Wednesday, December 26, 2012
From Scott Walker emerging as the only governor to survive a recall and Paul Ryan being selected as Mitt Romney's running mate for president, a national spotlight shined bright on Wisconsin this year.
Divisive — from recalls to recounts, it became a buzzword for Wisconsin politics in 2012. A national spotlight shined bright on Wisconsin this year, as it was a historic one for politics. Scott Walker became the first governor in U.S. history to survive a recall. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville became a national household name after being selected as Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's running mate and state voters elected Tammy Baldwin to fill Herb Kohl's seat, making in her the first openly gay woman in the U.S. Senate. On the heels of a slew of recall elections and large-scale protests on the steps of the state Capitol building, the year kicked off with more recall attempts, including one aimed at Gov. Scott Walker. …
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, will not attend Republican National Convention as he remains hospitalized after tripping during event in Butler.
Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, is recovering from orthopaedic hip surgery he received Sunday at Froedtert Hospital. The congressman is “resting comfortably” at the hospital, according to his office. Sensenbrenner was greeting constituents in Butler when he tripped and fell after catching his foot on wires. Sensenbrenner had two fractures – one near his elbow and the other at his hip socket, according to his office. Sensenbrenner will not attend the Republican National Convention in Tampa because of his injuries. “He will now embark on recovery and looks forward to returning to his congressional duties as soon as possible," states a news release from his office.
Monday, July 30, 2012
It's time for government to get out of the way and let small businesses do what they do best.
As my constituents in Wisconsin know, times are tough for small businesses. Regulations, new taxes, and careless spending have left many small business owners feeling helpless and abandoned. According to a report released last week by the Associated General Contractors of America, Wisconsin lost the second-highest percentage of construction jobs in the country. There are various factors that go into a frustrating employment number like that, but overly burdensome regulations should not be one of them. My House colleagues and I last week passed the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act to provide certainty to the economy. President Obama’s own Jobs Council recommended some of these same reforms. First off, we need to …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Digital Accountability and Transparency Act will strengthen and standardize the government’s reporting standards, and puts all the information online for the American public to see.
When it was revealed that the General Services Administration (GSA) spent $823,000 on a conference in Las Vegas in October 2010, Americans were appalled at the blatant disregard for taxpayer dollars. I take very seriously my role as trustee of taxpayer funds, and the GSA’s conference was an egregious display of wasteful government spending. GSA employees not only spent a lavish amount on the government dime, but also made videos poking fun at the cost and extravagance. The responsibility lies with head of the GSA, as well as the president. The White House should be setting a tone of fiscal responsibility throughout all federal agencies that discourages squandering taxpayer dollars. In the meantime, Congress is acting. The House passed, …
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Bipartisan legislation that withholds federal funding to communities that commit eminent domain abuse earn House approval.
The freedom to own and protect one’s private property is foundational to our country — our Constitution explicitly protects private property rights. The House last week approved my legislation, H.R. 1433, the Private Property Rights Protection Act, to protect every citizen’s right to private property, not just the most powerful or profitable. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Kelo v. City of New London that private property could be “condemned” for the sole purpose of implementing a local government’s redevelopment plan. In this case, the city seized Susette Kelo’s home to give the property to the Pfizer Corp., but the new owner was unable to obtain funding and the project was never developed. Practically, this means that government…
Sunday, February 5, 2012
House was right to repeal CLASS program, a key part of Obama's health care reform law that some consider a 'ponzi scheme.'
This week the U.S. House repealed an unsustainable entitlement called the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program, which was created to offset the costs of Obamacare. Its repeal is a victory for those of us seeking to dismantle the fiscal quagmire of President Obama’s health care reform law. A former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office called CLASS “the poster child for President Barack Obama’s health care reform: bad policy, deceptive budgeting and stealth government expansion.” The top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee called it “a ponzi scheme Bernie Madoff would be proud of.” It is also the key policy linchpin the Obama Administration used to offset the $1 trillion price tag on …
Monday, January 9, 2012
Nominations reflect students’ incredible character, service and achievements.
One of the most rewarding parts of my job is the opportunity to nominate young men and women from Wisconsin’s 5th Congressional District to the United States Service Academies, and recently, I named my nominees for the Class of 2016. I offer my congratulations to Garrett McElligott of New Berlin, Nicholas Hermberg of Sussex, and Brian Biwer of Waukesha, who were named principal nominees to the US Air Force, Naval, and Military Academies, respectively. As principal nominees, their appointments are assured as long as they can meet the physical, academic and medical requirements of the academies. This is a high honor and reflects these students’ incredible character, service and achievements. I also congratulate the other 19 students who …
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Patch's coverage of state Senate recall races and efforts to remove Gov. Scott Walker from office are the best-read stories of the year.
Politics, politics and more politics. That's pretty much the best way to describe what generated the most interest among Milwaukee-area Patch readers in 2011. Of the 20 stories that received the most views this year, 15 of them were either related to the August recall election in the 8th Senate District or the effort to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker from office. Those stories also generated thousands of comments from our passionate Patch readers and thousands of Facebook "likes." Here are the most popular Patch stories in Milwaukee's North Region in 2011: Date: Nov. 19 Site: All Milwaukee sites Comments: 454 Facebook recommendations: 763 The largest rally in the state Capitol since the protests in March came the same day that …
Friday, December 30, 2011
2011 was a busy year for local governments, as the Whitefish Bay Village Board and School Board responded to budget cuts and collective bargaining legislation from Madison.
Republican state Sen. Alberta Darling successfully defended her 8th Senate District seat from Democratic challenger Rep. Sandy Pasch by posting an 8 percentage point victory in a key recall election. The recall election was sparked by 30,000 residents signing petitions to recall Darling. That movement was spearheaded by Shorewood resident Kristopher Rowe. Whitefish Bay could end up paying between $71.1 million to $93.5 million for repairs to village sewer systems, depending upon the approach village officials decide upon at future meetings. Trustees will consider two tiers of proposed storm sewer system improvements, which could cost either $23 million or $36 million. A village committee will be tasked with recommending one of three tiers …
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Media reports say Milwaukee-area congressman said First Lady has a 'large posterior.'
U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner is garnering national attention for comments he made about First Lady Michelle Obama Wednesday while talking on a cell phone at the Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Referring to Obama's efforts to get children to eat healthy, the Republican was overheard saying, "She lectures us on eating right while she has a large posterior herself," according to the blog FishBowl DC. The blog said Sensenbrenner was talking on his cell phone about an incident he said occurred three weeks ago while at an Episcopal church auction. Sensenbrenner was overheard by a "Democratic operative" saying that after buying all their “crap,” a woman approached him and praised Obama. It was then that he made his comment about her …
sparky
11:00 pm on Monday, August 27, 2012
Jerry he is wealthy because his family ran Kimberly Clark. more ›