Different Shades of Blue: California and Wisconsin

Though both Wisconsin and California have been a solid shade of blue in electoral politics for over 20 years, there are nonetheless important differences in their governing styles.  These distinctions, driven principally by the fact that Wisconsin has a Republican Governor, offer keen insights into the priorities of fiscal management between Republicans and Democrats.

Both states were hit particularly hard by fallout from the Great Recession.  Unemployment increased, manufacturing withdrew, and economic growth was anemic.  Governors Walker and Brown entered office staring at a wall of red ink from debts run up by years of political mismanagement and economic malaise.   Both had no choice but to implement significant changes.

After California’s Jerry Brown was elected in 2010, he was immediately faced with a $26.6 billion budget gap.  To address it, Brown instituted a combination of spending reductions and tax increases.  There was virtually no choice but to cut spending – everything from primary education to welfare recipients to correctional facilities saw reductions in their allocations.  Brown also successfully persuaded voters to pass Prop. 30, a “temporary” hike in income tax rates on the state’s wealthiest and an increase in the state’s sales tax rate.  After the increases, the nation’s most populous state now boasts the country’s second highest income tax rate and the highest sales tax rate.

Wisconsin was similarly faced with dire financial straits.  Governor Walker entered office in 2010 and was quickly faced with a deficit of $3.6 billion.  To address the sea of red, Walker implemented structural reforms to the state’s economics.  He reduced runaway spending, imposed targeted tax cuts to boost growth, and most controversially, sought to modify public sector union contracts.   The result was the “Budget Repair Bill”, also known as Act 10.   The Act required public sector employees to contribute a portion of their income to their pensions (previously they contributed little or nothing to their pensions), pay 12 percent of their health care premiums (previously they paid 6 percent), and most public employee unions would be unable to collectively bargain for wages.  In addition, Act 10 eliminated the requirement for public sector unions to have their dues automatically deducted from their paychecks – instead, members would have to “opt in” to the union.

The results for both California and Wisconsin were significant; the fiscal fortunes for the respective Governors improved markedly.  Though the resurgence of the stock market in 2013 as well as the rebound in housing certainly contributed to the turnarounds, the reforms also had clear impacts.  California is expected to generate approximately a $4.7 billion surplus this year.  Wisconsin, a smaller state with lower revenues and expenditures, is expected to have a surplus of $977 million.

Via: California Political Review

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CONSERVATIVE LEADERS URGE GOV. SCOTT WALKER TO REJECT COMMON CORE

Tea party and conservative leaders from across Wisconsin have sent Gov. Scott Walker (R) an open letter urging him to reject the Common Core State Standards.

In the letter, dated November 26th, the 61 leaders ask Walker to lead a repeal of the Common Core standards in Wisconsin and abide by the same words he himself wrote in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial:

Too many people in politics today spend their time trying not to lose instead of trying to do the right thing. They would better serve the country by worrying more about the next generation than the next election. The irony is that politicians who spend more time worrying about the next generation than about the next election often tend to win the next election – because voters are starved for leadership.

In September, Walker joined other Republican governors who were beginning to reconsider their states’ participation in the Common Core testing consortia. Wisconsin, in fact, was one of the first states to adopt Common Core in 2010 under State Superintendent Tony Evers.

However, when critics began to articulate concerns about the merits of the standards, the vast amount of student data collection involved in their implementation, and the realization that the federal government was more invested in Common Core than was originally believed, Walker decided that Wisconsin could do better.

“I’d like to have Wisconsin have its own unique standards that I think can be higher than what’s been established and what’s been talked about at the national level,” the governorsaid.

According to Fox News, though, Walker has not yet committed to specific improvements in his state’s education standards, nor has he announced his intention to rescind Common Core in Wisconsin.

Via: Breitbart

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Wisconsin: State Considers Pro-Abortion License Plates

Personalized license plates are a common offering among motor vehicle departments across the nation. Whether through a message or the design of the tag itself, motorists are able to express causes or issues close to their hearts.

For some Wisconsin legislators, drivers who want to ensure that more babies are killed in America should not be left out. Democrat State Rep. Chris Taylor recently proposed an initiative that would allow residents to purchase a “Support Planned Parenthood” license plate design.

Taylor, who previously served as the abortion provider’s public policy director, said she favored the option for “consumers who feel very passionately” about snuffing the life from a defenseless human child.

Her proposal came just weeks after Republican lawmakers voted to introduce a “Choose Life” tag design.

Naturally, leftists in the state felt compelled to answer the conservative message with their own barbaric beliefs. Furthermore, all purchases of the plate would result in a $25 donation to Planned Parenthood.

An organization that funnels millions of taxpayer dollars into its network of abortion mills obviously needs the additional revenue stream in order to maintain its dedication to “women’s health.”

Via: Western Journalism

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Scott Walker coins new term: 'Obama-Walker' voters

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker had an op-ed in the Wall Street JournalFriday in which he tried to add a new term to the political lexicon: 'Obama-Walker voters.'

The ostensible point of the op-ed is to lay out Walker's argument that the way conservatives can win in competitive elections is not to abandon conservative principles but rather to offer a "reform agenda that is hopeful and optimistic."

Walker noted that exit polls from Wisconsin's June 2012 recall election showed that "roughly one in six voters who cast their ballots for me ... also planned to vote for Mr. Obama a few months later."

He then adds: "These Obama-Walker voters constituted about 9 percent of the electorate" (emphasis added).

In case you missed that reference or the one in the op-ed's headline, he again refers to "Obama-Walker voters" two paragraphs later.

hat is a pretty clear attempt at creating a new brand for persuadable swing voters. If the label sticks, it certainly will be a boost for Walker, who is clearly testing the waters for a 2016 White House bid. After all, who could reach all of the Obama-Walker voters better than Walker himself?

Via: Washington Examiner

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Conservatives who backed Wisconsin Gov. Walker appear target of secret probe

Dozens of conservative groups that support Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker reportedly have been subpoenaed by a special prosecutor demanding donor lists and other documents pertaining to their backing of Walker's union overhaul and recall fight. 

The so-called "John Doe" investigation bars those subpoenaed from talking publicly. 

But Eric O'Keefe, director of the Wisconsin Club for Growth, told The Wall Street Journal recently that investigators have raided at least three homes and that he "wants the public to know what is going on," despite the personal risk. 

He also suggested the probe is having a chilling effect on conservative groups as Walker approaches a 2014 re-election effort. 

He said the subpoenas, including the one he received in early October, "froze my communications and frightened many allies and vendors of the pro-taxpayer political movement in Wisconsin. ... The process is the punishment." 

Watchdog.org reported in late October that authorities were confiscating equipment and files from targets of the probe, and demanding phone and email records. Watchdog.org also reported this week that three of the unidentified targets have hired top First Amendment and campaign finance experts as part of their defense team. 

Via: Fox News

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Wisconsin Woman FED UP with trying to sign up for Obamacare

More anger and frustration from people trying to sign up for Obamacare:

Via: The Right Scoop

The Persecution of Wisconsin Conservatives

Conservative political entities who supported Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker are beingsubjected to a secret investigation. Special Prosecutor Francis Schmitz has issued a series of subpoenas to 29 conservative groups, demanding that they submit all documentation related to the recall campaigns mounted by unions and their supporters against Walker in 2011 and 2012. The investigation is being conducted under the auspices of the state’s John Doe law, which forbids the targets of subpoenas from revealing the contents of those subpoenas to anyone other than theirlawyers.

The effort reeks of political intimidation. According to the Wall Street Journal, the two subpoenas they’ve reviewed demand “all memoranda, email . . . correspondence, and communications” within the targets of the subpoenas themselves, and between those targets and conservative groups such as the Friends of Scott Walker and the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Manufacturers &Commerce, Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin, American Crossroads, the Republican Governors Association, and the League of American Voters.

In a transparent effort to determine an entity’s list of campaign donors, one subpoena demands “all records of income received, including fundraising information and the identity of persons contributing to the corporation.”

Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm John Doe probe

The investigation originated in the office of Milwaukee County Assistant DistrictAttorney Bruce Landgraf. Landgraf works for Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat. This latest John Doe investigation is the second one being conducted against Walker in only three-and-a-half years, and it was initiated just days before Democrat Mary Burke, a member of the Madison School Board, announced her intention to run for governor.

Via: Canada Free Press

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Special Prosecutor Intimidating Wisconsin Conservatives

According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, politically active conservatives in Wisconsin are being targeted by an overzealous special prosecutor. A number of conservative organizations – specifically those that support Republican Gov. Scott Walker – have received subpoenas and been the subject of law enforcement raids.

Reports indicate that Francis Schmitz has sent a number of demands to these groups, primarily seeking information regarding the efforts to recall Walker in recent years.

Furthermore, the investigation is reportedly being conducted under the so-called John Doe law, which creates obstacles for any of the targeted groups hoping to speak out in their own defense. Under the state legislation, the party that receives a subpoena is barred from discussing its details with anyone aside from an attorney.

An official with one of the subpoenaed groups said that at least three individuals have had their personal computers seized during a raid.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the gag order, several targets believe that leftist politicians are using these subpoenas as a method of gaining more information.

Via: Western Journalism

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‘White privilege’ theory – now prevalent in education – brainchild of radical Students for a Democratic Society

CHICAGO – Sometimes, in the back of our minds, we wonder about the origins of nutty leftist academic theories, such as “white privilege.”

The concept – that capitalism unfairly favors white people –  has taken root, not only in higher education, but also K-12 school districts.

Approximately 2,000 educators attended the most recent “White Privilege Conference,” while more than 200 Wisconsin teachers and administrators lapped up the same theories in a taxpayer-funded program called “CREATE Wisconsin,” organized by the state Department of Public Instruction.

It has become the mainstream view of America’s education establishment.

But where does it come from?

According to a recent article on SocialistWorker.org, the originally named “white skin privilege,” was first floated in a pamphlet produced by the radical group Students for a Democratic Society in 1967.

That’s right – SDS is the same group that gave us Bill Ayers and a lot of other college malcontents running around bombing buildings while trying to overthrow our government and financial structures. They were largely and rightfully dismissed as being part of the lunatic fringe in the 1960s, but somehow their theories have become widely accepted by today’s educators.

“Fundamentally, the idea is that racism is inevitable under capitalism because all whites, no matter their class, benefit from the unequal distribution of social resources along racial lines. Because all whites gain from this arrangement, most are loathe to fight against it,” Bill Mullen writes at Socialist Worker.

The “’white skin privilege’ theory, as (Noel Ignatiev and Theodore Allen) developed it, argues that white radicals and activists did not put enough emphasis on racism in either assessing U.S. history or developing tactics to build revolutionary movements in the here and now,” Mullen states.

The original pamphlet was penned by a 27-year old Ignatiev, a former member of the Communist Party USA and proponent of the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party.

Via: EAG News

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Wisconsin Gov. Walker reveals violence, death threats in upcoming autobiography

Protesters angry with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's effort to break Big Labor’s financial hold on the state in 2011 at one point blocked his exit from a manufacturing plant, then surrounded his police cruiser while “beating on the windows and rocking the vehicle.”

The episode is one of several violent threats that the Republican governor and his family have faced, and which are detailed in his upcoming book “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge." The book, excerpts of which were obtained Tuesday by FoxNews.com, describes what was going on behind the scenes during his campaign to end costly collective bargaining agreements for most of Wisconsin’s unionized public employees.

The 2011 episode at the manufacturing plant happened about one month into his first term, after his government required unionized workers to contribute more toward their health-care and retirement benefits.

The bold mandate was part of his larger Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill that passed later that year to help reduce a projected $3.6 billion budget deficit.

Via: Fox News

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READ THE CHILLING NOTE SENT TO GOV. SCOTT WALKER’S WIFE

It’s no secret that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is intensely disliked by organized labor and Democrats.

Image source: Amazon

Indeed, the Republican governor’s opponents have made their feelings toward him very clear since he was first elected — especially during the state capital protests in 2011 and the defeated effort to have him recalled.

But if you thought the rhetoric aimed at Walker during the 2011 protests was bad, just wait until you hear his version of events included in his upcoming book, “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge” — particularly the chilling note that was sent to his wife.

State Patrol Capt. Dave Erwin, a former United States Marine, brought the governor a particularly eerie piece of hate mail during the protests that contained very specific information about his wife and children.

“[A]s I prepared to go out to the conference room for my daily press briefing, Dave came into my office and shut the door,” Walker recalls, according to a book excerpt published online.

“Sir, I don’t show you most of these, but I thought you ought to see this one,” the officer said.

The letter was addressed to Walker’s wife, Tonette. It read:

Has Wisconsin ever had a governor assassinated? Scotts heading that way. Or maybe one of your sons getting killed would hurt him more. I want him to feel the pain. I already follow them when they went to school in Wauwatosa, so it won’t be too hard to find them in Mad. Town. Big change from that house by [BLANK] Ave. to what you got now. Just let him know that it’s not right to [EXPLETIVE] over all those people. Or maybe I could find one of the Tarantinos [Tonette’s parents] back here.

Via: The Blaze
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[VIDEO] GOP Congressman Duffy Strikes Again, Tells Mika Brzezinski 'You’re Part of the Problem'

Congressman Sean Duffy (R-Wisc.) became an internet sensation last week when he decimated MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell for her “pathetic news reporting.”

For the Congressman’s second act, he took on MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski Wednesday telling the Morning Joe co-host, “You’re part of the problem” (video follows with transcript and commentary):

CONGRESSMAN SEAN DUFFY (R-WISCONSIN): Mika, I got to tell you. Mika, my mom is a good liberal, and she loves you, and she’s happy I’m on the show. But I think you’re part of the problem. And you’re part of the problem because the Republican caucus sometimes can be unreasonable, but look how far we moved. We said we want to defund it, and now we’re going to delay it. And now we’re just going to ask for some very simple tweaks and reforms.

And if you actually called out your liberal guests and said, “Why won’t you join ObamaCare? If it’s good for Americans, it should be good for you?” Listen, if an American family can’t sign up on the website, why are you going to tax them? That’s not right.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI, CO-HOST: So you have a lot of good questions, but as “part of the problem,” as you so kindly put it, I will ask you very honestly…

DUFFY: I like asking you questions better, Mika, but, okay.

BRZEZINSKI: It’s fine. Do you not think that members of your party, especially in Congress and in the Ted Cruz group, are not imploding the Republican Party, big picture? Just big picture. Politics. Put all this aside for a second. Are you guys not imploding?

DUFFY: Big picture, I think this was a horrible strategy. I came on your show and I said that. If we had allowed ObamaCare to roll out and for two weeks America saw the dysfunction, and then as we roll into the debt limit and negotiate an increase, I think we would have got a one-year delay, because America would have said this is only the fair and right thing to do.

BRZEZINSKI: From a messaging standpoint, Congressman, I agree with you. And your mom is fabulous by the way.

Isn't it marvelous seeing Republicans standing up to the liberal media rather than just accepting the bias?

Bravo, Congressman! Bravo!

Via: Newsbusters

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Wisconsin: Less than 50 people enroll for insurance through Exchange

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV)--The newest Wisconsin enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act have been released.

As of HealthCare.gov’s launch on October 1s, less than 50 people have enrolled. 

In New York and California thousands of residents have successfully enrolled for insurance through their state’s Exchange Website but in Wisconsin it’s a different story.  

“It’s definitely frustrating,” said Mitch Ryan. 

Like many people, Mitch Ryan has not been able to get on the Exchange because of glitches in the Health Care website.

“This is something that should have been taken care of prior to being rolled out on October 1st,” said Ryan. 

According to the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance less than 50 people have enrolled.  But some health clinics say it’s less than that.

Trish Sarvela with Partnership Community Health Center said she only knows of a few.

“Less than a handful,” she said.

At Partnership Community Health Center they communicate frequently with other county health clinics to see if anyone has signed up. 

“Every day there are emails that go out.  Do you know anybody who enrolled?  It’s at that level it’s such a countdown for us,” said Sarvela. 

So why such few success stories in Wisconsin?  Unlike New York and California that created state based exchanges through federal aid—Wisconsin did not.  While Trish says that’s no coincidence, Governor Scott Walker disagrees.

“More than anything it’s based on the Federal website and problems the Federal Government has had with that website. There’s no lack of any commitment from the state of
Wisconsin.  In fact, for months we’ve been working with over 1500 state agencies, hospitals, health care providers, community based organizations and public health departments, elected officials, reaching out to make sure the tools are in place,” said Gov. Walker.

Via: GreenBay.com
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WI GOV. CALLS FOR $100 MILLION IN IMMEDIATE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

This article originally appeared on watchdog.org.

MADISON – The tax cuts just keep on coming.

Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday proposed $100 million tax cut for property taxpayers. Walker said he would call a fall special session, and legislative leaders indicate the bill could pass in the next couple of weeks.

“That’s $100 million worth of tax relief for working families, senior citizens, farmers and small business owners all across the state,” Walker said. “For the third consecutive year (homeowners will) see a reduction of property tax levy for the median value home across the state of Wisconsin.”

Walker said property tax cut would be reflected in this year’s tax bill, but the total tax relief would be spread over the next two years.

“The more we looked at, the more we looked at the size of the surplus, we said if we’re going to do it, let’s go big and go bold,” Walker said. “Let’s have dramatic impact on the people of the state when they’re paying their property tax bill.”

The average property taxpayer figures to save $13 this December and $20 next year compared to current law, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

The $100 million in property tax relief follows a Republican-led budget that passed nearly a billion dollars in total tax relief — including a $650 million income tax cut.

The property tax cut comes out of an expected remaining general fund balance – or budget surplus – of nearly $200 million over the two-year budget.

Via: Human Events

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Ryan emerges a possible dealmaker in fiscal crisis, with ObamaCare still in mind

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan is emerging as the key congressional Republican in negotiating with Democrats to solve Washington’s two fiscal crises with a plan that only delays efforts to defund ObamaCare, not derail them.

Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, is proposing a plan to increase to the federal debt that is tied largely to simplifying the tax code, make enough changes to Medicare to offset cuts to domestic spending and defense programs and a solid promise from Senate Democrats and President Obama to continue talks about reopening the federal government, other fiscal crisis.

Failure to increase the debt limit within roughly the next week would result in the country defaulting on its debt for the first time in history. The partial government shutdown started Oct. 1.

“I'm working to get a budget agreement,” Ryan told a group of conservative meeting this weekend in Washington. “We need to completely rethink government’s role in helping the most vulnerable. … That means we can never give up on repealing and replacing ObamaCare.”

His remarks, in a video message for the Value Voters summit, were reassuring to conservative concerned that Ryan in a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed piece seemed to have abandon the idea of defunding or altogether dismantling ObamaCare as part of fiscal negotiations -- considering how hard they, led by Tea Party favorites Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas, and Mike Lee, Utah, worked to garner support for the effort.  

Via: Fox News

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