259

Bill History: SB-287 (11-0189)
Relating to: affecting various provisions of the statutes to correct errors and reconcile conflicts ...
SB-287 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 260

Bill History: SB-288 (11-0505)
Relating to: federal financial hardship assistance under the Clean Water Fund Program (suggested as ...
SB-288 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 261

Bill History: SB-306 (11-3305)
Relating to: voluntary and informed consent to an abortion, information on domestic abuse services, ...
SB-306 was signed by the Governor on 4-5-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 217

Bill History: SB-321 (11-3388)
Relating to: limiting the number of individual income tax checkoffs and combining the breast cancer ...
SB-321 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 222

Bill History: SB-330 (11-3433)
Relating to: limitations on the issuance of a certificate of title for a motor vehicle involved in c...
SB-330 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 262

Bill History: SB-349 (11-3464)
Relating to: the confidentiality of information related to exemptions from the requirement to regist...
SB-349 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 263

Bill History: SB-378 (11-2242)
Relating to: surplus lines insurance, insurance security fund, automobile insurance, and granting ru...
SB-378 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 224

Bill History: SB-386 (11-3831)
Relating to: voter registration at high schools and certain tribal schools.
SB-386 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 240

Bill History: SB-390 (11-3405)
Relating to: appointment of notaries public, collection agencies, and community currency exchanges.
SB-390 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 233

Bill History: SB-391 (11-3413)
Relating to: the procedure for the administrative dissolution of corporations.
SB-391 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 234

Bill History: SB-394 (11-3862)
Relating to: establishing an assistant district attorney pay progression plan.
SB-394 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 238

Bill History: SB-397 (11-3728)
Relating to: photographs on operator's licenses.
SB-397 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 241

Bill History: SB-398 (11-3729)
Relating to: submitting written objections and appearing in person or by telephone at a hearing to r...
SB-398 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 242

Bill History: SB-417 (11-3976)
Relating to: concealment of benefit claim information, availability for work, interest on delinquent...
SB-417 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 236

Bill History: SB-422 (11-2852)
Relating to: the length of vehicles that may be operated on a highway and granting rule-making autho...
SB-422 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 243

Bill History: SB-423 (11-3779)
Relating to: disqualification of commercial motor vehicle operators.
SB-423 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 244

Bill History: SB-429 (11-3974)
Relating to: portable electronics insurance and providing a penalty.
SB-429 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 225

Bill History: SB-459 (11-3809)
Relating to: economic development activities of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Autho...
SB-459 was signed by the Governor on 4-5-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 214

Bill History: SB-462 (11-3267)
Relating to: registration of motor vehicles by the Department of Transportation.
SB-462 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 235

Bill History: SB-463 (11-3864)
Relating to: the angel investment and early stage seed investment tax credit programs.
SB-463 was signed by the Governor on 4-5-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 213

Bill History: SB-464 (11-4031)
Relating to: prohibiting fingerprinting in connection with professional credentials issued by the De...
SB-464 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 255

Bill History: SB-478 (11-3418)
Relating to: giving notice of, and providing assistance after, a motor vehicle accident and providin...
SB-478 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 256

Bill History: SB-492 (11-3969)
Relating to: regulating certain service contracts and granting rule-making authority.
SB-492 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 226

Bill History: SB-497 (11-3684)
Relating to: designation, modification, and termination of agricultural enterprise areas.
SB-497 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 253

Bill History: SB-498 (11-3682)
Relating to: the pest abatement authority of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Prote...
SB-498 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 254

Bill History: SB-500 (11-3741)
Relating to: appointments to the Council on Highway Safety.
SB-500 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 245

Bill History: SB-547 (11-4199)
Relating to: safety mirrors on school buses.
SB-547 was signed by the Governor on 4-6-2012 2011 Wisconsin Act 223

Area Legislators With Ties To ALEC

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SourceWatch:
ALEC is not a lobby; it is not a front group. It is much more powerful than that. Through ALEC, behind closed doors, corporations hand state legislators the changes to the law they desire that directly benefit their bottom line. Along with legislators, corporations have membership in ALEC. Corporations sit on all nine ALEC task forces and vote with legislators to approve “model” bills. more>>>

Assembly

Rep. Stephen Nass (R-31), Education Task Force Member

Rep. Tyler August (R-32), ALEC International Relations Task Force/Federal Relations Working Group Task Force Member

Rep. Evan Wynn (R-43), ALEC Education Task Force Alternate

Rep. Joseph Knilans (R-44), ALEC Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force Alternate

Rep. Amy Loudenbeck (R-45), ALEC Commerce, Insurance and Economic Development Task Force Alternate

Senate

Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-20), ALEC Education Task Force Member, International Relations Task Force Member

Area Legislators Paying ALEC Membership Fees with Tax Dollars

Neal Kedzie (R-Neenah): $100 – 1/1/2007

Will George Zimmerman Be The GOP's Next Rising Star?

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Trayvon Martin was 17 and looked younger. He was armed with a can of Arizona iced tea and a box of skittles.

Huff Post Excerpt
The shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman is a heartbreaking tragedy. But make no mistake, it is not a surprise that it happened in Florida, the NRA's closest thing to an armed utopia. In fact, much more so than any of the shills they had promoting their agenda in their big budget propaganda campaign, George Zimmerman is the embodiment of the gun lobby and its vision for America.

George Zimmerman is the NRA.

NRA = GOP

Usually it is self-appointed authoritarian racist deniers like Zimmerman that the GOP scouts recruit for political office. If enough minorities, poor whites, the disabled, women and any other disadvantaged or second-class citizens condemn Zimmerman for his actions, Republicans take that as a person with courage and will run him for state legislative office. And, if enough Liberals or Progressives, particularly those from the Left join in on the condemnation, for sure they'll elevate his candidacy to Congress. He must be doing something right, they figure.

FYI, it was Gov. Jeb Bush who signed the ALEC/NRA sponsored "Stand Your Ground" gun law that allowed Zimmerman to shoot and kill Martin with impunity.



In Wisconsin, the NRA made multiple contributions to Scott Walker and lobbied republican legislators heavily to pass Wisconsin's "Concealed Carry" and "Castle Doctrine" laws. So far, only one young person is dead after making the mistake of hiding on a porch after police arrived at an underaged drinking party next door. The homeowner shot and killed the unarmed trespasser and remains exempt from prosecution. Many people believe the newly enacted "Castle Doctrine" triggered a soft investigation and are beginning to feel Wisconsin Republicans have blood on their hands.

Strange as it seems, modern day conservatives take all of this steadily growing outrage and social disorder against their backward "reforms" as a sure sign that it's all working according to plan.

If They Repeat, "Walker Balanced The Budget" Enough Times, Will His Massive Deficit Magically Go Away?

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How many times have you read newspaper editorials, blog posts, comments and letters to editors from folks claiming Walker balanced the budget? And I like the way they link it into nearly every state issue over and over again and do it with a straight matter-of-fact face. You know they say, "Walker did not raise taxes AND he balanced the budget," or "Walker didn't lay off any public sector workers AND he balanced the budget" or "Walker cut spending in order to balance the budget." It's practically a daily ritual.

A recent Milwaukee Sentinel editorial repeated the "balanced budget" assumption several times to settle a host of other false arguments exactly the same way in defense of Scott Walker's policies.

But. Nooo duuudes. You can say it as many times as you like, but Walker has not balanced the budget.

Wiscnews Excerpt:
So how about the deficit? On Jan. 11, Bob Lang, director of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, sent a letter to Assemblyman Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee. Lang stated: “In the Budget in Brief that accompanied the Governor’s 2011-2013 budget message, the administration projected that the GAAP deficit for the state will be $2.99 billion in 2011-12 and $3.02 billion in 2012-13.”

Despite cutting 12,500 public sector jobs in 2011 (Look mom! No lay-offs) and kicking thousands of children and seniors off BadgerCare, Walker's own projections show he is running the same structural deficits they crucified Jim Doyle for. He called Doyle a liar for using the cash accounting method to make the budget appear balanced, yet Walker is doing the same thing - but even worse. Say what you will about Doyle, but he did not have to "save" the state from a problem that never existed.

What is it these people aren't getting ...or is it just a matter of media engineering and political convenience? One way to think how conservatives think about Wisconsin's annual budgets is to watch the video below to see how Republican senate candidate, Tommy Thompson, handled a media question about the deficit he handed to Scott McCallum and eventually passed to Jim Doyle.



So why can't everyone be on the same page about this? It's either Thompson, McCallum, Doyle AND Walker are all running structural deficits OR, they all balanced the budget as Wisconsin’s Constitution mandates it. I'd be good with either premise as the official declaration since they all are calculated using the same accounting method. But not the mixing and matching we have now.

So why does the media continue to describe the budgets of previous administrations as deficits while Walker's budget as balanced? Could it be that Walker needed a massive deficit, at least on paper, to give his media-endorsed budget agenda a cause? Could it be that without that great big deception, Walker's entire Act 10 Budget repair bill would have had no purpose for being the solution to a problem that never existed?

I think so.

Wisconsin Republicans Join National Party Bang On Women

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Keep Your Boehner Out Of My Uterus

According to most conservatives, women aren't smart enough to know themselves or their own bodies.

The GOP's war on women is now fully assimilated throughout their party identity. There's really no need to even politicize their bold-faced gender superiority, arrogance and discrimination against women. It is a hallmark of what it always was and always will be to be a true "conservative" yesterday, today and tomorrow. Sometimes I think we shouldn't try to stop them or ask for apologies. On one hand, I think the intolerant Right will wind up dooming themselves to the ash bin of history and ...what's wrong with that?

On the other hand, I don't blame women one bit for standing up and pushing back against an outrage that threatens their right to control their own individualism and destiny. It threatens their rights and if their rights are threatened - it threatens all of us.

~ Rep. Kelda Helen Roys: Facebook
"Earlier today, I shared that I had planned a response to today's upcoming battles in the War on Women here in the WI Assembly. I am pleased to share the first amendment I will be offering. My amendment will seek to add a rectal examination as a requirement for all men seeking a prescription for Viagra or other erectile disfunction drugs. Sure, it is not medically necessary, but if the legislature is going to impose medically superfluous requirements on women, it should do the same for men."

From Paul Ryan to Jim Sensenbrenner to Ron Johnson to Scott Walker to Glenn Grothman to the Fitzgerald Brothers, few state party delegations excel better at poisoning the well of discourse and fomenting divisiveness than the group we have here right now in Wisconsin. I also know there will always be plenty of self-deprecating voters who will continue to vote against their own interests. For many it's a traditional and cultural value handed down from one generation to the next. That's just the way it is.

But believe it or not, we still have modern-day conservative women who not only allow themselves to be treated like a second-hand possession by their male counterparts - they champion the cause. It doesn't make sense. Like when Arizona Republican Debbie Lesko authored a controversial bill that would allow Arizona employers the right to deny health insurance coverage for contraceptives based on religious objections. The bill would essentially give employers the power to request that women being prescribed birth control pills provide proof that they're using it for non-sexual reasons. Because Arizona's an at-will employment state, that means that bosses critical of their female employees' sex lives could fire them as a result.

Unbelievable!

In Wisconsin, we have at least a dozen state legislators to the right of Arizona's Lesko, so I wouldn't put it past any of them to copycat any legislation that is aimed at disempowering women.

But I've got to hand it to our no-nonsense American women, they're not taking any of this lying down. On Tuesday's "Mad as Hell Rally"...

Reality Check Excerpt:
Although the rally may seemingly be coming too late, it is, as Lisa Subeck of NARAL Wisconsin calls it, “just a starting point.” According to Subeck and representatives from Planned Parenthood and other organizations speaking today, the next logical – and imperative step – is to get women out to vote and to get them into office.

Atkinson speaking again to the crowd aptly said, “The great thing about women is we don’t just get angry, we take action.”

If there's one thing I've learned about women and politics, it's most of them that are involved have bigger balls than most men. Look out Republicans. You're about to have your asses handed to you. No pun intended.

In complete Solidarity...ladies

Video: Wisconsin's War On Women

Forward Janesville Puppets Reaffirm Stand For Act 10

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Last year, Rock County's state assembly legislators, Joe Knilans, Evan Wynn and Amy Loudenbeck, all broke the trust of the county electorate when they stood with their party and anti-labor special interests to pass the Act 10 Walker classwar budget ending public employees collective bargaining.

Just like Scott Walker, none of the three campaigned on ending collective bargaining rights.

But as expected, they all continue to stand firm with their past legislative voting actions against Wisconsin's wage earners and communities, oftentimes using some of the most worn out and lamest rhetoric for their own defense.

Such was the case in a Janesville Gazette story about Saturday's massive "Reclaim Wisconsin" rally. As usual, Reps. Knilans and Wynn came out swinging against labor union interests.

JG Excerpt:
Wynn said the problem was that unions could organize very effectively to elect the very boards or councils that they would later negotiate with, and that led to abuses.

Some workers were getting excessive benefits, Wynn said

That's interesting. Candidate Evan Wynn never had a problem before standing up with local special interests to influence boards, councils and state legislators. In September of 2010, he not only endorsed the politically active special interest lobbyist group Forward Janesville, a local privileged group comprised of the area's most affluent residents including Diane Hendricks of Koch's Millionaires Club fame, he literally challenged incumbent Rep. Kim Hixson to do the same! Instead of a political candidate earning an endorsement from a individual or organization, Wynn endorses the organization. Forward Janesville may as well run for office. Talk about selling out!

But Hixson wouldn't sell-out to a special interest group and for standing on his principles - he lost the election. Clearly, Forward Janesville knew what they were buying in Evan Wynn.

I knew the handwriting was on the wall when Forward Janesville invades Madison for their annual lobby junket and their members get all uptight if state legislators hang "No solicitors" signs on their office doors. Who would think we reached that point where public officials who aren't on the take - are the ones tossed out. But we've reached that point.

If you want to get a better idea to understand how powerful Forward Janesville really is, look at it this way. We had tens of thousands of people who could not afford a lobbyist protest almost daily for months simply to restore legal authority to collectively bargain for benefits or concessions - to no avail. After a year, there was zero impact on legislation!! Yet, 60 or so very special, unelected self-appointed local "leaders" could march into the capital, draw up legislation for a state-run corporate development slush fund and deficit spend a billion dollars on a highway expansion, and it happens? It can't be any more clear what's going on here.

Candidates and legislators alike however have now learned quickly that you negotiate tax-funded benefits and breaks for Forward Janesville members or else!

The ethically challenged Joe Knilans is also no exception when it comes to his cozy bedtime manners with Forward Janesville's elite cartel, the Rock County 5.0. Soon after his election, Knilans actually bragged about how he was able to cast his vote in Madison on two legislative bills, AB6 and AB8. Those were the bills that transformed the state's Department of Commerce into a shadowy public/private nexus of government leeches and political campaign contributors. In his press release, Knilans explained how he fought through a snowstorm to deliver his vote at the state capitol for the special interest group "Rock County 5.0."

I couldn't make this stuff up no matter how hard I try.

So the next time you hear Wynn, Knilans or Loudenbeck complain about how special interests have organized to elect or influence local boards, councils or state legislators they eventually negotiate with later to their benefit - ask them how Forward Janesville and the Rock County 5.0 fit into that pattern of abuse.

It should be noted that Amy Loudenbeck seems to carry almost a Ryanesque protected status within the Janesville Gazette's propaganda media machine. Although all three local republicans have voted in near perfect lockstep, Loudenbeck is rarely clumped together with the other two on current issues and positions.

NOTE: The link to Wynn's Forward Janesville endorsement and challenge to Kim Hixson to endorse FJ has been scrubbed from his campaign website. But the link title should explain enough -(http://www.evanwynn.com/index.php/2010/09/22/wynn-appluads-forward-janesvilles-efforts/).

Additional:

Rock Netroots - Notes On Walker's Assault

Taxes Seem High? Blame The New Entitlement Mentality Sweeping The Country

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If regular working class people really want to know why taxes and fees are taking a bigger bite out of our paychecks and are expected to get worse - don't blame education, public employees, government services or tax rates. Look toward the multitude of loopholes, exemptions, zone tax credits, "jobs" tax credits, taxpayer funded forgivable loans and tax revenue withholding caches like TIF District slush fund gimmicks, all lobbied for and legislated by crony capitalists to favor the rich and powerful few. It's a matter of simple subtraction.

You think when GOPer's like Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan say that rich people don't have to pay taxes, they are joking? Hah, think again. Somebody will have to make up for the difference in lost revenue.

Despite an already increasing tax burden in Wisconsin under Scott Walker, we have yet to see the real effects of the tax shift take place under his massive wealth redistribution plan. But don't worry. The motherlode is on the way.

The Northwestern Excerpt:
(Titled: Walker's tax credits give away the farm)

In fact, under Walker's tax credit, after 2015 a farm or factory owning couple could earn up to about $625,000 a year before owing a single dime in state taxes. And they could earn about $796,000 before they owe that same $1,425 that you have to pay on your measly $50,000 – because with the tax credit, they'll owe only an additional $5 on each extra $600 in agricultural or manufacturing income they earn. more>>>

When you throw in all the other special tax credits, exemptions and artificially low property tax assessments for developers on the state side alone, we will be getting hammered!

The tax hell is only for the little people.

Temporary Injunction Issued - Voter ID On Hold

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JS Online Excerpt:
A Dane County judge has granted a temporary injunction against Wisconsin's new voter identification law.

Circuit Judge David Flanagan granted the injunction Tuesday, meaning the law would not apply for the April 3 presidential primary and local general election.

The NAACP's Milwaukee branch and immigration rights group Voces de la Frontera filed the lawsuit last year. A trial on whether to grant a permanent injunction is scheduled for April 16.