Hello and welcome to the first Patch blog post from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW). I’m Mike Tate, Chair of the DPW.
With this blog, my colleagues and I will bring you the latest news and opinions from the Democratic Party on issues facing Wisconsinites.
Our goal with this blog will be to inform all Wisconsin residents about the topics of the day, how they can make an impact and what our elected officials and the Party are doing to return Wisconsin to our strong values and traditions.
That said, let’s get into a couple of timely topics.
The John Doe criminal corruption probe surrounding Scott Walker continues. Never in our state’s long history has a sitting governor created a criminal defense fund. That is, before Scott Walker did so recently. Under the letter of the law, an elected official may only create such a fund if they are being investigated, have been charged or believe they will soon be convicted of a crime. Still, Walker has somehow denied he is being targeted in the probe, regardless of his actions in creating the defense fund.
But this is the just the latest development in the ongoing investigation. Over the past several months, the John Doe investigation has led to convictions and charges of six of Walker’s close aides and employees. The more than a dozen felonies include embezzlement, illegal campaign donations, sex crimes against children and campaigning on taxpayer time.
Catch up on the John Doe criminal corruption probe here.
Paul Ryan budget offers tax breaks to the wealthy. Released yesterday, Rep Paul Ryan’s budget is just more of the same. This “new” budget is a re-hash of his failed attempt last year -- it's the same bad ideas, re-packaged and re-worded. Two of the key points of the budget include an average tax break of $150,000 for millionaires and billionaires (paid for by cutting programs for veterans, seniors and children) and the destruction of Medicare as we know it, putting insurance companies in charge of people’s health care choices.
Read more about this destructive budget here.
State senator resigns, eliminating Republican majority. Sen. Pam Galloway last week announced her resignation from the 29th Senate District, citing family medical issues. First, we wish the senator and her family our best and a speedy recovery. Her move eliminates the majority previously held by Scott Walker Republicans that has brought nothing but harm to the working families of our state. Off-setting the majority offers us some short-term hope that Walker’s agenda has been stalled.
Sen. Galloway was facing a recall election, triggered after more than 20,000 constituents in her district signed a recall petition this winter. Despite her resignation, the recall election will move forward and voters in her district will have an opportunity to select new leadership.
Read more of our statement about the meaning of the Galloway resignation here and a statement from the State Senate on Galloway's proposed Republican replacement here.
Wisconsin leads nation in jobs loss. Also late last week we learned the unfortunate — but not surprising — news that our state led the nation in jobs loss under Scott Walker’s failed leadership and disastrous, anti-family agenda.
Even as the United States as a whole added jobs for the past 17 months, Wisconsin was left out of this upward trend and instead, we lost 12,500 jobs over the past year due to Walker’s divisive, damaging actions.
Read Assembly Minority Leader Rep. Peter Barca’s take on the bad news here.
Thank you for taking the time to read our first Patch blog; expect to see many more as the recall and other elections get closer. In between our posts, please visit our website (www.wisdems.org) for the latest statements and other information from the Party.
Does that then make you a suxxor?.
If you're being completely honest, who owns the GOP?
My 'way' is a more even-handed sacrifice to deal with our state budget problems than just sticking it to the poor and the others who have been hardest hit in the recession. Many of these short-sighted cost saving measures will just rebound onto the working and middle classes in the long run. I'll ask you, upset father, how much did Scott Walker reduce your taxes?
The John Doe probe: First of all, this probe (run by a Democrat DA) is leaking more than a screen door on a submarine. Second, some of the charges were brought because Walker asked for the investigation. Finally I realize that the Dems of this state are all excited about this probe but I think they are just upset because former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (a Democrat) was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Oh and considering how much the Dems are attacking Walker over this probe (even though there is no evidence of wrongdoing) I don't blame him for starting a defense fund. After all, the Dems are clearly targeting him. This blog proves it... The compaints over Ryans proposed budget is just simply funny since it has been over a 1,000 days since the Dems have given us a budget. Also, when Tim Geithner said to Paul Ryan: “We don’t have a definitive solution …(to the debt) We just don’t like yours” I have a hard time taking with the idea that Dems want to fix anything. The idea of having a recall election against someone who is no longer in office is about as crazy as they get. She is out of office but we are going to have an election against her. Huh??? I am curious how you think the Dem solution would have created a better job situation in this state. In Jan of 2011 WI had 2,833,068 jobs. In Jan of 2012 WI had 2,844,774 jobs. That means this state added 11,706 jobs (not lost 12,500) in one year.
2- Yes, entirely 3- Funding for the unions and some will trickle down to the employees, education is just our selling point. Tax the rich, spread the wealth. They're pretty tapped out but we can get more. We are against giving any credit to walker for jobs so no mine. Since the budget will be once again in a deficit after Act 10 is gone we can keep going after the middle class with property tax increases, fees and taxing the rich raises prices on everything. 4- Unions in state and out of state also Wisconsin tax payers.
Talk about only having a vague idea of the facts. What?, are you 12? You couldn't have lived through the 60's and not heard of him. Bill Ayres was one of the founders of the Weather Underground. They used bombs to make their points. If that isn't terroristic activity, I don't know what is. His wife Bernadine Dohrn is also a fellow communist. I'm sure if you did a little reading, especially on the internet (which makes is so easy nowadays) you couldn't make such moronic statements. Oh and I am not getting my information from Fox News. I lived in Madison at the time.
Here in "Clintonesk" type answer is FactChecks response to McCain's accusation: We find McCain’s accusation that Obama "lied" to be groundless. It is true that recently released records show half a dozen or so more meetings between the two men than were previously known, but Obama never denied working with Ayers. Another "Clintonesk" type answer from FactCheck, as to what is a good terrorist vs bad terrorist, is: Even the description of Ayers as a "terrorist" is a matter of interpretation. Setting off bombs can fairly be described as terrorism even when they are intended to cause only property damage, which is what Ayers has admitted doing in his youth. But for nearly three decades since, Ayers has lived the relatively quiet life of an educator. It would be correct to call him a "former terrorist," and an "unapologetic" one at that. But if McCain means the word "terrorist" to invoke images of 9/11, he’s being misleading; Ayers is no Osama bin Laden now, and never was. http://factcheck.org/2008/10/he-lied-about-bill-ayers/ Now the Clinton's, that's a whole different story. http://sixties-l.blogspot.com/2008/05/clinton-quiet-about-own-radical-ties.html
If Ayers act was so innocent, why all the hoopla about the shoe bomber. Just imagine any one of the Republican candidates being tied to an individual or organization that had been involved in bombings, especially on US Soil. These people would be labeled home grown terrorist today and be on the FBI, CIA and any other watch group. They were no innocents then. Seeing as Obama is so super intelligent, I would think he would have steered clear of anyone with a background that could come to light in his political career.
I could just tell that upset father had only a vague idea of what he was talking about and was trying to point that out. Ayers and Obama are not friends, although they had some contact on Chicago political circles. President Obama certainly did not appoint Bill Ayers to any political positions.
Couldn't resist.
The vast majority of police and firefighters unions supported Barrett over Walker in the election for governor.