Paul Ryan's Hometown Among Forbes Worst For Jobs

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Wow. Who would've thunk it?

The bad news.

Janesville was named the seventh worst out of 397 places in America - to find a job. That's not in Wisconsin - that's in the entire country!

Some armchair experts accuse Wisconsin of not being a business friendly state, although that doesn't explain the poor job opportunities spread across most of the country. Others blame it on the collapse of the manufacturing sector.

But how could that be? Paul Ryan is our congressman and he repeatedly wins awards for legislating manufacturing excellence from an outfit called the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). So, how is it when a congressman voting NAM's way over 90 percent of the time (during a GOP majority no less) not only results in a precipitous decline of the manufacturing industry within his district, but in the entire country? And helps set his district on a glide path of record unemployment? All the while local officials arrive at the sinking reality that manufacturing jobs are irretrievably lost forever?

And so it is. After twelve years of NAM's Ryan, the once robust manufacturing sector of the 1st congressional district of Wisconsin has officially gone ker-plunk. Janesville is the seventh worst for jobs, Racine (also in Ryan's district) came in at 19th worst out of 397. But we can't blame any of this on Congressman Ryan. Oh -no. Afterall, none of his votes in congress ever mattered. It's everybody else in congress that was reckless.

NBC/15 Madison Excerpt:
"It's surprising that we are that low." Bob Borremans works at the Rock County jobs center. He says there's promising job growth in the health-care and service sectors. Also, they're setting the foundation for future jobs in distribution, food processing, plastics and medical equipment.

Apparently, Ryan hasn't worked his magic on those business sectors just yet.

More Misleading Junk From The Gazette

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Titled O'Connor argues against electing judges, this deliberately misleading headline posted on a short AP article implies that former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is opposed to the democratic election of judges. When in truth, she said unregulated judicial campaigns and unlimited contributions threaten the democratic election of judges by undermining independence of the judiciary.

With the recent Supreme Court ruling deeming corporations the same rights as an individual, all of democracy is under a heightened threat of widespread corruption, not just judgeship's. Assuming the actual balloting is honest, it's the wealthy corporate fascists undermining the system that are the problem.

Traditional News Continually Misleads Us

Posted in Thursdays' paper, the Gazette republished an editorial from the Kansas City Star claiming that GM's ad stating they repaid the government loan five years ahead of schedule with interest was misleading.

Kansas City Star Excerpt:
It turns out the loan wasn’t repaid with GM earnings.

In addition, this outside sourced editorial appears to be the Gazette's attempt to help bolster Congressman Ryan's similarly pointless assertion made a few days earlier.

I'm no fan of corporate GM, but the Gazette, Ryan and the rest of the media enabled anti-Obama right-wing circus should have to prove that "not coming from earnings" disqualified the terms of the loan or that the loan is still outstanding before spewing their partisan driven lies and propaganda.

What is even more troubling is that the Janesville Gazette would attempt to deny GM any possible chance of a psychological boost for returning tax dollars to the treasury!! when the newspaper recently grandstanded editorials for Forward Janesville's $1.5 billion tax hike to expand the interstate or the Janesville city council's rubber stamped decision to hand-out a forgivable $227,500 to Fortune 500 W.W. Grainger for restructuring. Forward Janesville and the city administration both touted the "psychological impact" such tax confiscating trickle-down corporate sponsorships will have on local residents.

The daily dose of misleading reporting from traditional news sources along with the ideologically driven and partisan saturated newspaper op-eds masquerading as common sense and equal justice for all is a national epidemic that threatens the very existence of our democracy.

Beck: Obama and Bush Are The Same, They're Progressives

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As noted at Think Progress. When Glenn Beck can't speak the truth (or can't handle the truth) about the snowballing and irreversable deficits generated by policies of the previous Bush administered tax cut Republican-led Congress, he just conveniently calls the mascot of compassionate conservatism a "progressive." That's it! Bush was a progressive!

Think Progress Excerpt:
BECK: What has [Obama] done that is different? I think he’s done exactly what George Bush was doing, except to the times of a thousand. I mean we’re talking about a progressive. And George Bush was a progressive. It’s the difference between a steam train and the space shuttle.

After his radio interview with Beck, I now wonder how Congressman Paul Ryan would respond to that after recently agreeing with the rodeo clown's assessment that progressivism is a "cancer that’s eating at America,” yet supported Bush's policies more than 90% of the time for eight years and objects to nearly everything Obama and the Democrats have now proposed.

Of course Beck has absolutely no clue to what he is talking about. But how does Ryan cluefully explain his support for Bush?

New Wave Of Conscience In Madison?

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Sunday's Janesville Messenger contained an article (Page 4, bottom) by a Forward Janesville official summarizing their annual lobby junket of organized business interests and other appointed officials from Rock County to inform state legislators about their "prosperity" agenda. Most of their road to riches ideas are primarily tax cuts and tax credits for themselves while supporting the local road building and construction industry with tax hikes for everyone else. So they're not kidding when they refer to their presentation as a "roadmap." They mean it.

But what I thought was really unusual was this seemingly new development...

Janesville Messenger Excerpt:
Speaking of obstacles, some of our groups reported that an unfortunate trend is gaining steam at the Capitol. A number of offices have posted "no soliciting " signs on their doors with messages to the effect of, "If you aren't from our district, we don't want to receive your information."

The writer says he was outraged by this development and that those legislators should be called out. Say what? I agree to a point, but called out and awarded trophies for finally standing up to unsolicited special interests.

For a change, it doesn't matter whether they were Republicans (yes even Republicans, God help me), Democrats, Independents, black, blue, green or pink, what mattered is that they are messaging they are not for sale. So yeah, I'm interested in learning who those state legislators are so I can post them here with little "good government" badges next to their names. It certainly is not the end all to the corrosive influence of special interests and lobbyists in government, but it's a small baby step. Can't speak for the rest of the legislators.

I'm continually surprised by politicians who seem to be oblivious to the fact that the more entrenched they become with special interests, particularly with private interests from outside the borders of their district, the more intolerable and even unacceptable they become. Perhaps that notion too is a new development. I hope so.

Paul Ryan - Our Jeckyl And Hyde Congressman

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The Janesville Gazette published a grandiose if not mindless article about Rep. Paul Ryan's statement challenging the claim by General Motors and the Obama administration that GM has paid off its bailout loan from the federal government.

The indisputable truth is - GM did pay off the loan portion of the bail-out package. The rest of the money invested into GM was not a loan - it was collateralized with GM assets. The government still holds GM stock — a 61 percent share in GM — to account for the rest of the money. If GM does well, the company expects to repurchase a sizable portion of the remaining equity stake (not loaned money) with funds earned via a public stock offering.

That's plenty more than Ryan can say for the $1 trillion and counting debt he sold us into with the Iraq War. Our children will be paying for that debacle with no hope for anyone buying that debt off simply because there are no assets to sell - ever.

So what exactly was Ryan challenging? Absolutely nothing. Then Ryan has the nerve balls to say this...

JG Excerpt:
“If anyone is owed a clear and honest explanation, it is those hit hardest by the downturn in the auto industry, including those I serve in Janesville, Kenosha, Oak Creek and the surrounding communities in southern Wisconsin,” Ryan said.

Yeah, like from Ryan when he voted against extending unemployment to those hardest hit in his district.

JG Excerpt:
Democrat Paulette Garin of Kenosha, who is still considering a run against Ryan, called Ryan’s vote “reprehensible.” Ryan said his vote signaled his displeasure with a measure that increases the national debt.

Signaled his displeasure??? While 3,000 Rock County residents would have lost any chance to stay afloat and feed their families?

JG Excerpt:
He blatantly ignores the needs of his constituents, especially those in his hometown of Janesville,” Garin charged. “… If the vote doesn’t benefit his corporate benefactors, he’s going to vote ‘no.’ If he can’t privatize it, he's going to vote ‘no.’” Garin said Ryan’s personal likeability belies his true colors.

In the end, Ryan said the Sun is hot and Sen. Feingold agreed. What does that mean? Not much, but to a newspaper working the ropes for Ryan, it can be used to juxtapose Ryan's only challenger as the odd man out, no pun intended. And that is exactly what the Janesville Gazette attempted to do with this article. Afterall most would assume, if you can't agree with Ryan or Feingold, you must be some kind of an insufferable anti-social and disagreeable malcontent.

But Paulette Garin didn't take the bait, instead she exposed Ryan's false trust Jeckyl-like soft spoken concern over his constituent's hardship for exactly what it is - the deceptive morality only a Mister Hyde can serve.

Note: This posting is the sole opinion of its author and is not associated with a political party or campaign. If you agree with Paulette Garin, drop her a note of confidence at paulettegarin@yahoo.com or offer to volunteer for her campaign. You can also donate to her campaign at Actblue.

Harley-Davidson Sure Making A Lot Of Noise

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Harley-Davidson, which enjoyed two decades of record sales and earnings growth leading up to 2007, has not been enjoying nearly as much as sales have plummeted in the last two years.

Worldwide sales for the first quarter of 2010, which were announced two weeks ago, dropped by 18.2 percent from the same period last year (which was not a great quarter). Although earnings were down 16.7 percent, Harley-Davidson was still profitable. H-D reported first-quarter 2010 income from continuing operations of $68.7 million, or $0.29 per share.

As usual, the workers are expected to take the hit with wage and benefit concessions. It's beginning to look like Mercury Marine all over again.

The following is a list a headlines gleaned from Newsplurk over the past several days surrounding Harley-Davidson's quest to non-politicize its lower earnings.

Harley Won't Politicize Financial Problems
WTAQ 5/1/2010

"Wisconsin officials mobilize to retain Harley-Davidson"
USA Today 4/30/2010

"Harley-Davidson may leave Wis. if costs don't fall"
The Associated Press 4/29/2010

"State talking with Harley Davidson"
Wisconsin Radio Network 4/30/2010

"Harley Davidson may be leaving Wisconsin"
WEAU-TV 13 ( 4/30/2010

"Cost cutting measures at Harley Davidson call for union concessions, some say"
Fox11online.com 4/30/2010

"Harley-Davidson Impact"
WJFW-TV 4/30/2010

"Harley-Davidson To Leave WI? Doyle Says No"
WMTV 4/30/2010

"WisPolitics: Doyle says combined reporting not to blame for Harley's woes"
WisPolitics.com 4/30/2010

"Lawmakers Hop on to Save Harley-Davidson"
WTAQ 4/30/2010

"Harley Davidson may move operations out of Wisconsin"
CBS 5 - Green Bay 4/30/2010

"No out-sourcing for Harley"
Milwaukee News Buzz 4/30/2010

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Bill Moyers Final Broadcast: Plutocracy and Democracy Don't Mix

Obama Rocks The House At WHCD

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Full Disclosure: Congressionals Should Wear NASCAR Style Sponsor Patches

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Congressional Democrats are racing to pass new legislation that would force election spending out into the open, where it belongs. The newly unveiled DISCLOSE Act would follow the money and prevent corporations from masking their activity through shadowy front groups. Although just a first step, it appears to be a democratic response in the right direction to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, deeming corporations the same rights as individual citizens.

Democrats hope to pass the legislation before the US Chamber of Commerce and their organized business lobbyists dig in to obstruct the legislation.
More >>>.

Crooks and Liars Quote:
"In the meantime, maybe we should require politicians to wear the logos of their "sponsors." Hey, if it works for NASCAR, why not Congress." -- J.G.