Governor’s aides no-show, Appropriations delays vote again and Perry cites Japan disaster as a reason not to spend rainy day fund. Ha! Ha!, Mr. Governor, move to your own property and save us Texans 10,000.00 a month that we as Texans have been paying for almost 3 years. The Mansion fire is not our fault. If fingers are to be pointed, my finger would put the blame on your personal life. How can it be that with all the video and evidence present this case is unsolved. Is someome covering the truth to protect the little integrity you have left, which is not much. Texans, wake up and see things for what they are. Perry, cares nothing of the thousands of jobs that will be lost if he keeps fighting to keep the Rainy day fund intact.
Mr. Perry, it is raining all over Texas....Now is the time to tap into this fund to save the livelyhood of many Texans.
How about if we Played " It's Raining Men " by the Weather Girls, outside the Capitol. I am sure it would grab your attention, and maybe than you will save the thousands of jobs that at the mercy of your greed.
Tensions among the Republicans who lead state government continued to rise Monday as Gov. Rick Perry’s aides refused to appear before the most powerful committee in the Texas House.
The fact that Perry’s aides did not go to the Appropriations Committee as requested, and the fact that Appropriations has once again canceled this morning’s scheduled vote on taking money out of the rainy day fund, shows that we’re in something of a standoff over the rainy day fund. In fact, Appropriations has canceled its 7 a.m. meeting and its 8 a.m. meeting.
Perry continues to maintain publicly that a vote to use the fund in the current biennium should be a last alternative for lawmakers. So if House members vote now to use it, they are exposing themselves to the perception among voters that Perry’s is the more ideologically pure position.
But House leaders feel like they need to vote on using the fund now in order to keep the budget-writing process on track. And they really don’t seem to like that Perry has criticized their move toward using the fund, yet given them very few suggestions for actually cutting government in a way that would prevent them from accessing the fund to close the $4 billion shortfall in the biennium that ends in five and a half months.
“Unless we get agreement on (the rainy day fund bill) pretty soon, I think we effectively ensure a special session,” Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen , said in this morning’s story by the Statesman’s Kate Alexander.
Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said that the governor’s aides had testified for several hours last week and that Monday’s request was “last minute” and vague.
She added that Perry’s office remains “very engaged in the budget balancing process and will continue to work with lawmakers” on closing the current deficit.
Still, it probably didn’t help matters much that, while his aides were shunning Appropriations, Perry spoke directly to thousands of voters last night via a Texans for Fiscal Responsibility teleconference.
Perry wasn’t directly critical of lawmakers during the call. Still, he reiterated his position that using the rainy day fund for the current biennium should be a last resort (which is a shift from his earlier position that it should not be used at all). He called using the fund in the next biennium a “nonstarter.”
And, interestingly, he said lawmakers should protect the rainy day fund for a natural disaster. He twice mentioned the fund in connection with the devastation in Japan. “It is our insurance policy against a major natural disaster,” he said.
This natural-disaster argument against spending the rainy day fund is a rather new development. First time I heard it was when the Tea Party Advisory Committee came out against using any of the fund several weeks ago.
If the questioners on Perry’s call were any indication, his position is pretty popular among the Republican grass roots. One caller asked him to “not give into the education industry and let them have access to the rainy day fund.” Another thanked Perry for “holding the line on the budget.” Several callers expressed frustration with administrative bloat in school districts.
And when one caller asked about the economic impact of losing potentially 100,000 teachers (it’s actually 100,000 school employees), Perry said, “That is a wild and out of even close to proportion number,” and he reiterated his suggestion that school districts should cut back on administrators, not teachers.
Callers also asked about voter ID, replacing the property tax with a higher sales tax and the state’s stand on the Obama health care law (turns out Texas is against it).
• In my print column this morning, I talk about the practice of using most of the System Benefit Fund for something other than the System Benefit Fund: “Lawmakers set up the fund in the late 1990s as they deregulated the electric market. Texans in deregulated markets would pay a fee on their electric bills to give low-income Texans in those markets an electricity discount. The fee, about a dollar per month for customers, is still going strong. The discount? Not so much. Lawmakers have in recent years spent only some of the money on the electric discount, with the rest of it used to help balance the state budget. The fund is projected to have more than $750 million by the end of the current budget year, with only about $135 million going toward electric discounts.”
• From the Statesman’s Kate Alexander: “Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said legislators should consider a constitutional amendment that would clarify that an income tax could be assessed on corporations but not individuals. The objective would be to use the corporate income tax to replace the current franchise tax that is considered unfair by many businesses. … But House Ways and Means Chairman Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville, has said he does not intend to look at a major revision of the business tax until the interim. Since all revenue bills must originate in the House, Hilderbran’s objection might kill the idea in its infancy.”
• From the Statesman’s Ben Wermund: “The group of senators tasked with finding $9.9 billion in Medicaid savings had an expanded workload dropped in their laps Monday. The Senate Finance Subcommittee for Medicaid is now in charge of cost-cutting all of the state’s Health and Human Services budget, said state Sen. Jane Nelson, the Flower Mound Republican who chairs the subcommittee. State Sen. Steve Ogden, the Bryan Republican who chairs the overall Senate Finance Committee, assigned the new responsibility. Nelson said the committee will meet all day every day this week — including Friday, if necessary — to ‘put something in the chairman’s hands by the end of the week.’”
• San Antonio Express-News: “The head of the Texas Democratic Party is demanding the resignation of Bexar County Democratic Party Chairman Dan Ramos, accusing him of bigotry and creating chaos since his election a year ago. Citing complaints from local partisans, state Chairman Boyd Richie said Ramos should step aside so the party can ‘move forward with new, more unifying leadership.’ Richie rescinded a request to meet with Ramos, saying that would not be useful. Richie issued his statement Saturday, the day after a news blog posted comments by Ramos that disparaged gay and black Democrats.
• Wayne Slater: “California has had just about enough of Rick Perry and Texas triumphalism. … When Perry pokes fun at California, as he has done with some relish, it’s good politics in Texas. But the only thing that would be harder for him than winning California’s 55 electoral votes in the next presidential race would be actually selling the virtues of Texas to folks on the West Coast.”
• Dallas Morning News: “Texas has long lagged behind other states in its regulations to prevent harm to animals, advocates say, but that may be changing as lawmakers are considering dozens of proposals to strengthen protections. At least 30 bills have been offered, ranging from crackdowns on puppy mills and cockfighting to requiring the addition of a bitter agent to antifreeze. And most are nonpartisan issues that have united unlikely bedfellows on opposite sides of the political spectrum. … One of the highest-profile measures, an attempt to regulate large-scale commercial breeders, will be discussed by a House committee Tuesday.”
• Dallas Morning News: “Texas cities would face penalties for prohibiting police from asking people they stop about their immigration status, under a bill approved Monday by the House State Affairs Committee. Proponents, including Gov. Rick Perry, have struggled to name a ‘sanctuary city’ in Texas, but many lawmakers frustrated over illegal immigration have said that they want to send a message that the state will seek to deport those here illegally.”
• Texas Tribune: “Lobbyists spent more than $1.2 million in the first two months of 2011 trying to influence lawmakers and other officials, according to the latest ethics filings, which are now accessible in our new lobbying data application.”
“Vote on rainy day fund again delayed” Using the rainy-day fund to balance the current budget will do absolutely nothing to solve problems for the upcoming 2-year budget. Using the rainy-day fund now will result in claims it will be too small during the next 2 years and pleas for tax increases to replenish the fund. Reduce the redistribution of income / wealth in Texas … support individual freedom … cut spending … starting with the current budget. www.newsandopinions.net
Well Embry you managed to smear Perry once again in almost your entire blog. Your daily smear campaign gets a little boring. You are supposed to an political analyst yet you cannot see what Perry is really doing. Forcing the establishment to make cuts since he knows there is no political will to do so. He is bluffing in order to force futher cuts. You leftists under estimate the guy.
By the way instead of smearing Perry why dont you do some serious investigating into state spending yourself. I will just make it simple for you. For example how many assistant principals did your high school have when you went to high school? Mine had one. Now the same school has 4 assistant principals and the student enrollment is 1/3 less!!! Get the picture?
Community colleges have whole couselors doing little or nothing and secretaries doing little or nothing but since they have always had secretaries we just keep them. Ever heard of the computer and typing for yourself? “. When was the last time you had someone type for you down at the Austin American?
You have universities like the University of Texas paying teachers to teach classes with 5 students in them. Yes 5 students in an undergraduate class!!! Seems to me if you dont have enough student interest in the classes they should not be offered. You can no longer afford fluff. You put your university money where the students are not what academics think you should offer. If you dont give them any money they will have to cut. You cannot make local political leaders do the politically unpopular thing unless you force them.
Even in Austin faced with record deficits the Austin School board does not have the political will and refuses to close schools that have declining enrollment and whole wings of at one high school vacant. So what is Perry is doing is “tough love.” So Perry says. Dont give them any money then let the pig squeal until he is willing to fix the situation. .
I find it interesting that you finally dealt only today with the Ritchie story and the Bexar County Democratic party even though it has been all over leftist blogs all weekend. Trying to hide that story because it does not fit your agenda?
Perry’s lack of leadership is obvious! Let’s recall him, as California did with their governor not long ago.
Texans in deregulated electricity markets pay a fee on their bills to give low-income people in those markets a subsidy. The fund is projected to have more than $750 million by the end of the current budget year. This redistribution of income / wealth should be repealed. www.newsandopinions.net
“So if House members vote now to use it, they are exposing themselves to the perception among voters that Perry’s is the more ideologically pure position.”
“Ideologically pure”? Sounds like what we hear about how the communist party ran…
Oh wait, we’re talking about Perry and the republiCons, right? Never mind…
Just like the republiCons, putting their special interests over what’s good for the state. RepubliCons can not govern. They proved it with HalliBush, Inc. and with themselves for the past 13+ years in Texas…
The current legislative session is like the Black Friday sale after Thanksgiving… everybody (lobbyiest), running in to get what they can while the session, I mean, the sale is going on. Equally disorganized, too.
When the Republicans come up with numbers and actual decisions, I guess we’ll stand by it. Until you come up with something other than “greedy Democrats” and “wasteful spending” and “welfare parasites,” shut up. You and Perry aren’t saying anything, and that’s what everyone’s mad about, not that there are cuts. We KNOW there will be cuts. Where? How much? How will we minimize the damage. Grow some freakin’ cojones and make a decision, and stop trying to politically shove it on someone else’s shoulders so that Republicans can just point and squeal. You’ve made no decisions, just accusations, and until you do, don’t get mad that people expect decisions and not vitriol.
.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Newt Gingrich for President....I say "HELL NO"
Devastating profile of Newt Gingrich and his marriages in Gail Collins column in NY Times
If you want to read one of the most devastating pieces of journalism in a long time read Gail Collins on Newt Gingrich in Saturday's New York Times.
Collins is usually in the shadow of her more famous Irish American colleague Maureen Dowd but on this occasion she outdoes everyone.
Gingrich, pictured here with third wife Callista, was recently on Christan Broadcasting Network defending his three marriages. and he said " There is no question that at times in my life , partially driven by how passionately I feel about this country that I worked far too hard and that things happened in my life that were not appropriate."
Huh?
As an excuse for infidelity it beats the band.
As the man who led the impeachment charge against Bill Clinton it gives hypocrisy a new name.
And Collins knows how to apply the knife mocking Gingrich for saying his passion for work led to his affairs.
She goes back over Gingrich's two broken marriages.
In the first one he told his wife Jackie when she was recovering from surgery for uterine cancer he was divorcing her --charming I'm sure.
His second wife Marianne , who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was visiting her mother when he called to tell her he'd met some one better.
A real class act.
The Catholic Church found a way to have Gingrich annul his second marriage and marry his third wife, a much younger woman after becoming a Catholic.
With Catholics like him no wonder the church is in trouble.
Gingrich is ready to forgive his own sins, but judging by his rhetoric not those of others.
What a hypocrite!
If you want to read one of the most devastating pieces of journalism in a long time read Gail Collins on Newt Gingrich in Saturday's New York Times.
Collins is usually in the shadow of her more famous Irish American colleague Maureen Dowd but on this occasion she outdoes everyone.
Gingrich, pictured here with third wife Callista, was recently on Christan Broadcasting Network defending his three marriages. and he said " There is no question that at times in my life , partially driven by how passionately I feel about this country that I worked far too hard and that things happened in my life that were not appropriate."
Huh?
As an excuse for infidelity it beats the band.
As the man who led the impeachment charge against Bill Clinton it gives hypocrisy a new name.
And Collins knows how to apply the knife mocking Gingrich for saying his passion for work led to his affairs.
She goes back over Gingrich's two broken marriages.
In the first one he told his wife Jackie when she was recovering from surgery for uterine cancer he was divorcing her --charming I'm sure.
His second wife Marianne , who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was visiting her mother when he called to tell her he'd met some one better.
A real class act.
The Catholic Church found a way to have Gingrich annul his second marriage and marry his third wife, a much younger woman after becoming a Catholic.
With Catholics like him no wonder the church is in trouble.
Gingrich is ready to forgive his own sins, but judging by his rhetoric not those of others.
What a hypocrite!
Texas Governor's Gay Sex Scandal Covered in Austin paper, the First Non-Internet Media Outlet to Report On It.
Texas Governor's Gay Sex Scandal Covered in Austin paper, the First Non-Internet Media Outlet to Report On It.
Under the appropriate heading of "Naked City," the weekly Austin Chronicle became the first media source beyond Internet blogs and ezines to report on the alleged sex scandal involving Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry.
The Feb. 26 story by Michael King mentioned a "support rally" this week at the Governor's Mansion for Perry under the theme, "It's OK to Be Gay." The story mentions the numerous rumors that "the governor's marriage is in trouble, that his wife Anita has/will/may decide to divorce him, and that the issue is Rick's alleged infidelity, with one or another member of his administration of undetermined gender. [Rumors of this sort, about multitudinous politicians, circulate all the time, but the current Perry rumors are indeed extraordinary in their baroque detail and remarkable persistence.]"
King said he looked into the Perry rumors when they first surfaced some weeks ago and "found no evidence of any truth to any of them, whatsoever." He lamented that "nobody will go on the record." Did anyone involved in the story "go on the record" when everyone from Saturday Night Live to Reuters published the alleged affair rumor against John Kerry a few weeks ago? No, but of course, Kerry is a Democrat so the media and people in general believe the myth that Democrats are more likely to have extramarital affairs than Republicans.
King had this comment from Perry spokesperson Kathy Walt: "These are false, malicious, and hurtful rumors, and the Chronicle's own investigation acknowledges that fact."
King also wrote that "numerous other reporters, from here to New York, have looked into the rumors, with, as far as we know, an identical lack of results. Nor do we expect anything we say here to have any effect on the rumors, which have become entirely self-replicating as they echo through the blogosphere."
A note on this story: It is extremely difficult to find "evidence" of extramarital affairs unless one party spills the beans or it comes out in a court divorce document. In 2001, The Washington Post put two reporters to spy on former Democratic Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, who was rumored to have had sex with Jennifer Crawford, his unmarried chief of staff, while he was separated from his wife. The Post reported in Sept. 2001 that Glendening eased out of Crawford's home early on a few mornings that summer.
Remember that Crawford was unmarried and Glendening was separated. Has any media outlet devoted similar resources to try to catch Perry, who says he is committed to his wife? No. Can anyone recall the media catching a Republican in an affair through such an investigation? I can't. And it's not like Republicans don't have affairs; read my essay at to learn about a few of them.
So just because some reporters found "no evidence" to support the rumors doesn't mean the rumors do not have some basis. It just might take more work to unearth some evidence-- such as reporters following Perry around 24 hours a day as they did to former Democratic Sen. Gary Hart, a potential 1988 presidential candidate, and Glendening - than these reporters can devote at the moment.
The Chronicle also pointed out how last year Perry signed the "Defense of Marriage Act," the Texas Legislature's "latest gratuitous demonstration that it believes gay and lesbian Texans deserve fewer rights than other citizens." The rumors have become stronger as Bush and other Republicans push for a Constitutional amendment to ensure that no gay couple marries.
The Chronicle's story mentioned how Perry and his wife spent Presidents Day weekend in the Bahamas with major political donors James and Cecelia Leininger and John and Bobbi Nau. The official story on this was it was a "working trip" paid for by "campaign funds" to discuss "public school finance." As the Chronicle pointed out, "That is, during a luxury retreat in the Bahamas, the governor discussed "public school finance" with a group of wealthy right-wing activists who have done everything in their power to undermine, or even abolish, public education."
The story is at click here. Here is a photo of the "support Perry" rally.
Meanwhile, a blog written by Wick Allison, publisher/editor of D Magazine, a mainstream city magazine, mentioned that Geoff Connor, Perry's secretary of state and alleged playmate, threatened to track down the source of the rumor and sue. Republicans have blamed a Democratic operative in Houston.
This is from a strong Republican insider and apologist. Allison has given money to Republican candidates, such as $500 to Hillary Clinton's NY Senate opponent in 2000.
That would be an interesting lawsuit if Connor were to actually sue someone, wouldn't it? I doubt he would follow through since the gay stories would get further into the public record.
A politically-connected attorney in Texas told me he has known about Perry's gay side since the 1980s. And two district judges in Odessa told him that the rumor was always there when they served in the Legislature with Perry.
I don't care if he is gay or bi or whatever, what's appalling is the hypocrisy involved - Perry is going around condemning gays and signing laws against them in public while possibly doing something different in private.
And check out this statement in the Texas GOP's platform, the most extreme platform in the country, which also calls for abolishing Social Security, the Department of Education and others, along with getting the U.S. out of the U.N.: "The Party believes that the practice of sodomy tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country's founders, and shared by the majority of Texans." It also says, "The party opposes the decriminalization of sodomy."
Perry approved the statement, and all candidates who run as Republicans in Texas have to sign it, or forfeit financial support by the party. So if the homosexual encounter with Perry is true, I would think his own party's leaders would be making plans to get rid of him. I hear Perry won't run for governor again in 2006, even if these rumors die.
I also hear there is a court transcript or statement of facts in the Texas Court of Appeals that contains sworn testimony that former Waco Rep. Lane Denton had an encounter himself with Perry. Some reporters I know are checking on that.
Denton was found guilty in 1995 of diverting $67,201 from the Texas Department of Public Safety Officers Association while serving as its executive director in 1988-89. He received 20 years in prison, but his sentence was suspended, and he was placed on community supervision.
The Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals, where the Perry document allegedly is, also ruled against Denton.
In the original trial, prosecutors said Denton funneled the trooper group's funds to a public relations company owned by New Orleans architect John Chrestia, who testified that he had been Mr. Denton's gay lover.
Blogs that have done great jobs in keeping this issue fresh include http://www.burntorangereport.com/archives/001102.html and datalounge.
Why is the story important in the battle to dethrone Bush? Why not focus on the economy or Iraq in attacking Bush?
Because with his support for a Constitutional amendment to crack down on gay rights, Bush has signaled that he plans to make "morality" and cultural issues a big part of his 2004 campaign. And pointing out the Republican hypocrisies-- which include charges of extramarital sex against Bush [see http://www.geocities.com/jacksonthor/knowrsex.html] in this area is important to win this battle.
If Democrats can show that the very Republicans who blasted Clinton for having an extramarital affair in the 1990s have extramarital affairs of their own and might even be extra hypocrites in publicly bashing gays, then this supposed advantage in "morality" that Republicans seem to enjoy over Democrats can be negated. Like it or not, sex and extramarital affairs register more with many average voters who get most of their news from TV than Iraq or even the economy.
I'm not expecting the Kerry campaign to conduct this "expose the cultural Republican hypocrites" campaign. As far as I know, the Kerry campaign has nothing to do with spreading these rumors. People like me will do it and take the heat as muckrakers or mudslingers or whatever from the whining Republican babies who don't like to see their own tactics slammed back in their faces. As I have long said, many far-right Republicans can dish it out, but they can't take it.
Message to the Republican whiners: Don't be surprised and cry foul when your opponent plays by the rules you devise.
While I can't take credit for starting this Perry rumor, I have helped move it along. I see this campaign as part of my duty and my contribution to restore some legitimacy and sanity to the White House.
So a non-Internet media outlet has published this Perry story. Can we expect Reuters and others who jumped on the Kerry rumor to follow suit? It would be the fair thing to do, based on the precedent set with the Kerry rumor. But I'm not holding my breath.
Jackson Thoreau is an American writer and co-author of We Will Not Get Over It: Restoring a Legitimate White House. The 120,000-word electronic book can be downloaded on his Internet site. He is working on another book, The Strange Death of the Woman Who Filed a Rape Lawsuit Against Bush & Other Things the Bush Administration Doesn't Want You to Know. Some chapters from that can be read at http://www.geocities.com/jacksonthor/know.html
Under the appropriate heading of "Naked City," the weekly Austin Chronicle became the first media source beyond Internet blogs and ezines to report on the alleged sex scandal involving Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry.
The Feb. 26 story by Michael King mentioned a "support rally" this week at the Governor's Mansion for Perry under the theme, "It's OK to Be Gay." The story mentions the numerous rumors that "the governor's marriage is in trouble, that his wife Anita has/will/may decide to divorce him, and that the issue is Rick's alleged infidelity, with one or another member of his administration of undetermined gender. [Rumors of this sort, about multitudinous politicians, circulate all the time, but the current Perry rumors are indeed extraordinary in their baroque detail and remarkable persistence.]"
King said he looked into the Perry rumors when they first surfaced some weeks ago and "found no evidence of any truth to any of them, whatsoever." He lamented that "nobody will go on the record." Did anyone involved in the story "go on the record" when everyone from Saturday Night Live to Reuters published the alleged affair rumor against John Kerry a few weeks ago? No, but of course, Kerry is a Democrat so the media and people in general believe the myth that Democrats are more likely to have extramarital affairs than Republicans.
King had this comment from Perry spokesperson Kathy Walt: "These are false, malicious, and hurtful rumors, and the Chronicle's own investigation acknowledges that fact."
King also wrote that "numerous other reporters, from here to New York, have looked into the rumors, with, as far as we know, an identical lack of results. Nor do we expect anything we say here to have any effect on the rumors, which have become entirely self-replicating as they echo through the blogosphere."
A note on this story: It is extremely difficult to find "evidence" of extramarital affairs unless one party spills the beans or it comes out in a court divorce document. In 2001, The Washington Post put two reporters to spy on former Democratic Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, who was rumored to have had sex with Jennifer Crawford, his unmarried chief of staff, while he was separated from his wife. The Post reported in Sept. 2001 that Glendening eased out of Crawford's home early on a few mornings that summer.
Remember that Crawford was unmarried and Glendening was separated. Has any media outlet devoted similar resources to try to catch Perry, who says he is committed to his wife? No. Can anyone recall the media catching a Republican in an affair through such an investigation? I can't. And it's not like Republicans don't have affairs; read my essay at to learn about a few of them.
So just because some reporters found "no evidence" to support the rumors doesn't mean the rumors do not have some basis. It just might take more work to unearth some evidence-- such as reporters following Perry around 24 hours a day as they did to former Democratic Sen. Gary Hart, a potential 1988 presidential candidate, and Glendening - than these reporters can devote at the moment.
The Chronicle also pointed out how last year Perry signed the "Defense of Marriage Act," the Texas Legislature's "latest gratuitous demonstration that it believes gay and lesbian Texans deserve fewer rights than other citizens." The rumors have become stronger as Bush and other Republicans push for a Constitutional amendment to ensure that no gay couple marries.
The Chronicle's story mentioned how Perry and his wife spent Presidents Day weekend in the Bahamas with major political donors James and Cecelia Leininger and John and Bobbi Nau. The official story on this was it was a "working trip" paid for by "campaign funds" to discuss "public school finance." As the Chronicle pointed out, "That is, during a luxury retreat in the Bahamas, the governor discussed "public school finance" with a group of wealthy right-wing activists who have done everything in their power to undermine, or even abolish, public education."
The story is at click here. Here is a photo of the "support Perry" rally.
Meanwhile, a blog written by Wick Allison, publisher/editor of D Magazine, a mainstream city magazine, mentioned that Geoff Connor, Perry's secretary of state and alleged playmate, threatened to track down the source of the rumor and sue. Republicans have blamed a Democratic operative in Houston.
This is from a strong Republican insider and apologist. Allison has given money to Republican candidates, such as $500 to Hillary Clinton's NY Senate opponent in 2000.
That would be an interesting lawsuit if Connor were to actually sue someone, wouldn't it? I doubt he would follow through since the gay stories would get further into the public record.
A politically-connected attorney in Texas told me he has known about Perry's gay side since the 1980s. And two district judges in Odessa told him that the rumor was always there when they served in the Legislature with Perry.
I don't care if he is gay or bi or whatever, what's appalling is the hypocrisy involved - Perry is going around condemning gays and signing laws against them in public while possibly doing something different in private.
And check out this statement in the Texas GOP's platform, the most extreme platform in the country, which also calls for abolishing Social Security, the Department of Education and others, along with getting the U.S. out of the U.N.: "The Party believes that the practice of sodomy tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases. Homosexual behavior is contrary to the fundamental, unchanging truths that have been ordained by God, recognized by our country's founders, and shared by the majority of Texans." It also says, "The party opposes the decriminalization of sodomy."
Perry approved the statement, and all candidates who run as Republicans in Texas have to sign it, or forfeit financial support by the party. So if the homosexual encounter with Perry is true, I would think his own party's leaders would be making plans to get rid of him. I hear Perry won't run for governor again in 2006, even if these rumors die.
I also hear there is a court transcript or statement of facts in the Texas Court of Appeals that contains sworn testimony that former Waco Rep. Lane Denton had an encounter himself with Perry. Some reporters I know are checking on that.
Denton was found guilty in 1995 of diverting $67,201 from the Texas Department of Public Safety Officers Association while serving as its executive director in 1988-89. He received 20 years in prison, but his sentence was suspended, and he was placed on community supervision.
The Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals, where the Perry document allegedly is, also ruled against Denton.
In the original trial, prosecutors said Denton funneled the trooper group's funds to a public relations company owned by New Orleans architect John Chrestia, who testified that he had been Mr. Denton's gay lover.
Blogs that have done great jobs in keeping this issue fresh include http://www.burntorangereport.com/archives/001102.html and datalounge.
Why is the story important in the battle to dethrone Bush? Why not focus on the economy or Iraq in attacking Bush?
Because with his support for a Constitutional amendment to crack down on gay rights, Bush has signaled that he plans to make "morality" and cultural issues a big part of his 2004 campaign. And pointing out the Republican hypocrisies-- which include charges of extramarital sex against Bush [see http://www.geocities.com/jacksonthor/knowrsex.html] in this area is important to win this battle.
If Democrats can show that the very Republicans who blasted Clinton for having an extramarital affair in the 1990s have extramarital affairs of their own and might even be extra hypocrites in publicly bashing gays, then this supposed advantage in "morality" that Republicans seem to enjoy over Democrats can be negated. Like it or not, sex and extramarital affairs register more with many average voters who get most of their news from TV than Iraq or even the economy.
I'm not expecting the Kerry campaign to conduct this "expose the cultural Republican hypocrites" campaign. As far as I know, the Kerry campaign has nothing to do with spreading these rumors. People like me will do it and take the heat as muckrakers or mudslingers or whatever from the whining Republican babies who don't like to see their own tactics slammed back in their faces. As I have long said, many far-right Republicans can dish it out, but they can't take it.
Message to the Republican whiners: Don't be surprised and cry foul when your opponent plays by the rules you devise.
While I can't take credit for starting this Perry rumor, I have helped move it along. I see this campaign as part of my duty and my contribution to restore some legitimacy and sanity to the White House.
So a non-Internet media outlet has published this Perry story. Can we expect Reuters and others who jumped on the Kerry rumor to follow suit? It would be the fair thing to do, based on the precedent set with the Kerry rumor. But I'm not holding my breath.
Jackson Thoreau is an American writer and co-author of We Will Not Get Over It: Restoring a Legitimate White House. The 120,000-word electronic book can be downloaded on his Internet site. He is working on another book, The Strange Death of the Woman Who Filed a Rape Lawsuit Against Bush & Other Things the Bush Administration Doesn't Want You to Know. Some chapters from that can be read at http://www.geocities.com/jacksonthor/know.html
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
THE HUCKABYEBYE BACKWOOD ARKANSAS REPUBLICAN GREW UP IN SEGREGATED ARKANSAS
.by Fred Herrera on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 5:40pm.
Here we go again. Republican Presidential wannabes Hauckabee, and the 3 time married/ divorsed two timer Newt Gingrish, will use the scare tactics again. The results of the mid-term elections were devastating to most Amerocans. Now here comes the RIGHT, once again instilling fear into the ignorance of America. Most voted out of fraustrations, for all the wrong reasons. Weeper of the House!!!! Where are the jobs?. Americans, we were fooled by the promises of the GOP/TEA parties, and where in the hell are we?. As a middle class American, I as, should most others feel what is really happening, Destroy the Unions (public & private ), so that only the richest of the rich will survive the stronghold of the large corporations. These corporations own the GOP......Let's hope we vote wisely next time around in 2012, otherwise we will become the SCUM of America. That term "SCUM", is already being used against the middle class and the poor in America. The bottom feeders. I see why they are trying to destroy the unions.....#1..If not for the UNIONS, we would not be enjoying a typical 40 hour work week. There would be Worker's Compensation laws. The under educated would be working for peanuts. Destroy the Unions, is the Idea of most Republican Governors, who have cahooted together to destroy the middle class. It is really incredible that these Rpuke Idiots, are still using the "Death Panel" tactics, and more incredible is that alot of us Americans, are buying into it.....What a shame. PLEASE READ BELOW, from the mouth of the segregated Arkansan FOX News supported Huckabilly....
Fred Herrera
Huckabee claims Obama grew up in Kenya
*** UPDATED WITH HUCKPAC RESPONSE AFTER THE JUMP ***
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Sarah Blackwill
Mike Huckabee
, the former Arkansas governor considering another run for president in 2012, inaccurately claimed on a conservative talk-radio show that President Obama grew up in Kenya.
"[O]ne thing that I do know is his having grown up in Kenya, his view of the Brits, for example, very different than the average American," Huckabee told host Steve Malzberg, the Washington Post reported. (Huckabee is on a multi-state book tour that is taking him to key presidential nominating states.)
Huckabee's claim that President Obama grew up in Kenya is false. President Obama was born in Hawaii and spent part of his youth in Indonesia, not Kenya. The president's biological father was Kenyan, and Obama barely knew him.
Huckabee has said he believes President Obama was born in the United States -- unlike the so-called "Birthers," who believe falsely that the president was born elsewhere. Huckabee reiterated his standard reasoning for that again today.
"The only reason I'm not as confident that there's something about the birth certificate ... is because I know the Clintons well, and believe me they had lots of investigators out on him," Huckabee said, "and I'm convinced if there was anything they could have found on that they would have found it, and I promise they would have used it."
But Huckabee didn't shoot down other conspiracy theories like the president not having health or college records, floated by Malzberg. Here's a partial transcript:
MALZBERG: Don't you think it's fair also to ask him - I know your stance on this - how come we don't have a health record? We don't have a college record? We don't have a birth certif- why Mr. Obama did you spend millions of dollars in courts all over this country to defend against having to present a birth certificate. It's one thing to say, "You've seen it, goodbye. But why go to court and send lawyers to defend against having to show it?" Don't you think we deserve to know more about this man?
HUCKABEE: I would love to know more - what I know is troubling enough. And one thing that I do know is his having grown up in Kenya - his view of the Brits, for example, very different from the average American. When he gave the bust back to [of Winston Churchill] -- of Winston Churchill, yeah. A great insult to the British, but if you think about it - his perspective growing up in Kenya with a Kenyan father and granfather, their view of the Mau Mau Revolution is very different from ours, because he probably grew up hearing that the British were a bunch of imperialists who persecuted his grandfather.
MALZBERG: He despises the West, he despises the Brits, and I think he could take it all out on Israel, and that's why he despises Israel. He's not too thrilled with our history either... Would you say to him or at least ask him in a debate: Why did you go to court and spend millions of dollars on lawyers to prevent from having to show your birth certificate? If you have one, and it's there, why not show it?
HUCKABEE: The only reason I'm not as confident that there's something about the birth certificate, Steve, is because I know the Clintons well, and believe me they had lots of investigators out on him, and I'm convinced if there was anything they could have found on that they would have found it and I promised they would have used it.
*** UPDATE *** HuckPAC Executive Director J. Hogan Gidley says Huckabee "simply misspoke":
“Governor Huckabee simply misspoke when he alluded to President Obama growing up in ‘Kenya.’ The Governor meant to say the President grew up in Indonesia. When the Governor mentioned he wanted to know more about the President, he wasn’t talking about the President’s place of birth - the Governor believes the President was born in Hawaii. The Governor would however like to know more about where President Obama’s liberal policies come from and what else the President plans to do to this country - as do most Americans.”
Here we go again. Republican Presidential wannabes Hauckabee, and the 3 time married/ divorsed two timer Newt Gingrish, will use the scare tactics again. The results of the mid-term elections were devastating to most Amerocans. Now here comes the RIGHT, once again instilling fear into the ignorance of America. Most voted out of fraustrations, for all the wrong reasons. Weeper of the House!!!! Where are the jobs?. Americans, we were fooled by the promises of the GOP/TEA parties, and where in the hell are we?. As a middle class American, I as, should most others feel what is really happening, Destroy the Unions (public & private ), so that only the richest of the rich will survive the stronghold of the large corporations. These corporations own the GOP......Let's hope we vote wisely next time around in 2012, otherwise we will become the SCUM of America. That term "SCUM", is already being used against the middle class and the poor in America. The bottom feeders. I see why they are trying to destroy the unions.....#1..If not for the UNIONS, we would not be enjoying a typical 40 hour work week. There would be Worker's Compensation laws. The under educated would be working for peanuts. Destroy the Unions, is the Idea of most Republican Governors, who have cahooted together to destroy the middle class. It is really incredible that these Rpuke Idiots, are still using the "Death Panel" tactics, and more incredible is that alot of us Americans, are buying into it.....What a shame. PLEASE READ BELOW, from the mouth of the segregated Arkansan FOX News supported Huckabilly....
Fred Herrera
Huckabee claims Obama grew up in Kenya
*** UPDATED WITH HUCKPAC RESPONSE AFTER THE JUMP ***
From NBC's Domenico Montanaro and Sarah Blackwill
Mike Huckabee
, the former Arkansas governor considering another run for president in 2012, inaccurately claimed on a conservative talk-radio show that President Obama grew up in Kenya.
"[O]ne thing that I do know is his having grown up in Kenya, his view of the Brits, for example, very different than the average American," Huckabee told host Steve Malzberg, the Washington Post reported. (Huckabee is on a multi-state book tour that is taking him to key presidential nominating states.)
Huckabee's claim that President Obama grew up in Kenya is false. President Obama was born in Hawaii and spent part of his youth in Indonesia, not Kenya. The president's biological father was Kenyan, and Obama barely knew him.
Huckabee has said he believes President Obama was born in the United States -- unlike the so-called "Birthers," who believe falsely that the president was born elsewhere. Huckabee reiterated his standard reasoning for that again today.
"The only reason I'm not as confident that there's something about the birth certificate ... is because I know the Clintons well, and believe me they had lots of investigators out on him," Huckabee said, "and I'm convinced if there was anything they could have found on that they would have found it, and I promise they would have used it."
But Huckabee didn't shoot down other conspiracy theories like the president not having health or college records, floated by Malzberg. Here's a partial transcript:
MALZBERG: Don't you think it's fair also to ask him - I know your stance on this - how come we don't have a health record? We don't have a college record? We don't have a birth certif- why Mr. Obama did you spend millions of dollars in courts all over this country to defend against having to present a birth certificate. It's one thing to say, "You've seen it, goodbye. But why go to court and send lawyers to defend against having to show it?" Don't you think we deserve to know more about this man?
HUCKABEE: I would love to know more - what I know is troubling enough. And one thing that I do know is his having grown up in Kenya - his view of the Brits, for example, very different from the average American. When he gave the bust back to [of Winston Churchill] -- of Winston Churchill, yeah. A great insult to the British, but if you think about it - his perspective growing up in Kenya with a Kenyan father and granfather, their view of the Mau Mau Revolution is very different from ours, because he probably grew up hearing that the British were a bunch of imperialists who persecuted his grandfather.
MALZBERG: He despises the West, he despises the Brits, and I think he could take it all out on Israel, and that's why he despises Israel. He's not too thrilled with our history either... Would you say to him or at least ask him in a debate: Why did you go to court and spend millions of dollars on lawyers to prevent from having to show your birth certificate? If you have one, and it's there, why not show it?
HUCKABEE: The only reason I'm not as confident that there's something about the birth certificate, Steve, is because I know the Clintons well, and believe me they had lots of investigators out on him, and I'm convinced if there was anything they could have found on that they would have found it and I promised they would have used it.
*** UPDATE *** HuckPAC Executive Director J. Hogan Gidley says Huckabee "simply misspoke":
“Governor Huckabee simply misspoke when he alluded to President Obama growing up in ‘Kenya.’ The Governor meant to say the President grew up in Indonesia. When the Governor mentioned he wanted to know more about the President, he wasn’t talking about the President’s place of birth - the Governor believes the President was born in Hawaii. The Governor would however like to know more about where President Obama’s liberal policies come from and what else the President plans to do to this country - as do most Americans.”
Monarchy......The King of Wisconsin, and we the Slobs
Monarchy......The King of Wisconsin, and we the Slobs
Last Edited By: Fred Herrera on Mar 7, 2011 at 07:38 AM MT -->
Fred Herrera - Mar 7, 2011 View | Edit | Delete | Viewers
Perhaps taking his cues from the sniveling and dismissive State Sen. Glenn Grothman, who called the Wisconsin protesters "slobs", Gov. Scott Walker has sought a bid to clean up the Capitol building. His figures are a little dumbfounding:
Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said the original $7.5 million estimate to repair marble damaged by tape was a "high-end“ estimate. An updated report from DOA says a majority of the nearly $350,000 would cover a crew to perform "very limited“ restoration on marble as well as landscape restoration.
DOA originally said it would need $7 million to repair damage and between $60,000 and $500,000 just to assess the condition of the building.
$7.5 million for removing tape? Holy FSM. No wonder the guy has trouble balancing the budget. Turns out that even the $350,000 downgraded estimate is more than a little ridiculous too.
Like many, [the Center for Media and Democracy] was stunned to hear that Walker's lawyers told a court that it would cost over seven million dollars to clean up the tape on the stone walls and railings. After criticism, the state's lawyers acknowledged that this absurd figure was on "the high end" and then suggested that the cost could be "as low as $347,500," if "restoration specialists" were not needed. The state asserted that its figures were "an educated guess." Based on whose education is unknown.
The Wisconsin State Journal contacted a local art conservator to see how Walker could have possible derived such ridiculous sums. But she had a hard time making the numbers make sense.
[..]Middleton art conservator Meghan Thumm Mackey assert[ed] that at $100 an hour it would cost $6 million to clean up the inside of the capitol, plus a million for the outside, in addition to a $500,000 initial assessment fee, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Mackey noted that painter's tape that is left on too long can require the use of acetone (the main ingredient in nail polish remover) and cotton swabs.[..] Mackey did note that the state's initial estimate of $7.5 million seemed "high."
Luckily, the janitorial staff who actually has extensive experience cleaning the marble walls and floors and metal railings at the Capitol have weighed in. According to Sean Heiser, the Association of Federal, State, County, and Municipal Employees field supervisor who oversees an eight-person team that keeps the Capitol clean, the clean-up can be accomplished with readily available solvents and the damage claimed is "just not there."
The mendacity of Walker truly knows no bounds.
UPDATE: Actually, more of a clarification. The article above quotes art conservator Meghan Thumm Mackey's interpretation of the Walker clean up estimate. Mackey is not the originator of the estimate, nor would she be in charge of or profit from said clean up. As the CMD wrote in their update:
In response to her request CMD wishes to make extra clear that Ms. Mackey was not involved in the initial estimate of the clean-up costs by the state. Ms. Mackey was simply asked by the WSJ what the cost per hour of such expertise was, after-the-fact. We regret the error based on the print version of that story that the extrapolation of that rate with the size of the building and assessment was attributed to her based on the proximity in the WSJ article between her estimate and the story's discussion of the extrapolation of the cost of restoration and assessment for such expertise. To be absolutely clear, Ms. Mackey was not consulted by the state in its estimate.
Ahhh...so much for that transparency on which Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker campaigned. When Walker claimed to have received thousands of emails supporting him on his union-busting collective bargaining hardline, the Associated Press and the local publication the Isthmus asked to see proof. When Walker refused, they filed FOIA requests for them. Think that a legally binding document compelled Walker? Guess again:
Over the past month or so, Governor Deadeyes has been spinning a narrative in which he’s been receiving “overwhelming” support for his budget-slashing measures. He has frequently cited receiving emails from “a single mother” or “a small-business owner” or “a laid off autoworker from Janesville.” As he continues to find ways to get on to TV to make his case, he keeps relying on this “overwhelming” support.
In an attempt to find out what level of support he really has received, two local media outlets filed Freedom of Information Act requests, seeking the emails that Walker has received over this period of time. They want to see exactly who is supporting him and what they are saying.
Apparently, the law not being on his side, Walker decided to ignore the requests. Bill Lueders of the Isthmus noted that he had not received a formal response to his request. AP reporter Todd Richmond received an email from the governor’s lawyer, noting his request would cost more than $31,250 and that amount of money had to be paid in advance. Or, he could just come on down and camp out at the Capitol and read until his heart was content.
The men filed a suit in Dane County on Friday, as their requests weren’t being taken seriously.
The Freedom of Information Act for the state of Wisconsin is listed here. Note that it says that we’re supposed to have as much openness as possible. Also note that fees can be waived “if the material requested is of public interest.” Governor might be making sh*t up? Yeah, seems like this request fits the bill
Thirty-one thousand dollars for copying? C'mon. I can get a flash drive for $50 and you can put all of the files on that. I guess that's too easy an answer.
I'm curious how much of the precious Wisconsin tax dollars are being used to defend Walker's desire not to share with the public how much support he is actually getting.
Walker proposed a budget repair bill on February 11, 2011 that would save the state an estimated $30 million in the current fiscal year, and $300 million over the next two years.The bill would require additional contributions by state and local government workers to their health care plans and pensions, amounting to roughly an 8 percent decrease in the average worker’s take home pay. The bill also would eliminate most collective bargaining rights except for wages. Unions would be unable to seek pay increases above the rate of inflation, unless approved by a voter referendum.Under the bill, unions would have to win yearly votes to continue representing the workers, and could no longer have dues deducted from workers' paychecks. Law enforcement personnel and firefighters would be exempt from the bargaining changes.
In announcing the proposed legislation, Walker said the Wisconsin National Guard and other state agencies were prepared to prevent disruptions in state services ] He later explained that police and firefighters were excluded from the changes because he would not jeopardize public safety.[49] Walker also said that the bill was necessary to avoid the layoffs of thousands of state employees, and that no one should be surprised by its provisions.Union and Democratic leaders quickly criticized the bill as a power grab by the governor, claiming that Walker had never campaigned on doing away with collective bargaining rights. In a media interview one week later, Walker explained he was not trying to break the unions, and noted that Wisconsin government employees would retain the protections given by the civil service laws. He said that asking employees to pay half the national average for health care benefits was a modest request.
Demonstrators began protesting against the proposed bill in the Capitol in Madison During the sixth day of the protests, leaders of the two largest unions said publicly they were willing to accept the financial concessions in the bill, but would not agree to the loss of collective bargaining rights. All fourteen of the Democratic state senators departed the state on February 17, delaying the passage of the bill by the Republican-controlled legislature by preventing the quorum necessary for a vote. The missing legislators said they would not return to Madison unless Walker agreed to remove the limitations on collective bargaining from the bill. Walker warned that if the budget repair bill was not passed by March 1, refinancing of a $165 million state debt would fall through, and more cuts would be needed to balance the budget.
Walker has not negotiated with unions or the Democratic legislators, saying that the state is broke, and he has nothing to offer in negotiations.] Appearing on Meet the Press on February 27, he said that he did not believe the unions were sincere in offering the pension and health care concessions because local unions had recently pushed through contracts with school boards and city councils that did not include contributions to the pensions and health care, and that in one case, the contract actually included a pay increase.On February 28, the largest public union filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the state labor relations board, claiming that Walker had a duty to negotiate, but had refused.
During the protests, Walker faced intense criticism from pro-union demonstrators one of whom held a sign that showed an image of Walker's face in a crosshairs.
2012–2013 budget proposalWisconsin faces an anticipated deficit of more than three billion dollars at the end of the 2012–2013 budget cycle[41] that must be balanced, according to state law. Walker was planning in mid-February 2011 to propose a budget bill but was delayed by the protests, the Democrats' stalling on the budget repair bill, and the absence of the 14 state senators. He is to announce the details of the budget on March 1, and has confirmed in advance that he will be asking for a 9 percent, $900 million cut in state aid to education. A revenue limit that would reduce the property tax authority by $500 per pupil will also be proposed. [42] The state school superintendent has objected in advance to the budget, saying, "whole parts of what we value in our schools are gone".
Personal lifeWalker is married to Tonette, and they have two children. The family attends a non-denominational evangelical Christian church in Wauwatosa.
During the summers of 2004 through 2009, Walker led a motorcycle tour called the "Executive's Ride" through Wisconsin and parts of neighboring states. The ride was organized to attract tourists to Milwaukee County, with the 2009 ride costing county taxpayers approximately $2,800, mainly for reimbursing hotel rooms and meals for Walker and his staffers.
Last Edited By: Fred Herrera on Mar 7, 2011 at 07:38 AM MT -->
Fred Herrera - Mar 7, 2011 View | Edit | Delete | Viewers
Perhaps taking his cues from the sniveling and dismissive State Sen. Glenn Grothman, who called the Wisconsin protesters "slobs", Gov. Scott Walker has sought a bid to clean up the Capitol building. His figures are a little dumbfounding:
Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said the original $7.5 million estimate to repair marble damaged by tape was a "high-end“ estimate. An updated report from DOA says a majority of the nearly $350,000 would cover a crew to perform "very limited“ restoration on marble as well as landscape restoration.
DOA originally said it would need $7 million to repair damage and between $60,000 and $500,000 just to assess the condition of the building.
$7.5 million for removing tape? Holy FSM. No wonder the guy has trouble balancing the budget. Turns out that even the $350,000 downgraded estimate is more than a little ridiculous too.
Like many, [the Center for Media and Democracy] was stunned to hear that Walker's lawyers told a court that it would cost over seven million dollars to clean up the tape on the stone walls and railings. After criticism, the state's lawyers acknowledged that this absurd figure was on "the high end" and then suggested that the cost could be "as low as $347,500," if "restoration specialists" were not needed. The state asserted that its figures were "an educated guess." Based on whose education is unknown.
The Wisconsin State Journal contacted a local art conservator to see how Walker could have possible derived such ridiculous sums. But she had a hard time making the numbers make sense.
[..]Middleton art conservator Meghan Thumm Mackey assert[ed] that at $100 an hour it would cost $6 million to clean up the inside of the capitol, plus a million for the outside, in addition to a $500,000 initial assessment fee, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Mackey noted that painter's tape that is left on too long can require the use of acetone (the main ingredient in nail polish remover) and cotton swabs.[..] Mackey did note that the state's initial estimate of $7.5 million seemed "high."
Luckily, the janitorial staff who actually has extensive experience cleaning the marble walls and floors and metal railings at the Capitol have weighed in. According to Sean Heiser, the Association of Federal, State, County, and Municipal Employees field supervisor who oversees an eight-person team that keeps the Capitol clean, the clean-up can be accomplished with readily available solvents and the damage claimed is "just not there."
The mendacity of Walker truly knows no bounds.
UPDATE: Actually, more of a clarification. The article above quotes art conservator Meghan Thumm Mackey's interpretation of the Walker clean up estimate. Mackey is not the originator of the estimate, nor would she be in charge of or profit from said clean up. As the CMD wrote in their update:
In response to her request CMD wishes to make extra clear that Ms. Mackey was not involved in the initial estimate of the clean-up costs by the state. Ms. Mackey was simply asked by the WSJ what the cost per hour of such expertise was, after-the-fact. We regret the error based on the print version of that story that the extrapolation of that rate with the size of the building and assessment was attributed to her based on the proximity in the WSJ article between her estimate and the story's discussion of the extrapolation of the cost of restoration and assessment for such expertise. To be absolutely clear, Ms. Mackey was not consulted by the state in its estimate.
Ahhh...so much for that transparency on which Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker campaigned. When Walker claimed to have received thousands of emails supporting him on his union-busting collective bargaining hardline, the Associated Press and the local publication the Isthmus asked to see proof. When Walker refused, they filed FOIA requests for them. Think that a legally binding document compelled Walker? Guess again:
Over the past month or so, Governor Deadeyes has been spinning a narrative in which he’s been receiving “overwhelming” support for his budget-slashing measures. He has frequently cited receiving emails from “a single mother” or “a small-business owner” or “a laid off autoworker from Janesville.” As he continues to find ways to get on to TV to make his case, he keeps relying on this “overwhelming” support.
In an attempt to find out what level of support he really has received, two local media outlets filed Freedom of Information Act requests, seeking the emails that Walker has received over this period of time. They want to see exactly who is supporting him and what they are saying.
Apparently, the law not being on his side, Walker decided to ignore the requests. Bill Lueders of the Isthmus noted that he had not received a formal response to his request. AP reporter Todd Richmond received an email from the governor’s lawyer, noting his request would cost more than $31,250 and that amount of money had to be paid in advance. Or, he could just come on down and camp out at the Capitol and read until his heart was content.
The men filed a suit in Dane County on Friday, as their requests weren’t being taken seriously.
The Freedom of Information Act for the state of Wisconsin is listed here. Note that it says that we’re supposed to have as much openness as possible. Also note that fees can be waived “if the material requested is of public interest.” Governor might be making sh*t up? Yeah, seems like this request fits the bill
Thirty-one thousand dollars for copying? C'mon. I can get a flash drive for $50 and you can put all of the files on that. I guess that's too easy an answer.
I'm curious how much of the precious Wisconsin tax dollars are being used to defend Walker's desire not to share with the public how much support he is actually getting.
Walker proposed a budget repair bill on February 11, 2011 that would save the state an estimated $30 million in the current fiscal year, and $300 million over the next two years.The bill would require additional contributions by state and local government workers to their health care plans and pensions, amounting to roughly an 8 percent decrease in the average worker’s take home pay. The bill also would eliminate most collective bargaining rights except for wages. Unions would be unable to seek pay increases above the rate of inflation, unless approved by a voter referendum.Under the bill, unions would have to win yearly votes to continue representing the workers, and could no longer have dues deducted from workers' paychecks. Law enforcement personnel and firefighters would be exempt from the bargaining changes.
In announcing the proposed legislation, Walker said the Wisconsin National Guard and other state agencies were prepared to prevent disruptions in state services ] He later explained that police and firefighters were excluded from the changes because he would not jeopardize public safety.[49] Walker also said that the bill was necessary to avoid the layoffs of thousands of state employees, and that no one should be surprised by its provisions.Union and Democratic leaders quickly criticized the bill as a power grab by the governor, claiming that Walker had never campaigned on doing away with collective bargaining rights. In a media interview one week later, Walker explained he was not trying to break the unions, and noted that Wisconsin government employees would retain the protections given by the civil service laws. He said that asking employees to pay half the national average for health care benefits was a modest request.
Demonstrators began protesting against the proposed bill in the Capitol in Madison During the sixth day of the protests, leaders of the two largest unions said publicly they were willing to accept the financial concessions in the bill, but would not agree to the loss of collective bargaining rights. All fourteen of the Democratic state senators departed the state on February 17, delaying the passage of the bill by the Republican-controlled legislature by preventing the quorum necessary for a vote. The missing legislators said they would not return to Madison unless Walker agreed to remove the limitations on collective bargaining from the bill. Walker warned that if the budget repair bill was not passed by March 1, refinancing of a $165 million state debt would fall through, and more cuts would be needed to balance the budget.
Walker has not negotiated with unions or the Democratic legislators, saying that the state is broke, and he has nothing to offer in negotiations.] Appearing on Meet the Press on February 27, he said that he did not believe the unions were sincere in offering the pension and health care concessions because local unions had recently pushed through contracts with school boards and city councils that did not include contributions to the pensions and health care, and that in one case, the contract actually included a pay increase.On February 28, the largest public union filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the state labor relations board, claiming that Walker had a duty to negotiate, but had refused.
During the protests, Walker faced intense criticism from pro-union demonstrators one of whom held a sign that showed an image of Walker's face in a crosshairs.
2012–2013 budget proposalWisconsin faces an anticipated deficit of more than three billion dollars at the end of the 2012–2013 budget cycle[41] that must be balanced, according to state law. Walker was planning in mid-February 2011 to propose a budget bill but was delayed by the protests, the Democrats' stalling on the budget repair bill, and the absence of the 14 state senators. He is to announce the details of the budget on March 1, and has confirmed in advance that he will be asking for a 9 percent, $900 million cut in state aid to education. A revenue limit that would reduce the property tax authority by $500 per pupil will also be proposed. [42] The state school superintendent has objected in advance to the budget, saying, "whole parts of what we value in our schools are gone".
Personal lifeWalker is married to Tonette, and they have two children. The family attends a non-denominational evangelical Christian church in Wauwatosa.
During the summers of 2004 through 2009, Walker led a motorcycle tour called the "Executive's Ride" through Wisconsin and parts of neighboring states. The ride was organized to attract tourists to Milwaukee County, with the 2009 ride costing county taxpayers approximately $2,800, mainly for reimbursing hotel rooms and meals for Walker and his staffers.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
We Voted, How all Public & Private Unions are being Demonized
We Voted, How all Public & Private Unions are being Demonized
Fred Herrera - Feb 23, 2011 View | Edit | Delete | Viewers
Categories: POLITICS Republican governors are standing together with one of their own through a new website backing embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Pay attention Texas Union members, Active and Retirees have an unhill battle with Rick Perry. He is taking sides with Walker. Soon Perry, will follow suit and strip the very fabric of America. Without the power of collective bargaining the Unions will take the BS, Perry, is getting ready to unleash on the Middle Class. There will be two classes in America the second class citizens ( That is now the middle class ) and the big dollar contributors for the election that will benefit the big corporations, where without the power of the Unions, will hire at minimum wage. To the GOP, middle class is made up of second class citizens. I asked everyone to vote wisely, but I sure as hell was not expecting the demonizing of the American Unions. What these Republican Governors, are doing is trying to take America at the expense of the middle class. They must satisfy their rich contributors for the office they were voted for. As I said before it is time for these Republicans, to pay back the PIPER, for their re/election. We middle class are no more than scum and a burden to America. Remeber that the Koch brothers, were the largest contributors to the GOP Governors fund. For those with only a high school education, be aware that what is to come next is the lowering of the minimum wage. I honestly fear an American Revolution, where it is every Americans' right to work against the GOP. Ask yourself, who do I know that will now be considered a second class citizen, as defined by the GOP..........
As protests continue in Wisconsin over Walker's proposal to curb collective bargaining rights for unions, the Republican Governors Association has launched Stand With Scott -- a website that's also tied to Walker's Facebook page and Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 people said they "like" the page as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is getting support from fellow GOP governors in his stance against unions. Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the GOP governors' group, leads the list of state chief executives praising Walker and his efforts to tackle the state's budget woes by challenging public employee unions and their pension and benefit costs.
Perry said Walker "is in the middle of what will be a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement." Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the RGA, said Walker is taking the "tough, but necessary, steps to balance the books in Wisconsin and get the state's fiscal house in order."
The site also features testimonials from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (Bubba) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Fred Herrera - Feb 23, 2011 View | Edit | Delete | Viewers
Categories: POLITICS Republican governors are standing together with one of their own through a new website backing embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Pay attention Texas Union members, Active and Retirees have an unhill battle with Rick Perry. He is taking sides with Walker. Soon Perry, will follow suit and strip the very fabric of America. Without the power of collective bargaining the Unions will take the BS, Perry, is getting ready to unleash on the Middle Class. There will be two classes in America the second class citizens ( That is now the middle class ) and the big dollar contributors for the election that will benefit the big corporations, where without the power of the Unions, will hire at minimum wage. To the GOP, middle class is made up of second class citizens. I asked everyone to vote wisely, but I sure as hell was not expecting the demonizing of the American Unions. What these Republican Governors, are doing is trying to take America at the expense of the middle class. They must satisfy their rich contributors for the office they were voted for. As I said before it is time for these Republicans, to pay back the PIPER, for their re/election. We middle class are no more than scum and a burden to America. Remeber that the Koch brothers, were the largest contributors to the GOP Governors fund. For those with only a high school education, be aware that what is to come next is the lowering of the minimum wage. I honestly fear an American Revolution, where it is every Americans' right to work against the GOP. Ask yourself, who do I know that will now be considered a second class citizen, as defined by the GOP..........
As protests continue in Wisconsin over Walker's proposal to curb collective bargaining rights for unions, the Republican Governors Association has launched Stand With Scott -- a website that's also tied to Walker's Facebook page and Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 people said they "like" the page as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is getting support from fellow GOP governors in his stance against unions. Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the GOP governors' group, leads the list of state chief executives praising Walker and his efforts to tackle the state's budget woes by challenging public employee unions and their pension and benefit costs.
Perry said Walker "is in the middle of what will be a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement." Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the RGA, said Walker is taking the "tough, but necessary, steps to balance the books in Wisconsin and get the state's fiscal house in order."
The site also features testimonials from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (Bubba) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The GOP vs The American working Class
We are headed into an American Revolution. As the prank call to Gov. Walker (R) Wisconsin, clearly states. The Wisconsin, short fall has nothing to do with the budget, and everything to do with destroying the "Middle Class". A song by Helen Reddy, comes to mind" You and Me against the World". These Politicians, mostly Republican, are puppets on a string for the filthy rich. Their orchastrated agenda is to destroy the basic fabric that our country has been based on. It is like history during slavery where American owned slaves. In this case rather than slaves it is puppets on a string destroying the American Middle Class, for the greed of a few. The Koch Brothers, and all of the others that hold the strings are manpulating these puppets to do away with worker's rights, and everything to do with granting the huge tax breaks and the deregulation of certain industries, that help these large corporations. The war against the Unions, is a war with the regular working American. If not for the Unions, we would not have what is enjoyed by the working American..the 40 hr. work week. The fairness in pay to all Americans, not only Union members but to American as a whole. I have said all along that the GOP, would strangle itself in their own greed web, and that is what we see happening today. America, has lost it's democracy base. We are now at the mercy of the likes of Governor's like Walker and our own unstable Republican Rick Perry. It is coming to the point of the "Have" and "the Have Nots". We as Americans need to come together in 2012, and show these Bastards that "We the People" is who they represent, and not the 2%, who line their pockets in return for a corrupt representation in DC; Wheather Democrat or Republican, we must vote for the democracy we have enjoyed in our life time. Obama, is doing a great job and is constantky being demonized by the "Right". I can not tell you if it is out of IGNORANCE or PREJUDISM. But if we Americans do not wake up to reality soon, we will see another Civil War in our own back yards....The GOP vs America....What a shame.
There is nothing new to what we are seeing today in Wisconsin. The destruction of the Middle Class, started back during the Reagan Administration, when again the FILTHY RICH, got all the tax breaks ever given to such a small percentage of the American tax payer. For those of us who consider ourselves "Middle Class", think again. The GOP, is paying back their rich campaign donors like the Koch Brothers. What is happening in Wisconsin, is an orchastrated effort to have two classes of Americans, What used to be known as the Middle Class, will soon be known as the Scum Class, if we let these Republicans have it their way. Unions are credited to of brought the 40 hour work week to America. The overtime pay. Now the Republicans, are tearing at the fabric of America. I advised everyone I talked to, to VOTE WISELY, this past November. I did not tell anyone who to vote for just to make sure their vote was not out of fraustration. For those of us who voted wisely, for those of us that voted out of fraustration, now is the time to come together and fight for the fabric of our NATION, the working American. Soon the Scum Class, will be paying for all of the tax credits given to the rich. Gov. Walker, was well funded by the Koch Brothers, and it is time to pay the PIPER....Think about how many Republican's owe their election or re-election to the likes of the Koch Brothers, FOX Network.....and the list goes on and on. Too many Pipers, are owned by the forementioned. And now for the rest of the story......
Republican Governors are standing together with one of their own through a new website backing embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Pay attention Texas Union members, Active and Retirees have an unhill battle with Rick Perry. He is taking sides with Walker. Soon Perry, will follow suit and strip the very fabric of America. Without the power of collective bargaining the Unions will take the BS, Perry, is getting ready to unleash on the Middle Class. There will be two classes in America the second class citizens ( That is now the middle class ) and the big dollar contributors for the election that will benefit the big corporations, where without the power of the Unions, will hire at minimum wage. To the GOP, middle class is made up of second class citizens. I asked everyone to vote wisely, but I sure as hell was not expecting the demonizing of the American Unions. What these Republican Governors, are doing is trying to take America at the expense of the middle class. They must satisfy their rich contributors for the office they were voted for. As I said before it is time for these Republicans, to pay back the PIPER, for their re/election. We middle class are no more than scum and a burden to America. Remeber that the Koch brothers, were the largest contributors to the GOP Governors fund. For those with only a high school education, be aware that what is to come next is the lowering of the minimum wage. I honestly fear an American Revolution, where it is every Americans' right to work against the GOP. Ask yourself, who do I know that will now be considered a second class citizen, as defined by the GOP..........
As protests continue in Wisconsin over Walker's proposal to curb collective bargaining rights for unions, the Republican Governors Association has launched Stand With Scott -- a website that's also tied to Walker's Facebook page and Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 people said they "like" the page as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is getting support from fellow GOP governors in his stance against unions. Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the GOP governors' group, leads the list of state chief executives praising Walker and his efforts to tackle the state's budget woes by challenging public employee unions and their pension and benefit costs.
Perry said Walker "is in the middle of what will be a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement." Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the RGA, said Walker is taking the "tough, but necessary, steps to balance the books in Wisconsin and get the state's fiscal house in order."
The site also features testimonials from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (Bubba) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
There is nothing new to what we are seeing today in Wisconsin. The destruction of the Middle Class, started back during the Reagan Administration, when again the FILTHY RICH, got all the tax breaks ever given to such a small percentage of the American tax payer. For those of us who consider ourselves "Middle Class", think again. The GOP, is paying back their rich campaign donors like the Koch Brothers. What is happening in Wisconsin, is an orchastrated effort to have two classes of Americans, What used to be known as the Middle Class, will soon be known as the Scum Class, if we let these Republicans have it their way. Unions are credited to of brought the 40 hour work week to America. The overtime pay. Now the Republicans, are tearing at the fabric of America. I advised everyone I talked to, to VOTE WISELY, this past November. I did not tell anyone who to vote for just to make sure their vote was not out of fraustration. For those of us who voted wisely, for those of us that voted out of fraustration, now is the time to come together and fight for the fabric of our NATION, the working American. Soon the Scum Class, will be paying for all of the tax credits given to the rich. Gov. Walker, was well funded by the Koch Brothers, and it is time to pay the PIPER....Think about how many Republican's owe their election or re-election to the likes of the Koch Brothers, FOX Network.....and the list goes on and on. Too many Pipers, are owned by the forementioned. And now for the rest of the story......
Republican Governors are standing together with one of their own through a new website backing embattled Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Pay attention Texas Union members, Active and Retirees have an unhill battle with Rick Perry. He is taking sides with Walker. Soon Perry, will follow suit and strip the very fabric of America. Without the power of collective bargaining the Unions will take the BS, Perry, is getting ready to unleash on the Middle Class. There will be two classes in America the second class citizens ( That is now the middle class ) and the big dollar contributors for the election that will benefit the big corporations, where without the power of the Unions, will hire at minimum wage. To the GOP, middle class is made up of second class citizens. I asked everyone to vote wisely, but I sure as hell was not expecting the demonizing of the American Unions. What these Republican Governors, are doing is trying to take America at the expense of the middle class. They must satisfy their rich contributors for the office they were voted for. As I said before it is time for these Republicans, to pay back the PIPER, for their re/election. We middle class are no more than scum and a burden to America. Remeber that the Koch brothers, were the largest contributors to the GOP Governors fund. For those with only a high school education, be aware that what is to come next is the lowering of the minimum wage. I honestly fear an American Revolution, where it is every Americans' right to work against the GOP. Ask yourself, who do I know that will now be considered a second class citizen, as defined by the GOP..........
As protests continue in Wisconsin over Walker's proposal to curb collective bargaining rights for unions, the Republican Governors Association has launched Stand With Scott -- a website that's also tied to Walker's Facebook page and Twitter accounts. More than 3,000 people said they "like" the page as of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is getting support from fellow GOP governors in his stance against unions. Gov. Rick Perry, chairman of the GOP governors' group, leads the list of state chief executives praising Walker and his efforts to tackle the state's budget woes by challenging public employee unions and their pension and benefit costs.
Perry said Walker "is in the middle of what will be a defining moment for our country and the conservative movement." Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, vice chairman of the RGA, said Walker is taking the "tough, but necessary, steps to balance the books in Wisconsin and get the state's fiscal house in order."
The site also features testimonials from Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (Bubba) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
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