Wisconsin Paint Misbehavin' (We Love Wisconsin edition)

artinprotestbannedRound One: Wisconsin Republicans were so skeeved out by a planned art show celebrating the massive protests against Governor Scott Walker's policies, that they managed to shut it down.

For good measure, they reportedly threatened to withdraw funding for the University of Wisconsin-Extension's School for Workers, which was hosting the show.

Said a spokesman for Republican Representative Steve Nass, "We just said, 'Look, you can't be running events celebrating the protests, which were heavily aimed at Republicans, and then expect that Republicans are going to smile nicely and sit down and try and work issues out with the university.' "
Round Two: it's back on.

Organizers have done an end run around the Republicans and are staging a Bring Your Own Art Show this Friday and Saturday at the Goodman Community Center in Madison.

According to the press release: "Bring your signs, banners, posters, songs, poems, music and share your righteous indignation." (Smiling nicely, optional.)

 

Link to the article on The Maddow Blog


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Wisconsin Residents Speak Out Against Walker’s Regressive Budget Proposal

MADISON – Concerned Wisconsinites packed halls in Milwaukee and Madison this week to testify against Governor Walker’s regressive 2013-15 biennial budget proposal. Over the course of three hours, residents spoke out during public hearings hosted by Democratic members of the state Joint Finance Committee in opposition to key elements of Walker’s budget proposal, including the proposed expansion of school vouchers, the politically motivated rejection of federal Medicaid dollars, and Walker’s anti-middle class tax plan. At the hearing held Tuesday in Madison, Edgewood College Student and United Wisconsin member Zach Madden testified...

United Wisconsin | Press Release 27 Apr 2013 Hits:1376 Wisconsin

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Lawmakers hold public hearing regarding budget issues

Lawmakers hold public hearing regarding budget issues

MILWAUKEE (WITI) — Lawmakers from the Joint Finance Committee are holding a public hearing in Greendale Thursday, April 4th to discuss Gov. Walker’s proposed budget and to get feedback on a wide range of issues from taxes, residency rules, BadgerCare, education and mass transit. Before the hearing began, nearly 50 people held a rally outside the Greendale High School auditorium. Those individuals are asking the state Legislature to change the budget to accept federal funding to expand the state’s healthcare program for the poor and disabled. Governor Walker rejected billions of dollars...

Angelica Duria | Fox6Now 09 Apr 2013 Hits:482 Wisconsin

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TV Spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Tops $1.1 Million, Conservative Outside Groups…

TV Spending in Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Tops $1.1 Million, Conservative Outside Groups Dominate

Television spending in this year’s race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court topped $1.1 million, with nearly 70 percent of spending coming from conservative interest groups, according to estimates released by the Brennan Center for Justice and Justice at Stake. Incumbent Justice Pat Roggensack, who is part of the Court’s conservative wing, defeated Marquette law professor Ed Fallone in the April 2 election, maintaining the Court’s 4-3 conservative majority. Television spending for this year’s Supreme Court race was lower than in recent years, where contentious races put Wisconsin fifth...

Brennan Center for Justice 04 Apr 2013 Hits:647 Wisconsin

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Bills erode the rights of disabled kids

Bills erode the rights of disabled kids

As parents of children with special needs, it is critical to explain the facts behind Senate Bill 486 and Assembly Bill 110, which would allow students with disabilities to attend a public school outside their district or a private school with a taxpayer subsidy. These bills will erode the rights and protections for children with special needs that have been fought for by the people in Wisconsin. There are countless reasons that there is not one group that advocates for individuals with disabilities...

Jenny Stonemeier, Jenni Hofschulte, Adam Stonemeier, Jasmine Alinder, Anna Moffit and Terri Hart-Ell | JS Online 16 Jan 2013 Hits:428 Wisconsin

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Paul Ryan's One Percent Rubs Affluence in Face of Wisconsin's Middle Class and Working Poo…

Paul Ryan's One Percent Rubs Affluence in Face of Wisconsin's Middle Class and Working Poor

One Percent Rubs Affluence in Face of Wisconsin's Middle Class and Working Poor This Monday, November 5th the doors will open at 7:30 for the Milwaukee Victory Rally with “Paul and the GOP” at Sterling Aviation on South Howell at Mitchell Field. The event will begin at 9:30. These are the folks who are the “job creators”, the ones whose “Pathway to Prosperity” for the 1% requires the “pathway to Austerity” for the 99%. It is unbelievable that they can say that they understand the middle...

Keith Roberts | Uppity Wisconsin 06 Nov 2012 Hits:908 Wisconsin

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Shift U.S. spending priorities; save state jobs

Shift U.S. spending priorities; save state jobs

On Oct. 25, Oshkosh Corp. announced that 450 employees will find themselves without jobs in January. While the national debate rages over economic recovery and job production, hundreds of Wisconsin families are left in uncertainty, with unemployment and hardship waiting to greet them in the new year. Oshkosh Corp. has been a stable employer for longer than most of us can remember. What began as the Wisconsin Auto Duplex Co. in 1917, today Oshkosh Corp. sells and services products in more than 130 countries. ...

Mike Helbick | JS Online 02 Nov 2012 Hits:617 Wisconsin

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Soglin says protesters can march on State Street without paying for police services

Soglin says protesters can march on State Street without paying for police services

Update: Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said Friday that protesters have the right to march on State Street and refuse to pay for police services the Police Department recommends, though they could encounter inconveniences, such as traffic from buses. Madison police have begun charging groups to march down State Street, sparking discord with the Madison Area Peace Coalition and leaving organizers of the 42nd annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival fuming. Representatives of both groups say they will likely march without a permit this weekend...

Sandy Cullen | Wisconsin State Journal 06 Oct 2012 Hits:450 Wisconsin

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Keep Fighting!

Keep Fighting!

What a time it is to be living in Wisconsin and to be engaged in politics. The Milwaukee County chapter of Progressive Democrats of America celebrated its one-year anniversary recently by attending and representing PDA at Fighting Bob Fest. It was just a year ago – when I had the pleasure to sit down and meet with Conor Boylan, Tim Carpenter, Jim Carpenter (my PDAMC Co-Chair), Thom Hartmann and others – that the seeds were planted to form our PDA chapter in Milwaukee County. Since then we...

Robert Hansen | MilwaukeeDems.org 01 Oct 2012 Hits:396 Wisconsin

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Paul Ryan Obsession With Ayn Rand 'Disturbing,' Says House Challenger Rob Zerban

Paul Ryan Obsession With Ayn Rand 'Disturbing,' Says House Challenger Rob Zerban

WASHINGTON -- The Democrat hoping to defeat Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan in his other race is alarmed by a matter close to the congressman's heart: his obsession with Ayn Rand. "It's a bit disturbing that somebody in such a position could be so heavily influenced by what was obviously really bad fiction," Rob Zerban, the Wisconsin Democrat vying for Ryan's House seat, told The Huffington Post. Wisconsin election law allows Ryan to run concurrently for vice president and his current seat in Congress. Particularly...

Jennifer Bendery | Huffington Post 27 Sep 2012 Hits:939 Wisconsin

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Wisconsin slammed over handling of federal money

Wisconsin slammed over handling of federal money

Madison - Two Wisconsin state agencies have failed to follow federal law and their own policies in issuing economic development grants, the U.S. government said in a strongly worded letter sent to Gov. Scott Walker's administration. The Wisconsin State Journal reported Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Aug. 12 letter ordered Walker's administration to improve the distribution of economic development money. Department of Administration spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis said the agency for the most part agrees with the conclusions and the corrective ...

AP/JSOnline 27 Sep 2012 Hits:506 Wisconsin

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Victory In Wisconsin

Victory In Wisconsin

A Wisconsin judge has struck down the state law championed by Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public workers, ruling the law violates both the state and U.S. Constitution and is null and void. The action comes after a lawsuit brought by unions for Madison teachers Milwaukee city employees. A Walker spokesman said they will appeal. Stay tuned. Common Dreams

Common Dreams Staff 14 Sep 2012 Hits:268 Wisconsin

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Governor Walker Declares “Read the Constitution Day”?!?

Governor Walker Declares “Read the Constitution Day”?!?

Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is declaring September 17 as “Read the Constitution Day.” But he should read it himself, both the U.S. Constitution (with special emphasis on the First Amendment) and the Wisconsin State Constitution, since he has been violating the spirit of the first and the letter of the second. He closed the capitol down during the protests in February and March of 2011. He had people arrested (including me) for merely holding signs or taking pictures in the State Assembly gallery last fall. And over the last couple...

Matthew Rothschild | The Progressive 14 Sep 2012 Hits:811 Wisconsin

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Guerilla propagandists Protesters overcome harassment, draw worldwide attention

 Guerilla propagandists Protesters overcome harassment, draw worldwide attention

It’s nearing sunset on Aug. 27 and a festive atmosphere is evolving at the intersection of 7th and Ring Street in Milwaukee's central city area. People are arriving in cars, waving hello and exchanging greetings through their windows. Soon more than two dozen vehicles and 80 people are gathered in the normally quiet area, chatting in the cerulean glow of a perfect late-summer evening. Laughter hums in the air with the mosquitoes. But this is a serious event, coordinated by an emerging group of ...

Louis Weisberg | Wisconsin Gazette 14 Sep 2012 Hits:509 Wisconsin

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Protesters rally outside Paul Ryan town hall meeting

Protesters rally outside Paul Ryan town hall meeting

  De Pere, Wis. (WFRV) - A group of protesters were also in De Pere outside of Paul Ryan's town hall meeting Wednesday. The rally drew people from across the state to take aim at both Ryan and his running mate Mitt Romney. The protesters spoke out about Medicare, education cuts and Ryan and Romney's record on women's rights "If you want someone that's for women, and for their rights, and against violence against women, then Romney is not on your side" Marlo Harmon from Kenosha said.   View video and...

Jim McShea | We Are Green Bay.com 14 Sep 2012 Hits:956 Wisconsin

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Ryan Plays Up Wisconsin Pride as Obama TV Ads Begin in State

Ryan Plays Up Wisconsin Pride as Obama TV Ads Begin in State

Representative Paul D. Ryan at a campaign event on Wednesday in De Pere, Wis., where he emphasized his local roots. Both parties see the state’s 10 electoral votes as increasingly in play this fall.   Paul D. Ryan is running for the second-highest office in the land, but a voter might have confused him for a state candidate here on Wednesday, so frequent were his Wisconsin references as he sought to maximize his native appeal. He mentioned a local purveyor of “this really great jelly,” mentioned that...

Trip Gabriel and Jeff Zeleny | The New York Times 13 Sep 2012 Hits:435 Wisconsin

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Zerban - Ryan - We need a Debate!

Zerban - Ryan - We need a Debate!

Sign the PETITION!   November is coming up quickly. And with that come the political ads, yard signs, and phone banks.   But for you, and Wisconsin’s 1st District, this election cycle will be missing one cornerstone: a debate between Paul Ryan and his Congressional challenger Rob Zerban. Tell Paul Ryan that you want him to debate Rob Zerban!   Three organizations have proposed debates, and the Zerban campaign has responded with available dates and times, but Paul Ryan has yet to respond. Rob Zerban and Congressman Ryan have very different ideas about where and how this country should move into the future. Paul...

Tim Carpenter 12 Sep 2012 Hits:611 Wisconsin

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Risk of Voter Suppression Resurfaces: Wisconsin Attorney General Seeks to Reinstate Voter …

Risk of Voter Suppression Resurfaces: Wisconsin Attorney General Seeks to Reinstate Voter ID Law

Wisconsin's Republican Attorney General is fighting to get vote-suppressing laws in place for the November election, asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to reinstate the voter ID law that has been found unconstitutional by two separate state judges, despite that Court rejecting a similar request in recent months. Wisconsin will be a hotly contested swing state in the November 2012 elections and the elevation of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to the national ticket may have added a new urgency to the efforts to reinstate a new "voter...

Brendan Fisher | PR Watch 24 Aug 2012 Hits:552 Wisconsin

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Paul Ryan's Economy Isn't Working for His Constituents

Paul Ryan's Economy Isn't Working for His Constituents

When Dave Schumacher, 51 years old, lost his job in 2009 in U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, he wasn’t alone. Schumacher drove trucks for a supplier company that served the General Motors SUV plant, the economic heartbeat of this blue-collar town. GM consolidated production in Texas and Mexico. When the four-million-square-foot GM plant on the Southern part of town closed in 2009 after a series of layoffs, it took with it the jobs of some 2,800 employees, the single most significant economic blow inflicted...

Sara Jerving | PR Watch 20 Aug 2012 Hits:696 Wisconsin

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Paul Ryan House Race Can Proceed Despite VP Nomination

 Paul Ryan House Race Can Proceed Despite VP Nomination

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is now running for vice president, after presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney announced him as his pick on Saturday morning. But Ryan is technically also still running for reelection in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. And according to Wisconsin law, he is allowed to do both. Reid Magney, spokesman for Wisconsin's Government Accountability Board, told The Huffington Post that Wisconsin has a "favorite son" law that allows Ryan to run for both vice president and reelection in the House. Wisconsin State Statute...

Amanda Terkel | Huffington Post 13 Aug 2012 Hits:493 Wisconsin

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Gov. Scott Walker: Paul Ryan Pick a 'Big, Bold Choice'

Gov. Scott Walker: Paul Ryan Pick a 'Big, Bold Choice'

After the announcement that Republican Mitt Romney chose Congressman Paul Ryan to be his running mate, Gov. Scott Walker and Republican officials throughout the state lauded the choice, although Democrats say Ryan is too extreme. Calling Paul Ryan a "big, bold choice" for Republican Mitt Romney, Governor Scott Walker told an assortment of media Saturday morning that the Wisconsin congressman will energize the Republican base and bring swing voters along with him. "Paul is a compliment to Mitt Romney because he doesn't just energize the...

Heather Asiyanbi and Lyssa Beyer | GreenfieldPatch 11 Aug 2012 Hits:503 Wisconsin

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We're on The Move (To Amend)

There were surprise moves at Milwaukee County Board today. We had hoped for 12 of 18  votes, if we were lucky. We just didn't know if we really had the 12 in the bag. That would be enough to override a veto by County Executive Abele. Then Supervisor Sanfelippo got up and spoke. He said this subject was not in the purview of the County Board, as did Deanna Alexander. It just wasn't quite what they wanted. Later, after significant eloquent debate by our sponsor, Jason Haas, our co-sponsors (John Weishan,Willie Johnson,...

Mary Lean 26 Jul 2012 Hits:438 Wisconsin

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PDA In Your State

Issue Team Calls

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PDA Issues

PDA is organized around several core issues. These issues include:

Each team hosts a monthly conference call. Calls feature legislators, staffers and other policy experts. On these calls we determine PDA legislation to support as well as actions and future events.

WI Legislators with ALEC Ties

Assembly

Senate

Wisconsin Legislators With ALEC References in Blue Books

  • Sen. Donald K. Stitt (R) – State Chairman of ALEC (1987-1988), Member (1991-1992 and 1993-1994) (also State Chairman in 1986[195])
  • Rep. Susan B. Vergeront (R) – WI Chairperson (1989-1990 and maybe 1991-1992)
    • Task Force on Empowerment, Family and Urban Planning
    • ALEC Legislator of the year (1991)
  • Rep. Marc C. Duff (R) - (1991 – 1998)
  • Rep. Annette P. Williams (D) – America’s Outstanding State Legislator Award (1990)
  • Mary Lazich (R) – Member (1993 – 1998)
  • Timothy T. Hoven (R) – Member (1995-1998)
    • Task Force Commerce and Economic Development (1997-1998)
  • Michael D. Huebsch (R) – Member (1995-1996)* Huebsch was the state co-chairman in at least 2010 if not before, until he became an appointee of Governor Scott Walker in 2011
  • Mark A. Green (R) – State Chairman (1995-1998)
  • Jeffrey T. Plale (D) – Member (1997-2010)
  • Tommy Thompson (R) – Thomas Jefferson Award Winner (1991)
  • Neal J. Kedzie (R) – Member (1999-2010)
  • Jeff Fitzgerald (R) – Member (2001-2011)
  • Bonnie L. Ladwig (R) – Member (2001-2002)
  • Steve Wieckert (R) – Member (2003-2004)
  • Scott Walker (R) – Member (1995 – 1998)
  • Judith Klusman (R) – Member, Task Force on Telecommunications and Agriculture
  • David A. Zien (R) – Member (1995 – 1996)
  • Scott Suder (R) – Criminal Justice Task Force Co-Chair (2002-2004), Member (2002-2010)
  • Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine)[196]

Wisconsin Legislators Mentioning ALEC in their Statements of Economic Interest

2011 Senate
  • Scott Fitgerald (R) - Received $1,529.93
2011 Assembly
  • Jeff Fitzgerald (R) - Received $1,329
  • Dan Knodl (R) - Received $2,000
  • Patricia Strachota (R) - Received $1,404
  • Robin Vos (R) - Received $? (No specific amount)
2010 Senate
  • Scott Fitzgerald (R) - Received $1,466.93
2010 Assembly
  • Scott Suder (R) - Received $1,200 from ALEC and $1,400 from the Heartland Institute
  • Michael Huebsch (R) - Received $2,000
2009 Assembly
  • Kitty Rhoades (R) - Received $575
  • Jeffery Stone (R) - Received $1,200
  • Scott Suder (R) - Received $2,200

Wisconsin Legislators Paying ALEC Membership Fees with Tax Dollars

  • Dan Kapanke (R-La Crosse): $100 – 2/1/2011
  • Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin): $100 – 2/1/2011
  • Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls): $100 – 2/1/2011
  • Van Wanggard (R-Racine): $100 – 2/1/2011
  • Rich Zipperer (R-Pewaukee): $100- 2/1/2011
  • Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau): $100 – 1/1/2011
  • Pam Galloway (R-Wausau): $100 – 1/1/2011
  • Glenn Grotham (R-West Bend): $100 – 1/1/2011
  • Frank Lasee (R): $200 – 1/1/2011
  • Alberta Darling (R-River Hills): $200 – 1/1/2009
  • Mike Ellis (R-Neenah): $100 – 1/1/2009
  • Neal Kedzie (R-Neenah): $100 – 1/1/2007
  • Mike Ellis (R-Neenah): $100 – 1/1/2007
  • Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau): $200 – 1/1/2007[197]

References to Wisconsin ALEC Members in the Cap Times

From the Capital Times (2011):

“These days, a lot of it is health-related. ALEC, a strong believer in state's rights, federalism, and the free-market, is fighting federal health care reform tooth and nail. (It also opposes various state efforts to crack down on the health insurance industry and expand coverage.) Since 2005, 38 states have passed legislation crafted by its Health and Human Services Task Force, according to the ALEC guide. Wisconsin promises to soon be one of the star performers. 'There have been boilerplate bills that have similar characteristics to what has been passed here in Wisconsin,' Fitzgerald says. In December, he says, he and 20 to 30 other Wisconsin GOP lawmakers attended ALEC's national meeting Washington D.C. (emphasis added), where a key topic of study and conversation was federal health care reform. The 'State Legislators' Guide to Repealing Obamacare' was handed out at this meeting, and its model legislation discussed. 'A good example of that is a bill Joe Leibham is working on right now,' Fitzgerald says. "Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan, and Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, introduced the bill Fitzgerald is talking about on Thursday. The 'Health Care Freedom Amendment' would change the Wisconsin constitution to prohibit the government from forcing anyone to participate in any public or private health care or insurance program. The amendment is meant to block the implementation of federal health Information from Sourcewatch:

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