I used to say that I don't get mad, I get even. That's not really true. I do get mad, so mad that it makes me sick. I was sick on Thursday. I told everyone it was a bug, but I knew what it really was.
Something stinks here and it's not the cheese. Local RW radio were reporting the "find" before the official announcement. Failing to include Brookfield results in the county totals would be like reporting statewide presidential results and failing to include votes for Milwaukee. Kathy Nickolaus also has a history of wonky election results reporting and record keeping. The biggest smell came from the silence of the normally whiny and voter-fraud proclaiming Republicans after the final vote tallies on Wednesday showed a Prosser loss. It's also fishy that the new totals put the results just outside of the range qualifying for a statewide recount done without charge to the requesting candidate.
But this is only one part of what's happening here.
Recalls:
Still going on. Recall petitions have been submitted in 2 State Senate Districts (Kapanke and Hopper) with more than enough signatures to handle any invalidations. Recalls are still proceeding against the remaining six (Darling, Olson, Cowles, Harsdorf, Grothman, and Lazich).
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The Waukesha Surprise:
JoAnn Kloppenburgs campaign has filed an Open Records Request on this sudden occurance. Other groups such as Citizen Action of Wisconsin have called for a federal investigation, One Wisconsin Now is actively investigating, and the Government Accountability Board (the only Wisconsin state agency that is not controlled by Walker) is on it's way to investigate, and other citizen organizations are monitoring the events as they unfold.
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Madison is Coming to Milwaukee on Monday
The Joint Finance Committee is holding a public hearing in Milwaukee on the 2011-2013 State Budget. If you thought the Budget Repair Bill was bad, you'll need smelling salts to look at the Walker State Budget. He's peeling $4.2 Billion mostly from localities, poor people, the disabled, working people, and students.
Major proposals include a severe reduction in state revenue sharing, separating the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the rest of the state university system and reduces the budget by $250 million (calling these measures "enhancing higher education"), merging the Department of Regulation and Licensing into parts of the Department of Commerce to "streamline" the regulatory environment for business and eliminate capital gains taxes (calling this "job creation"), reducing school aid by $834 million along with prohibiting property tax increases (calling this "protecting our schools"), removing the income cap on eligibility for school vouchers which will result in poor people subsidizing private schools for rich kids (calling this "expanding educational options), continuing severe cuts in Badger Care and Medicaid that will take health care from the most needy (calling it "refocusing" on health care), and making up for the loss of police officers due to local budget cuts by more severe sentencing laws (calling that "ensuring public safety").
We're planning a warm reception for the hearings which will be held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park Expo Center, 8200 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis:
1. There will be a press conference at 7 AM outside of the Expo Center.
2. From 6 AM through 6 PM there will be a Drive Thru and Drop Off site for those who would like to oppose the budget, but don't want to testify or attend the hearings. You can drive up, complete a hearing testimony slip, fill it out (it's very brief - the same one you filled out if you went to the State Capitol during the Finance Committee hearings the first day of the protests), hand it back, and drive off.
3. There will be a rally against the budget at 4:30 PM outside the Expo Center.
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My biggest problem with the budget is not just the cuts, but the fact that nobody is addressing revenue. With high unemployment, every state is seeing less revenue. Giving tax breaks to large corporations, as Walker did as his first action in office, just makes things worse.
We have unfair taxes here in Wisconsin and people are rightfully angry. So angry that the accusation that a candidate will "raise taxes" is often enough to cause that candidate to lose (as happened with the millions in attack ads against Tom Barrett during the 2010 gubernatorial election). But raising taxes is what I think is needed. Look at our tax brackets:
Income/percentage in state taxes
$ 0 + 5%
$ 10,200 + 6%
$ 20,400 + 7%
$ 225,000 + 8%
Putting this another way:
A minimum wage worker making $ 15,000 would pay $ 900/year.
A median wage worker making $ 45,000 would pay $ 3,1500/year
An upper income worker making $100,000 would pay $7,000/year
There is only a 3 percent difference between what the poorest and the richest person pays. Unfair doesn't begin to describe this and these rates have been kept in place to keep taxpayers angry.
Taxes need to be raised for the richest among us and corporations should lose their tax breaks and corporate welfare. The poor and middle class have sacrificed enough. If we're really "sharing" the sacrifice, we all must suffer some pain, but year after year workers hurt, the poor suffer, and the rich get anesthesia and big tax breaks. That's just my thoughts on this mess (yeah, I'm a Liberal, Pinko, Socialist, Commie, Nazi, DFH), but it makes sense to me.
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So, here's the part where you can help:
Stay informed and alert. Inform your friends and co-workers. This isn't over anytime soon.
If you're in Wisconsin, participate in the recalls.
If you're in the southeastern part of Wisconsin, plan to attend the Monday Madison is Coming to Milwaukee events I described above. Come to the press conference at 7 AM if you can. Drive up and sign a public hearing testimony slip from 6 AM to 6 PM (do this before or after work) or attend the public hearing which will be held at the Expo Center from 10 AM until 6 PM. Come to the 4:30 PM Rally ourside of the State Fair Park Expo Center. If the weather is bad on Monday, both the Press Conference and Rally will be held in the Cream Puff Building (yes, the Dairy State has a Cream Puff Building) north of the Expo Center.
If you can, donate. One Wisconsin Now and Citizen Action of Wisconsin would be appreciative.
Thanks, as always, for your interest and support. Kossacks are the best.
Update: Duh Edition: I apologize for forgetting to refer all of you to the excellent information provided by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse on all things legal here in Wisconsin. Her (sorry about my prior gender misidentification and thanks to Jan F for pointing it out) diary series is a must read if you haven't kept up with them.
Update: Add Another Voice Calling for Federal Investigation Edition:
H/T Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse for finding this gem. Congressional Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) has asked Attorney General Eric Holder asking for a federal investigation into the Waukesha Surprise. As PDNC has commented, he might need a database to keep track of all of the legal actions.