Sheriff David Mahoney

Is Sheriff David Mahoney the right person to investigate the Wisconsin Supreme Court Choking case?

Short answer: NO.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney -- who is now investigating a claim Supreme Court Justice David Prosser put his hands around another justice’s neck during an argument earlier this month -- endorsed Prosser’s opponent in the recent race for Supreme Court.

The Democratic sheriff endorsed Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg in her challenge to Prosser in the April 5 election. Mahoney and Kloppenburg also use the same campaign manager, Melissa Mulliken, who has worked on many state and local campaigns.

Mahoney took over the investigation Monday at the request of Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs. Tubbs said he consulted with the court before turning over the investigation to Mahoney.

Media Trackers spells out the very real concerns about Mahoney's impartiality:

The need for an impartial investigator to look into allegations of a physical altercation between two Wisconsin Supreme Courtjustices is absolutely critical. Wisconsinites deserve to know the full truth about this matter, and parties that are guilty of misconduct should explain their actions. Following the announcement by Capitol Police that the investigation will now be handled by Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney, MediaTrackers expressed concern over the sheriff's impartiality in the situation.

"After looking into Sheriff Mahoney's record, we have substantial reservations about his qualification to lead his department in a thorough and impartial investigation of this matter," stated Brian Sikma, Communications Director for Media Trackers. "Notwithstanding his long record of service to the public through law enforcement, the very politically charged nature of this particular investigation could prevent the public from resting full confidence in Sheriff Mahoney's abilities."

Citing a list of political activities, official actions, and unguarded public statements from Mahoney, Sikma concluded, "Sheriff David Mahoney’s partisan background and public statements raise questions about his ability to lead an impartial investigation. The sheriff should either explain why these items are not going to factor into any bias in the investigation, or recuse himself from the role altogether."

The following is a record of Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney's political, professional and public actions and statements that are cause for concern when it comes to his handling of a political charged Supreme Court matter:

In 2008, Sheriff David Mahoney appeared in television ad endorsing Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, a well known personal and political rival of Justice David Prosser. Mahoney also gave Abrahamson’s 2008 re-election campaign $100 dollars.

In 2008, Sheriff Mahoney helped create a program –later determined to be illegal – to give tax payer dollars to jail inmates to subsidize their bail. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said that the Sheriff’s office overstepped its authority with the program.

During the Budget Repair protests that occupied the Capitol, Mahoney refused to order Dane County Sheriff Deputies to enforce an order to keep the Capitol doors shut. Mahoney explained, “I refused to put deputy sheriffs in a position to be palace guards."

When touring the Capitol in during the occupation by pro-labor protesters in March, Mahoney was quoted in The Nation magazine as saying “I smile everyday at what I am seeing take place in this building."

When asked in an April 21, interview with liberal Madison talk-show host John “Sly” Sylvester about booing of the national anthem by counter-protesters at a Tea Party rally, Mahoney said “I’m quite confident that booing the national anthem never occurred.” But of course, the booing was caught on camera which makes it hard to deny.

From 2004-2006, Mahoney served as President of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association. As President of the state’s police union, Mahoney was quoted as saying it is a duty to “take care of those who take care of you,” and that “the job you save may be your own.” During Mahoney’s tenure as President, the WPPA endorsed Governor Jim Doyle for Governor and donated to eight Democratic campaigns and just three Republican campaigns.

Sheriff Mahoney was appointed to three separate commissions by Democrat Governor Jim Doyle between 2007 and 2008.

Without question, the appearance of Mahoney's impartiality exists.

He should recuse himself.

Mark Benson and other Murderers

It took three deaths, Jennifer Bukosky, her daughter Courtney Bella, and her unborn daughter Sophia, for some lawmakers, Governor Jim Doyle, and some Wisconsin residents to say, "No more."

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Reacting to a fatal crash that is shining new attention on the state's drunken driving laws, Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday that a third conviction for intoxicated use of a vehicle should be made a felony, and a bipartisan group of legislators called for tougher penalties for repeat offenders.

The statements came in response to an accident April 25 in which Jennifer Bukosky, 39, her unborn child and 10-year old daughter, Courtney Bella, were killed when a sport utility vehicle slammed into the rear of their car.

Mark Benson, a former surgeon who faces three counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, was under the influence of pills, authorities say. Two days before the accident, Benson stood before a Waukesha County judge on a third drunken driving offense.

Benson has a history of drug and alcohol abuse dating back to at least 1993, according to court records.

He was sentenced on April 23 to 75 days in the county's work release jail, but was given until May 9 to report there, with orders not to drive in the meantime.

"Since my days as a prosecutor, I have pushed for tough drunken driving penalties. A third offense should be a felony. The only way to protect the public from multiple offenders is to keep them off the streets," Doyle, the former attorney general, said Wednesday in a statement.

Also Wednesday, four legislators - two Republicans and two Democrats - called for revocation of driving privileges and confiscation of vehicles for people convicted of a third offense of driving under the influence.

They also said the law should prevent an individual convicted of a third offense from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle again by sending the person directly to jail.

"Just turning up the heat on our current DUI penalties a little more won't do it," Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer (D-Manitowoc) said.

"Immediate, permanent confiscation of the vehicle, any vehicle driven after a revocation by multiple DUI offenders will be the kind of game changer we need."

The group of legislators included Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), whose district includes the crash scene, and who is chairman of the Assembly Criminal Justice Committee.

...The legislators, including Sens. Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) and Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), said they plan to begin drafting the legislation while working closely with members of the Bukosky family, who are expected to testify in favor of the bills when a hearing is scheduled.

Wisconsin is far too lenient when it comes to punishment for the intoxicated use of a vehicle.

The current law has repeat offender built into it. Five strikes is ridiculous.

Seizing cars and jailing offenders is costly. So what?

If that's what it takes to ensure the public's safety, then that's what it takes.

Locking up Mark Benson is not enough. What we need is change.

...[Waukesha County District Attorney Brad] Schimel said he doesn't disagree with making third-offense drunken driving a felony, but said Wisconsin taxpayers need to recognize that it will require more resources.

...Schimel contends that the focus should be on prevention and treatment.

I agree with Schimel that prevention and treatment is important.

But it's not wise to gamble on hoping that offenders are treated successfully. It's a risk to assume they've managed to change their habits.

They're a deadly threat to innocents, like Jennifer Bukosky and her two daughters.

When it comes to prevention of such tragedy, it means taking the potential killers off the street.

No excuses.

Lawmakers need to enact legislation that protects the public from these repeat offenders. They can save lives.

Journal Sentinel Warns Against Voter Photo ID

Of course, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board has weighed in on yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding Indiana's voter photo ID law.

The Board declares: "Voting should be easy."

I agree. Voting should be easy. However, the Board fails to acknowledge that voter fraud should not be easy.

Following a 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday upholding Indiana's strict voter ID law, the state Legislature and the governor should resist efforts to enact such a law here.

Such a law would be antithetical to Wisconsin's long tradition of high voter turnout, spurred by having as few obstacles as possible to citizens exercising their right to the ballot.

Translation: We believe Doyle and the Dems should continue to maintain Wisconsin as fertile ground for voter fraud.

The court majority downplayed both the obstacles that a photo ID requirement will impose and the obvious partisan motivation for wanting such a requirement.

A PHOTO ID WILL NOT IMPOSE OBSTACLES.

It's a false argument.

"The obvious partisan motivation for wanting such a requirement" line is a joke.

What about Doyle and the Dems' partisan motivation for blocking such a requirement?

The dissenting justices got it right. Without a valid state photo ID or passport, it is no small feat to get one - if, for instance, you don't have a birth certificate or other official documentation handy to prove identity, don't know how to go about getting them and have uneven access to the money and transportation to make all this happen.

When the government offers to provide free photo IDs to voters, it's a very small feat to get one. These voters manage to get to the polls. They should be able to get an ID.

...The court said the Indiana law is non-discriminatory. However, to get there the justices had to ignore who are most likely not to have photo IDs. That would be the elderly, the poor and minority groups, folks who tend to vote Democratic.

Is it a widespread phenomenon that the elderly, poor, and minorities don't possess any photo ID or identifying documents?

Has that ever been analyzed?

The court dispensed with the partisan underpinnings of voter ID laws much too easily. Arguments for the law "should not be disregarded simply because partisan interests may have provided one motivation for the votes of individual legislators," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote.

In other words, even though widespread voter fraud doesn't exist in Indiana, Wisconsin or in the rest of the nation, we still should ignore that hurdles have just been placed, mostly by GOP legislators, before traditionally disadvantaged groups that - wink, wink - just happen to vote for the other party.

What's with all the winking by the Board? Has this Supreme Court decision caused it to develop a tic?

When photo IDs are made available to all at no cost, there are no hurdles.

Those evil GOP legislators want to make sure that our elections are clean, but those compassionate Dem legislators - wink, wink - are against it. Pretty screwy.

The Editorial Board should be ashamed for claiming that the elderly, poor, and minorities are incapable of doing something as simple as getting a free photo ID and suggesting that large numbers of these people don't already have any photo ID.

They're categorizing them as victims and helpless.

If the Dems really care about them, wouldn't a program to give them photo IDs be a boost for these disadvantaged Americans?

Why not allow them to have what us well-to-do Americans have, a photo ID?

ILLEGAL Immigrants Go to Wisconsin for a Fiesta

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Authorities in Kenosha say a slow-moving pickup truck attracted the attention of a sheriff's deputy who pulled the vehicle over and found an alleged human smuggler at the wheel and seven other illegal immigrants with him.

A Kenosha County Sheriff's Department report says the driver and three passengers were in the cab of the pickup and four others were covered by blankets in the bed of the truck, which had Arizona license plates.

The passengers told the deputy when stopped on Interstate 94 Sunday that they believed they were "going to Wisconsin for a fiesta."

Deputies found soda cans and food along with pillows and blankets in the truck's cargo area where four men had been riding.

The 26-year-old driver was held on suspicion of being a smuggler of people. The others were put on immigration holds, including a 15-year-old boy with his uncle.

I know Governor Doyle wants to put out the welcome mat for ILLEGAL immigrants, but I didn't realize Wisconsin has become so desirable that it's considered the site of a fiesta.

Maybe Doyle can find a spare room at the governor's mansion for the eight ILLEGAL immigrants. Give them free health care. Give that 15-year-old boy in-state tuition for a college education.

Do people typically go to a fiesta covered with blankets?

Was it a surprise party?

Police Investigation into Voter Fraud in Milwaukee

UPDATE: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's spin is in:

The report, which covers many issues first reported by the Journal Sentinel in early 2005, provides a look at the level to which police investigated the problems, which included a gap of several thousand more votes counted than people recorded as having voted.

The report comes long after criminal investigations by the Milwaukee County district attorney's office and the U.S. attorney's office have been closed. Thus, instead of providing further guidance to prosecutors, the 67-page document may be more useful to election officials in identifying problems with the system heading into this fall's presidential election.

Neil Albrecht, the deputy director of the city Election Commission, said the report "validates" the efforts by a city task force, appointed by Mayor Tom Barrett, to review election procedures. All recommendations of that task force have been implemented, he said.

U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic has said investigators found no evidence of widespread fraud. About a dozen cases, including felons who illegally voted or people who allegedly voted twice, were prosecuted, with spotty results.

In some cases, the report highlights sloppiness by poll workers, or in clerks entering data.

Translation: CYA mission complete.

My take: CYA mission is an embarrassment as well as a failure.
________________

What is the 67 page "Report of the Investigation into the November 2, 2004 General Election in Milwaukee"?

---It is proof that voter fraud in Milwaukee is very, very real.

---It is proof that instances of voter fraud in Milwaukee in the November 2, 2004 election were not rare.

---It is proof that Milwaukee citizens are disenfranchised by a state government that permits same day, on-site, no photo ID voter registration.

---It is proof that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is clueless and/or crooked.

---It is proof that U.S. Representative Gwen Moore is clueless and/or crooked.

---It is proof that Democrat Wisconsin state representatives and senators are clueless and/or crooked.

---It is proof that Governor Jim Doyle, who VETOED a bill that provided for FREE voter photo IDs, is clueless and/or crooked.

---It is proof that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board is a shill for Democrats and complicit in the disenfranchisement of Milwaukeeans and Wisconsinites by consistently objecting to proposals to ensure the integrity of Wisconsin’s elections.

Most importantly, the "Report of the Investigation into the November 2, 2004 General Election in Milwaukee" is an invitation.

It is an invitation to all interested in stealing elections.

Give us your felons, your frauds, your fakes, yearning to vote free and frequently.

Some tidbits from the report:

The majority of the issues cited in the report seem to be record keeping issues, which makes the possibility for voter fraud that much greater.

The report indicates 5,300 more ballots were cast than voters recorded, and it cites 1,305 unenterable on-site registration cards in Milwaukee as a possible reason for this voter gap.

Some of the onsite cards didn't have addresses in Milwaukee. Some weren't signed, and some didn't even have names.

...It states that 785 on-site registered voters had cards registered without dates of birth.

1305 people were found with "un-enterable" on-site registration cards due to valid addresses, names, identifications, signatures, voter numbers, illegibilities or lack of home in the City of Milwaukee.

41% of them voted.

55 people on the "un-enterable" list were found to live outside the city of Milwaukee on the date of the election. The investigation says that even if there was no criminal intent on any part of these people to vote incorrectly, it still proved that election inspectors were not following state laws properly in these cases.

One case involved someone from Chicago who registered to vote by simply placing on their registration card an address of a friend with whom they were staying on West Pierce Street in Milwaukee.

Another used a Journal Sentinel newspaper as proof of residency. Others placed suburbs of Wauwatosa and Greenfield on their address listing, but poll inspectors allowed them to vote in Milwaukee.

...Investigators discovered that 220 felons voted in the city of Milwaukee during the 2004 elections.

...The MPD investigation also found five felons who worked as election inspectors. It says that Kimberly Prude, one of the felons indicted by the U.S. Attorney's ofice, actually registered on-site voters. Additionally, the election commission gave the names of 18 convicted felons who worked as deputy registrars.

Shocked?

You shouldn't be.

The report recommends some simple solutions:

1. Eliminate on-site same day voter registration.

2. Require government-issued identification, such as a photo ID or a social security card, to vote.

Bottom line: I’m mad as hell.

My vote was stolen on November 2, 2004.

My civil rights are being violated by government officials refusing to take measures to prevent voter fraud in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's November 2, 2004 election was dirty. It is highly likely that other elections have been and will be similarly soiled. Wisconsin’s Democrat elected officials are actively blocking attempts to clean up the mess.

Wisconsin Democrat elected officials, especially Governor Jim Doyle, should not be allowed to disenfranchise all Americans by failing to ensure the integrity of election results in Wisconsin in national elections.

The findings of the "Report of the Investigation into the November 2, 2004 General Election in Milwaukee" reveal that Wisconsin is a disgrace to the United States and democracy.

Most disturbing: Wisconsin Democrat elected officials, while maybe a bit embarrassed by the report, aren’t going to do a damn thing to rectify the situation.

Equipment Deficencies to Blame?

This isn't rocket science.

Officials screwed up royally, leaving thousands stranded on I-39/90.

Nonetheless, Judy Robson wants an audit to determine if officials had adequate communications equipment to deal with the situation.

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

Wisconsin officials knew about a report detailing the state of Pennsylvania's botched response to a severe winter storm there last year.

But they still made the same mistakes during the Feb. 6 blizzard here.

In both states, thousands of motorists were trapped on an Interstate after state highway patrol and emergency management officials failed to communicate the size of the problem. They also failed to quickly shut down the Interstate and inform both the governor and National Guard about the mounting crisis.

...In Wisconsin, Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, the head of the state's Department of Military Affairs and the author of the report on the state's response to the storm, read the Pennsylvania report's summary before the Wisconsin storm happened, spokesman Lt. Col. Tim Donovan said. Donovan was unable to get more information late Friday on what lessons, if any, Dunbar learned from the report.

Wisconsin Emergency Management administrator Johnnie Smith said Friday he learned about the Pennsylvania report from press coverage at the time. Smith said the Pennsylvania mistakes moved his agency to start up their Emergency Operations Center more readily this year in response to winter storms, including the Feb. 6 blizzard.

Smith said he hadn't read the report last year but would "definitely" read it now, along with information from other states.

...A state senator will seek an audit into whether emergency responders had adequate communications equipment to deal with the Feb. 5-6 blizzard.

The district of Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, includes the section of Interstate 39-90 where 2,000 cars were stuck overnight in the snowstorm. Robson said she was "very concerned " about the state 's poor response to the crisis detailed in a National Guard report issued Thursday.

State officials should be as prepared to deal with extreme winter weather as they are to deal with floods or tornadoes, she said. "We live in Wisconsin. We get bad snow, " Robson said. "We should be prepared. "

Robson said she wanted to know whether a lack of adequate equipment contributed to a failure of communications among state agencies and local governments in Dane and Rock counties during the crisis.

Robson said she would seek a legislative audit to determine whether money awarded to Wisconsin by the federal Department of Homeland Security was spent correctly to ensure good communication systems.

This is really a joke. All the communications equipment in the world wouldn't have made a difference.

The fact is authorities failed to recognize that there was a problem. It wasn't a matter of lacking the equipment to get the message out. They didn't act. Agencies didn't work together properly.

The mess had nothing to do with equipment deficiencies.

That makes the fact that Gov. Jim Doyle isn't going to discipline anyone for this massive failure all the more absurd. It wasn't an equipment problem. It was and organizational and people problem.

Wisconsin Not Prepared for an Emergency

I would have completely flipped out if I had been among those stuck in the 12 hour backup on I-39/90.

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

State agencies were ineffective in recognizing the massive traffic jam that left 2,000 vehicles stranded overnight in a blizzard, according to a report released today.

After they realized what was happening, state agencies failed to work together properly, the report says.

"It was Mother Nature who threw a significant storm at Wisconsin, but we could have responded better," Wisconsin National Guard Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar stated in the report.

Could have responded better?

They responded miserably.

Gov. Jim Doyle this afternoon apologized to motorists, but said he won't seek to punish anyone involved in the botched response.

With 2,000 vehicles involved, there were at least 2,000 people stranded for hours because of snow.

This was no small thing, yet Doyle isn't going to punish anyone.

The report blames the State Patrol, the Department of Transportation's highway division and Wisconsin Emergency Management for not recognizing the extent of the problem. Interagency coordination was excellent as the storm developed, but "non-existent as the emergency grew and darkness fell on the stranded motorists."

"Our investigation shows that the lead agency for traffic response on the Interstate, the Wisconsin State Patrol, did respond to events as they unfolded but was slow to recognize that an emergency existed," the report states.

"This delay in recognition caused the loss of precious hours that could have allowed alternative courses of action to be considered which might have mitigated the depth and breadth of this emergency."

If state agencies screw up something like response to a snow storm so badly, how well do you think they'd do in the event of a massive emergency such as a terrorist attack?

Wisconsin doesn't seem prepared.

Thank God Wisconsin doesn't get hit by hurricanes.

The report recommends measures be taken to avoid similar future events, including a plan to shut down the Interstate. The state should also consider an alternative communication system to alleviate the burden on 911 centers and provide information to stranded motorists, the report states.

...The debacle left more than 2,000 motorists stranded on a stretch of Interstate 39-90 between Madison and Janesville for hours beginning in the morning on Feb. 6.

The state Emergency Operations Center, which opened in response to heavy snow forecasts at 8 p.m. Feb. 5, more than 12 hours before motorists became stranded, was "clumsy in its execution," the report states.

I can't believe in the post-9/11 era that state agencies would be so uncoordinated.

It's inexcusable.

A public information officer received a call from a stranded TV reporter at 3 p.m. Feb. 6, and forwarded the call to State Patrol.

Emergency Operations Center officials tuned into news broadcasts at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. that reported a problem on the interstate, but "never understood the severity of the situation until Dane County called at 5:30 p.m."

Duh!

The center held a conference call at 5:40 p.m. and the State Patrol's EOC representative sent Dane County's information to the Statewide Traffic Operations Center, but the information was never received.

That's because as the snow began to taper in the late afternoon Feb. 5, the EOC indicated it would close around 6 p.m., which led the Department of Transportation highway division representative to leave at 5:15 p.m., "leaving the Statewide Traffic Operations Center without representation."

OH MY GOD!

What utter incompetence!

This is truly unsettling to learn how ill-prepared Wisconsin is to handle an emergency.

The report credits Dane County officials for recognizing the problem as early as 4 p.m. and organizing snowmobiles to assist motorists. It would take more than 18 hours from that time until the highway became unclogged.

From 5:40 p.m. until the governor declared an emergency at 9:15 p.m., "the agencies struggled to get a clear picture."

"True understanding of the magnitude of the event did not occur until the National Guard flew a helicopter reconnaissance mission at 10:54 p.m.," the report states.

In this age of cell phones, I find that extremely hard to believe.

It took a view from a helicopter to understand the problem?

That's nuts!

The report also credits the Department of Natural Resources, which assisted with snowmobiles, and the National Guard, which deployed 68 soldiers to assist dozens of state and county law enforcement and emergency management personnel. They handed out 7,000 bottles of water and 420 meals to stranded motorists throughout the night.

Madison received 12.5 inches of snow over 24 hours on Feb. 5 and 6, the sixth biggest storm in the city's history.

...The report notes that in some instances state agencies responded well to the blizzard. The State Patrol handled several major accidents that included fatalities. State Patrol officials said the fact that there were no serious accidents in the Interstate traffic jam slowed the response.

"The State of Wisconsin could and should have done better in this emergency," the report concludes. "This can not be allowed to happen again. Flawed execution and poor communication of this type will negatively impact any emergency situation."

In sum, Wisconsin is unprepared to handle an emergency related to SNOW. It was completely botched.

How pathetic that there was a slow response because the traffic jam didn't include a serious accident!

2,000 vehicles stranded is serious.

But Doyle thinks a simple apology to the motorists is enough. He won't punish anyone for the horrible response.

Apparently, Doyle doesn't get the significance of the event.

God help us in the event of a terrorist attack.

800,000 New IDs

Wisconsin Democrats are so squeamish when it comes to photo IDs.

The Real ID law and the subsequent need for some people to get their driver's licenses renewed early must be making the Dems ill.

Madison -- About 800,000 Wisconsinites will have to renew their driver's licenses early if they want to use them to board airplanes under a federal anti-terrorism law requiring more secure IDs, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The federal Real ID law requires that the new IDs and licenses be issued by December 2014 to people who have not turned 50 by then, but thousands of already-issued licenses don't expire until after that time. Those drivers will have to come in early to get the federally sanctioned IDs if they want to use them to get on an airplane or enter a federal courthouse.

..."This really is a program that the federal government foisted on the states without any input from the states, just said this is a good idea, you guys go do it," Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday. "There are huge decisions to be made."

I knew Doyle wouldn't like this.

According to Wisconsin Dems, citizens of Wisconsin can't be expected to get a photo ID for the purpose of participating in elections. That's too much to ask.

Now, some people will have to go in early to get the new federally sanctioned ID if they want to use it to board a plane or go into a federal courthouse.

What a disaster!

U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin, helped push the Real ID law through Congress in 2005 to help prevent terrorists and illegal immigrants from getting forged licenses. The law will make the process of getting licenses more arduous because people will have to show their birth certificates, passports or immigration documents to get the new licenses, even if they've held a Wisconsin license for decades.

State officials from around the country have complained about the law, saying it would be costly and create long lines. They've also said the law will create technical headaches because it requires all states to share birth and driving records, as well as other data.

In response, Homeland Security released rules this month that it said would make it easier for states to comply with the law.

This Real ID law is going to be messy for Barack Obama, Jim Doyle's presidential primary candidate.

Obama takes big risk on driver's license issue

Sen. Barack Obama easily won the African American vote in South Carolina, but to woo California Latinos, where he is running 3-to-1 behind rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, he is taking a giant risk: spotlighting his support for the red-hot issue of granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

It's a huge issue for Latinos, who want them. It's also a huge issue for the general electorate, which most vehemently does not. Obama's stand could come back to haunt him not only in a general election, but with other voters in California, where driver's licenses for illegal immigrants helped undo former Gov. Gray Davis.

The Real ID law may be an inconvenience for some citizens but it's going to be an enormous problem for Democrats supporting driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.

Hollywood, Taxes, and Wisconsin

Yes, this is good news for Wisconsin. It's also somewhat of an embarrassment for the high tax crowd.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Two movies and two film-related companies are taking advantage of new state tax incentives, Lt. Gov. Barb Lawton said Tuesday after returning from the Sundance Film Festival.

Lawton also said an assurance by Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. that it will show movies produced in Wisconsin will further boost efforts to draw the film industry to Wisconsin.

Lawton announced the thriller "Blue World" will spend its $2.5 million budget in Milwaukee. "The Violinist," a $1 million film about Arab-Israeli immigrants, will film entirely in Green Bay, primarily on the campus of either the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay or St. Norbert College, Lawton said.

The announcements were made just a few weeks after the new incentives took effect. The incentives give 25% investment tax credits to Wisconsin-based productions and 15% income tax credits to related businesses.

Lawton said producers of the Johnny Depp film "Public Enemies" have submitted an application for tax credits with the state Department of Commerce.

Chicago-based Fletcher Camera, which sells and rents cameras and other equipment, will open a Milwaukee office, and Third Ward Records is building a new recording studio. Both will be housed in 3rd Coast Studio, a company created last year in anticipation of the coming film business, said Janine Sijan Rozina of 3rd Coast.

I don't know how Lawton can make these announcements without feeling like a total fool.

Money will be flowing into Wisconsin thanks to tax incentives. The incentives are attracting business. Lower taxes work.

Plus, new businesses are opening in Milwaukee to serve the filmmakers that will be choosing Wisconsin.

It's clear that if you lower taxes, they will come.

Now, how can we get Doyle and the Dems to understand that this doesn't just apply to the film industry?

I have an idea for a movie that I'd like to pitch--

It's about a really dumb Midwestern governor and high tax lawmakers. There's a tornado. It swoops the elected officials up somewhere over the rainbow. A wicked witch is after them. They seek the help of a wizard. At the end, they get a brain.

"Oh, Auntie Em-- there's no place like a low tax place!"

Doyle Cancels Meeting with Kessler

Why did Governor Jim Doyle's staff cancel a meeting on Monday with School Choice enemy Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee)?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Gov. Jim Doyle's staff on Monday canceled a meeting with Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee) that had been set for today so Kessler could present ideas for revamping Milwaukee's school voucher program.

...Kessler circulated a memo last week to seven other Milwaukee Democrats in the Assembly, suggesting that his proposals would help correct funding problems for Milwaukee Public Schools and lead to a reduction in enrollment in the voucher program of nearly 40%.

Prominent voucher school advocates reacted strongly to Kessler's ideas, saying the changes would damage the voucher program, increase overall costs for educating Milwaukee children and deny many parents the range of choice they now have.

Kessler said he was not told why Doyle's office canceled the appointment, and a new date was not set.

That's weird. Kessler didn't receive any explanation at all for the cancellation?

Avoiding the issues won't make them go away. Doyle can't keep his head in the sand.

Kessler's ideas drew political ire Monday as voucher supporters mobilized. Doyle took heat from all sides in 2005, when the voucher law was changed to expand the program to as many as 22,500 students while adding provisions such as an accreditation requirement.

...Kessler's ideas include reducing voucher payments to some schools that give scholarships to students who don't qualify for vouchers, and limiting voucher payments to no more than the amount charged for tuition for nonvoucher students. Currently, voucher payments are based on the amount a school spends to educate a child, up to $6,501. Some schools charge lower amounts for tuition to nonvoucher students.

He estimated that if his ideas were adopted, voucher enrollment would fall from more than 19,000 students to perhaps less than 12,000.

Gee, I wonder why Kessler's ideas "drew political ire."

Perhaps because as "Susan Mitchell, president of School Choice Wisconsin, said 'the impact of the Kessler plan likely would be a near or complete shutdown' of the voucher program."

"At this point," Kessler said, "it's probably unlikely that the voucher program would end because of the number of students involved. I am a believer in free public education, and I am deeply concerned about efforts to privatize education because I think that ultimately works to the detriment of poor people."

Kessler is blind. Maybe he's not really blind. He's just choosing to close his eyes.

School Choice doesn't work to the detriment of the poor. How? By giving parents choice when it comes to their children's education? How is that detrimental?

Kessler claims to believe in "free public education."

Hey! Kessler! It's not free. Taxpayers fund public education.

He says he's worried about privatizing education. What he's really concerned about is parents being able to decide where they want their children to go to school. He doesn't want all kids to have the same opportunities.

Clearly, Kessler's ideas are aimed at chipping away at the voucher program. He wants to eliminate it altogether. That's the goal, not better education for Milwaukee's kids.

He has a problem with using tax dollars to empower parents to provide their children with an education at the school of their choice.

He's worried about poorer children breaking free of the public school monopoly.

Kessler wants to stand in the way of equal educational opportunities for all kids.

Opponents of School Choice, like Kessler, do not have the best interests of the children at heart.

They would rather trap the poor in failing schools and doom them to bleak futures.

Meanwhile, Doyle tries to run and hide.

Think of how many more students' lives might have been improved, their futures altered for the better, if Mark Green had been elected.

Is Jim Doyle Having Second Thoughts?

After Iowa, the media were in the process of burying Hillary Clinton, not praising her.

Caught up in the afterglow of Iowa, Jim Doyle jumped on the Barack Obama bandwagon.

I wonder if he's having second thoughts about giving his support to Obama now that Hillary Clinton managed to stage an upset victory in New Hampshire.

Did he jump on the Obama bandwagon too early?

If Doyle's endorsement was purely a self-serving move, he may have.

Doyle Backs Obama

Way back in April 2007, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett endorsed Barack Obama.

FINALLY, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has backed a Democrat for president.

Drum roll....

It's Obama.

Surprise, surprise.

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

Saying the country is in need of a "uniter," Gov. Jim Doyle today endorsed fellow Democrat Barack Obama's bid for the presidency.

The announcement came two days after Obama's convincing victory in the Iowa caucus and three days before New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary.

"He is a person who has shown he can build coalitions and he can inspire people and he can bring more people into the political process, and I feel very strongly he can govern like he can campaign," Doyle said in a conference call with Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

Doyle said he had been considering endorsing Obama even before the Iowa caucus but withheld it because of loyalties to other Democratic candidates, including New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, with whom Doyle is close, and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

Sure, I buy that.

BEFORE Obama's Iowa victory, Doyle wanted to endorse Obama but withheld it because Doyle is so darn loyal to his close friends Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton.

Yeah, right.

The timing of Doyle's endorsement is incredibly self-serving.

Still, this could end up biting Doyle when all is said and done. The Obama bandwagon looks awfully inviting at the moment, but if Hillary gets her act together and wins the Dem nomination, Doyle will likely regret throwing his weight behind Obama.

I wonder if Oprah's endorsement swayed Doyle. He seems like he'd be an Oprah fan.

So Long, Norman

Hey! Hillary!

What's your big donor, dirty dealer Norman Hsu going to do now?

He's not going to Disney World.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Disgraced political donor Norman Hsu was sentenced Friday to three years in prison after a judge refused to throw out his 1992 no-contest plea to fraud.

Hsu's lawyers had asked Judge Stephen Hall to dismiss his 16-year-old plea, arguing that Hsu's right to speedy justice was violated because authorities were not actively pursuing him during his years as a fugitive. They could easily have arrested Hsu, his lawyers argued, at one of the fundraisers he hosted in California for prominent local politicians.

Hsu also faces federal fraud charges in New York.

His troubles began dogging Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and other big-name Democrats last summer when news reports revealed he was a fugitive who fled the state before he was sentenced for the 1992 fraud conviction for scamming investors out of $1 million.

He turned himself in on Aug. 31, posted $2 million in bail, then fled again, skipping a scheduled court appearance.

...Since his fall from grace, many of the candidates Hsu supported gave their donations to charity or returned them. The Clinton campaign pledged to divest $850,000 raised by Hsu.

I wonder if anyone has followed up on Hillary's promise to divest the $850,000?

Did she keep her promise?

Gov. Jim Doyle was also a recipient of Hsu's dirty money.

Doyle was the only Wisconsin candidate to take money from Hsu, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

Back in early September, I called for Doyle to return the Hsu dollars.

I'll do it again:

Gov. Doyle,

At least pretend that you're an ethical politician. Get rid of the Hsu $2000.

Keeping it is so slimy.

Green Bay's Festivus Pole

It all started with a Christmas Nativity scene at Green Bay's city hall.

That simple display set off a frenzy of demands for competing displays, even a Festivus pole.

From the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

Frank Costanza would be proud, perhaps even a little misty-eyed.

In an homage to Jerry Stiller's character on "Seinfeld" — often credited for bringing the Festivus holiday to the rest of us — Sean Ryan of Allouez on Saturday asked Mayor Jim Schmitt for permission to display a Festivus pole on the overhang at the northwest entrance to City Hall.

But it's unlikely that the six-foot undecorated aluminum pole at the heart of the semi-fictitious holiday will stand next to the Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in City Council President Chad Fradette's nativity display.

"If we're going to approve things, it needs to be a religion — this is just pop culture," Schmitt said Saturday. "This is kind of making a laughing matter of something that's rather serious."

Created by author Daniel O'Keefe in the 1970s and popularized by Seinfeld two decades later, Festivus is an annual holiday celebrated by many Americans both in earnest and jest on Dec. 23. Gov. Jim Doyle has even installed a Festivus pole — manufactured by a Milwaukee-based company — at the Governor's mansion in the past few years.

Gov. Jim Doyle has installed a Festivus pole at the Governor's mansion?

That's hilarious!


Gov. Jim Doyle (right) poses with his Festivus pole.

Check out this site.

More Festivus pole photos here.

Ryan's request is the latest in a series from individuals who want to add to the pantheon above one of the entrance's to City Hall since Fradette received the go-ahead from the city's advisory committee last week to install his display. Fradette said he proposed the display in response to criticism lobbed at the city of Peshtigo over a Nativity display on public property there.

Both Fradette and Schmitt opened the display to other religions, and at least seven requests have been made to date.

On Friday, an Appleton man added a Wiccan wreath to the Christmas manger scene.

Another Green Bay resident hopes a peace sign she has chosen to symbolize a tenet of her Unitarian Universalism faith will join those on Monday. "When Chad (Fradette) put his up, he was doing it as an act of — he wasn't doing it an as an act to unite the community," Taku Ronsman said. "I'm trying to express the idea of inclusiveness. A peace sign reflects that."

A practicing Catholic who would prefer to see no religious displays at a government office, Ryan said his tongue-in-cheek request intends to showcase how deciding what religions to include in the display can turn to the absurd.

"I was turning over how extreme things could get and how loosely things could get interpreted," Ryan said. "Immediately, Frank Costanza came to mind."

Schmitt said "silly antics" would not help resolve the questions facing the City Council on Tuesday, when it decides of the advisory council and the mayor were right to approve Fradette's display.

The mayor said he plans to forward some preliminary guidelines to the council on Monday, including a limit on the time period for the displays and how to determine if a display is representative of a religion.

In all seriousness, I don't understand why people are so threatened by religious displays on public property.

For example, if I see a menorah, my reaction isn't to run out and demand that a statue of the infant Jesus be put alongside of it.

Granted, the Festivus pole is meant to be a joke, but what about all the sincere requests to compete with the nativity?

A Wiccan symbol now stands alongside the Christmas manger scene on the roof of City Hall's northwest entrance.

The new display is an evergreen wreath, about 3 feet in diameter, encircling a five-pointed star. It's called a pentagram and is a symbol in the Wiccan religion, which is associated with witchcraft.

The wreath and star are mounted on an easel that stands a few feet from a statue of Mary in the nativity setting that Common Council President Chad Fradette installed Wednesday night.

An Appleton man connected to a state Wiccan group dropped off the new display at City Hall on Friday afternoon.

"That's pretty," Fradette said shortly after a City Hall maintenance worker set the display up. "I'm glad there's something else up there."

A pentagram a few feet from the statue of Mary is inappropriate.

That's not being inclusive. The placement is being disrespectful. I'm sure that's the idea, to be in-your-face.

After Fradette's display was installed and he and Mayor Jim Schmitt publicized that the display area would be open to other religious displays, the city received six requests, mayoral assistant Andre Jacque said.

...Another was from a Green Bay area man wanting to install a Buddhist display. That man said he would prefer to install something in May, Jacque said.

The city also heard from a man wanting to put up an unspecified Hindu display, a woman wanting to put up a peace symbol she said is used in the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, and from a woman wanting to put up something promoting religion awareness and freedom from excessive holiday spending.

This is ridiculous.

I have no problem with religious displays on public property when they're put up to observe specific holidays and they coincide with the specific time of the celebrations.

Why have a Hindu or Buddhist display up now?

Should the holy month of Ramadan be recognized with a display in December?

Put the Wiccan wreath up at Halloween, not Christmas.

The displays at Green Bay's city hall are intended to challenge Christianity. They aren't meant to be religious observances.

They're meant to be attacks.

They're signs of intolerance for the celebration of Christmas.

That should offend everyone who values religious freedom and the right to worship according to the dictates of one's conscience.

Budget: NOT Right for Wisconsin

It's a done deal.

Jim Doyle signed the new budget.

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle signed the new state budget into law this morning, after loosening a 2% property tax levy limit on local governments that Republicans added to control property taxes.

Doyle said his veto took the levy limit to 3.86% for cities, towns, villages and counties in 2008; for 2009, the levy limit will stay at the 2% passed by the Legislature this week.

Explaining why he raised the amount of property taxes local governments can levy this fall, Doyle said they needed "a little more leeway" to protect police, fire and other emergency services. Many local governments - including Milwaukee - had already prepared their 2008 operating budgets that exceeded a 2% increase, the governor added.

The new limit of 3.86% will raise the December tax bill on the median-valued Wisconsin home by $93 - or about 3.4%, said state Budget Director David Schmiedicke. That is $13 more than under the budget bill passed by the Legislature on Tuesday.

Under that scenario, the owner of a home assessed for tax purposes at $170,305 will get a property tax bill for $2,827 in December. Schmiedicke said that bill would go up $14 more - or less than 1% - in December 2008.

With another veto, Doyle also killed a 4% levy limit Republican legislators had placed on vocational colleges.

In his veto message, Doyle said a 4% limit would have threatened the ability of vocational colleges to train and retrain the state's workers. "If technical colleges do not have the ability to respond to the rapidly changing needs of businesses in Wisconsin, economic growth will suffer," he added.

Also vetoed was a surprise provision - which no legislator has admitted sponsoring - the ability for retailers to offer free samples of liquor, and an accelerated construction schedule for State Highway 23 in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties.

..."It was certainly a difficult road to get to this point, but in the end Democrats and Republicans came together to do what's right for Wisconsin," Doyle said. "With this budget we create real opportunity for every Wisconsin citizen - the opportunity to go as far as their hard work and talent will take them."

I disagree.

I don't think this budget is "what's right for Wisconsin."

How could Doyle say that after vetoing the provision to give retailers the ability to offer free shots of liquor?

True, Doyle never made this promise to the people of Wisconsin:

"Going forward, my mind will be closed to every free sample suggestion -- except one. We should not -- we must not -- and I will not -- prevent retailers from giving customers shots of hard liquor."

Even though Doyle didn't lie about the free shots, the whole thing still ticks me off.

Oh, and the part about raising taxes...

That ticks me off, too.

Wisconsin Budget Bloat

It took long enough, but Wisconsin lawmakers finally passed a budget.

Whoop dee doo.

Madison -- The Legislature passed a long-overdue budget late Tuesday, even as lawmakers discovered new provisions - including one allowing grocery stores to serve customers free samples of hard liquor.
The little-noticed tidbit in the budget would allow grocers and liquor stores to serve up to 1 1/2 ounces of whiskey, gin and other liquors to customers each visit.

The budget, 115 days overdue, was the second-latest spending plan the Legislature ever adopted.

The Republican-controlled Assembly passed it, 60-39, with 23 Republicans joining 37 Democrats in favor. The Senate then quickly passed it 18-15, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed.

The $57.2 billion budget now goes to Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, who can strike out any part of it - but he has said he would use his veto sparingly.

Doyle aide Matt Canter would not say whether the governor plans to veto the measure on liquor sampling.

It's a controversial budget for several reasons:

• It boosts the cigarette tax by $1 a pack, costing smokers $378.5 million more by mid-2009.

• It includes a one-time $200 million transfer from the state fund that pays medical malpractice claims.

• It raises transportation-related fees by about $274 million.

But Republicans got Doyle to drop tax increases on hospitals and oil companies and a fee boost for those who sell property.

Doyle praised the budget, saying it continues two-thirds state funding of public schools, funds the University of Wisconsin System and extends health care to most families whose children are uninsured.

"After a long process, Democrats and Republicans have come together to hold the line on taxes, streamline government and create real opportunity for Wisconsin families and businesses," Doyle said in a statement.

Good grief.

Doyle and I have very different of definitions of what it means to "hold the line on taxes, streamline government and create real opportunity for Wisconsin families and businesses."

This budget doesn't hold the line on taxes, or streamline government. It certainly doesn't create opportunity for Wisconsin families and businesses.

It does the opposite. What does this budget do to create a better business climate in Wisconsin?

Are free samples of hard liquor at Pick 'n Save going to attract new businesses to the state?

Wow. What a paradise for businesses!

Bottom line: This budget is proof positive that Doyle lied early and often about raising taxes and looking out for Wisconsin families.
___________________

Of course, the passage of the budget means that Tom Nelson's sit-in is over.

MADISON -- As the state Legislature neared a vote on the state budget, Rep. Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna said he has no regrets about his five-day Capitol sit-in.

Nelson began his protest after lawmakers failed to pass a budget for more than three months. He pledged to stay in the Assembly Chamber until a budget passed.

“This is probably one of the better decisions I’ve made as a state representative,” Nelson said late Tuesday afternoon. “(But) it was a very tough decision.”

What a load!

Nelson's sit-in accomplished absolutely nothing for his constituents. It did nothing to help the people of Wisconsin. It didn't do anything to get a new budget passed.

Nonetheless, Nelson calls his protest "one of the better decisions I’ve made as a state representative."

Nelson must mean that he benefited by the national media attention he received because of his protest, like in the Los Angeles Times.

I can't think of any other reason why Nelson would say that his decision to sit-in was one of his better calls as a state representative.

With that sort of positive reinforcement, I wouldn't be surprised if the Nelson sit-in becomes commonplace.

The Budget: Of Pork and Taxes

Happiness is warm pork.

The budget is a mess.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that it's "full of surprises."

No.

It's full of new spending, increased fees, and new taxes.

I don't think of those as "surprises."

I think of those as broken promises, the building blocks of Wisconsin's tax hell.

In spite of sticking it to Wisconsin taxpayers, there's still an enormous budget shortfall -- $892 million.

The brokers seeking to solve the state's budget problems have found one major point of agreement — push many of them into the next budget.

The 2007-09 budget agreement approved by a legislative committee Monday would leave a potential shortfall of $892 million in the 2009-11 budget, according to the Legislature's budget office. The budget, which is 114 days late as of this morning, is expected to be voted on and approved today by the full Legislature.

The budget compromise announced late Friday by Gov. Jim Doyle and legislative leaders would add $42 million to the shortfall that would have been left by the budget drafted by Assembly Republicans. It increases the shortfall in the proposal put forward in February by Doyle, a Democrat, by $250 million.

"We are continuing credit-card budgeting," Sen. Mike Ellis, R-Neenah, said. "We are facing a staggering fiscal crisis that may develop before we ever get to the (next) budget."

Doyle is such a liar.

"Going forward, my mind will be open to every solution -- except one. We should not -- we must not -- and I will not -- raise taxes."

Liar.

One of the many lies that Jim Doyle spouted during his 2006 campaign was that he balanced Wisconsin's budget.

That was supposedly THE accomplishment of his term. He balanced the budget.

Again and again and again, he cited balancing the budget as one of his shining achievements, a highpoint for him as governor.

Doyle bragged about his skill and leadership in pulling Wisconsin out of a deficit and putting the state back in the black.

Of course, that's an absolute crock. It was a crock then and it's a crock now.

Will Tom Nelson Breathe Fresh Air on Tuesday?

With his sit-in protest entering in its sixth day, Tom Nelson may soon be breathing freely again.

He may feel sunshine on his face and sleep in a bed.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- After a sit-in of 5 days to protest the failure to pass a state budget, state Representative Tom Nelson didn't want to answer when asked if tonight will be his last sleep-over in the Assembly chamber. He replied "Don't jinx me."

He's spent five nights pumping up a leaky air mattress for his Capitol camp-out.

The Kaukauna Democrat and former technical college teacher began his sit-in last Thursday. Then on Friday evening, Governor Jim Doyle and legislative leaders announced reaching a compromise on the 2-year budget that was supposed to take effect July first.

The Senate and Assembly are expected to approve it tomorrow, then send it to Doyle for signing.

Nelson's sit-in drew widespread media coverage, but he says he doesn't know if it had any impact on breaking the budget stalemate.

Nelson says he doesn't know if his protest had any impact on breaking the budget stalement?

He's got to be kidding!

That is positively ridiculous!!!

That's right. Nelson sleeping on a leaky air mattress was what did it. It was his sit-in that pushed through the deal.

I think the guy does need to get some fresh air quickly. Staying in the Assembly chamber seems to have affected his mental functioning.

SIT ON IT, TOM NELSON

Did Rep. Tom Nelson, Democrat from Kaukauna, fail to pay his rent?

Has he been evicted and he needs a place to stay?

There has to be a more reasonable explanation for Nelson's Capitol sit-in than just his frustration over the budget impasse.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A Wisconsin lawmaker angry at his colleagues for failing to pass a state budget said he will sit at his desk in the Assembly chamber until they act.

Rep. Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna, started the sit-in Thursday morning and said he would stay there 24 hours a day, seven days a week until the Assembly and Senate approve a new two-year spending plan, which is more than three months overdue.

"I 'm in it for the long haul, " he said.

His move drew derision from Republicans, who are trying to stop plans by Democrats to increase the cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack and impose a new tax on hospitals. The Republican Party of Wisconsin put out a news release titled: "I 'm not leaving until I raise your taxes, Nelson says. "

hehehe

"I'm not leaving until I raise your taxes."

HAHAHAHA

Nelson said he would leave the chamber only to use the restroom, shower in the Capitol basement and attend committee hearings. He said staff would bring him meals and friends would bring him fresh clothes if needed. He planned to set up a cot or sleeping bags.

Sitting in his high-backed leather chair, Nelson said he would spend his time surfing the Internet on his computer and might even start a blog. He joked that he might have enough time to write a new state budget by himself.

Oooh. A real politician blogging! How thrilling! (I wonder if Russ Feingold is one of his heroes.)

I think Nelson is actually aiming for some media attention, national media attention.

Forget about the news divisions of media outlets. Why not play up the entertainment aspect of this and work it into a reality show?

"Nelson After Dark."

At the very least, there should be a live Internet stream of Nelson's sit-in.

Maybe MSNBC could boost its dismal ratings by following Nelson's stunt, fit him with a "Nelson-cam" to document his every move, get Chris Matthews and/or Keith Olbermann to monitor him.

That would probably bring in an additional 100 viewers to MSNBC.

...Nelson 's theatrics were the latest in a budget stalemate that seems to grow more bizarre by the day. On Wednesday, hundreds of anti-tax advocates and state employees held an ugly shouting match over the budget in front of the Capitol.

The day before, Gov. Jim Doyle warned that University of Wisconsin System campuses might not open for the second semester if a new budget isn 't passed soon. The warning was widely mocked by Republicans as a desperate scare tactic.

There's no question that this budget thing is getting really weird.

Doyle is being downright goofy.

Let's hope he doesn't join Nelson's pajama party. That would be too weird for me to handle.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's All Politics Watch:

As Rep. Tom Nelson (D-Kaukauna) launched his sit-in over the budget Thursday, he had a steady stream of visitors - school groups, union members, TV crews -- to keep him company.

School groups are visiting?

Wow. There's a valuable field trip.

Good grief.

He wasn't sure if he would get clothes or a sleeping bag by 6 p.m. tonight, when the Capitol closes....

Nelson didn't plan very well.

He announces that he's not leaving the chamber but he doesn't even bring clothes and a sleeping bag. What was he thinking?

That's not very responsible. He's not very self-reliant. I guess that's related to his political mindset. Democrats are used to getting hand-outs, dependence as a way of life.

For tonight, he does have a DVD cued up to play on his laptop about an anti-war sit-in 40 years ago at the University of Wisconsin-Madison over Dow Chemical recruiting on campus.

Unbelievable.

Nelson just happens to have a DVD of an anti-war sit-in over the Dow Chemical recruiting at Madison.

That is so lame!

While he's at it, he should watch another DVD, one about the bombing of Sterling Hall.

Ah yes, those were the days.

If Nelson needs more than that to entertain him, he could watch Michael Moore's films. Those would probably keep him fired up.

Nelson says, "I just can't look my constituents in the eyes and say I'm doing everything I can to pass a budget if I'm not here ready to work."

Yeah, right. That's what this is about, the constituents. It has nothing to do with publicity, not a thing.

Bottom line: Nelson's sit-in is nothing more than a self-serving loony stunt.

He's not establishing a reputation as a serious lawmaker by sleeping and showering and doing everything else at the Capitol building.

He's earning a reputation as a media whore.

Budget Stalemate

Wisconsin is special.

It's the only state in the country right now without a budget.

Governor Jim Doyle declares the situation to be a "fiscal nightmare."

But it's a nightmare of Doyle and his hacks' making.

Should legislators subject Wisconsinites to the nightmare or condemn them to living in a raging tax hell?

MADISON -- Now that the latest attempt at breaking the nation's longest budget impasse failed, Wisconsin lawmakers are still searching for a compromise that can pass the Legislature.

No new talks were scheduled after the Republican-led Assembly voted Monday night to reject a budget bill that passed the Democratic-controlled Senate earlier in the day.

The state is in a "fiscal nightmare" and nearing an emergency because the Legislature has failed by not passing a budget, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement after the Assembly rejected his latest offer.

Essential services to protect the health and safety of Wisconsin residents will not be able to be paid for, Doyle said, because expenses are rising faster than the state can pay for them under current funding.

Republicans called Doyle's warnings "Chicken Little" politics meant to scare people into passing his tax increases.

The budget must clear both chambers and be signed by Doyle to become law. Current tax and funding levels continue while the Legislature tries to reach a deal.

The bill passed the Senate with all 18 Democrats in favor and 14 Republicans against with one absent. At least three Republicans were needed to switch sides in order for the budget to clear the Assembly. But all but one of the 52 Republicans voted against it and they were joined by two Democrats.

Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, said it was no surprise that people were calling it a do-nothing Legislature.

"We should be embarrassed we're here today like this," Kreuser said during Assembly debate. "Your side should be ashamed to not be able to compromise and work together."

Kreuser is assigning blame, castigating Republicans. For shame, evil Republicans! For shame!

There's reason for embarrassment. The Democrats should be embarrassed for trying to push through a budget that includes over $1 billion in new taxes and $1.4 billion in increased spending.

It's embarrassing (not to mention illegal) that Doyle has tried to bribe Republicans with promises to fund projects in their districts in exchange for their budget votes.

I wouldn't call this a do-nothing Legislature.

It's more of a doing-the-wrong-thing Legislature.

Lawmakers couldn't agree on the first budget Doyle introduced in February, so after months of talks the governor proposed another one that includes many of the major ideas he put forth eight months ago.

Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, said Doyle knew that because of roughly $1 billion in tax increases in his budget it "didn't have a chance in hell of passing."

"This budget was set up to fail," Kaufert said.

The bill includes a $1.25 per-pack cigarette tax increase even though the latest offer from Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, was for a 75-cent cigarette tax hike. He had earlier supported the full increase.

Republicans also have refused to accept a 0.8 percent tax on hospitals designed to generate $285 million more a year in federal money to help pay for treating Medicaid patients. That's even though the Wisconsin Hospital Association has reversed course and come out in favor of it.

Also in Doyle's proposal is a $175 million transfer from a fund used to pay medical malpractice claims, a move the Wisconsin Medical Society said would put the fund at dangerously low levels and could trigger a lawsuit to block it.

Republicans said it was impossible to know everything that was in the 1,625-page document since it wasn't printed until late Monday morning, just hours before the votes.

And Dems say Republicans are to blame for the impasse?

Yeah, right.

Riiiiiight.

Democrats accused Republicans who signed a pledge not to raise taxes of having painted themselves into a corner, unable to accept any increases that are part of Doyle's latest proposal. They also accuse Republicans of not wanting to get a budget done before an anti-tax rally set for Wednesday at the Capitol.

Huebsch said Republicans want to get a budget deal and aren't purposefully delaying progress.

That is so lame.

Are we to believe that Republicans have purposely delayed a budget for months because of an anti-tax rally scheduled for tomorrow?

Huebsch argued "for a spending plan that was not living within the desires of government but within the means of taxpayers."

Sen. Neal Kedzie (R-Elkhorn) noted that state spending continues at pre-July 1 levels until a budget is passed. Each day without the new budget saves taxpayers about $3 million, he said.

...Sen. Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) said Doyle's budget "sticks it to the middle class" by raising tuition on UW campuses, boosting a tax on nursing home beds and increasing the annual vehicle registration fee from $55 to $75.

Republicans can't be cast as the bad guys here.

They aren't the irresponsible ones.

What was that promise that Doyle made to the people of Wisconsin back in 2003?

Doyle said, "Going forward, my mind will be open to every solution -- except one. We should not -- we must not -- and I will not -- raise taxes."

Did he intentionally set out to deceive the people about taxes?

Was Doyle lying through his teeth?