How to do a Boycott or Buycott

I've already talked about the other tactics currently being used by the people in Wisconsin (elections, recall petitions, legal challenges, and protests).  It's time to talk about boycotts.

I first heard the idea of a boycott come up on February 24th, after Scott Walker's call with a fake David Koch was published. The initial calls were for a boycott of all companies owned by the Koch brothers.  At the time, there was a huge outpouring of conspiracy theories involving Walker planning to give away our state to the Koch brothers (to paraphrase in a cynical sort of way).

Eventually, the conversation shifted to boycotting all Walker campaign contributors, or all major contributors.  A police union issued a letter to M&I bank (http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0310/0310wppa.pdf), as well as one to Kwik Trip, requesting that they clarify their position on collective bargaining, lest a boycott begin.  Now, there are some definite problems with M&I, as there are with many banks that took stimulus funds and still somehow managed to very nicely compensate their executives with paychecks that are substantially larger than what the overpaid state workers make.  That said, in the case of M&I and most other corporations, money is *technically* given by individuals, not by the company. Obviously, when several of the executives or board members at a major corporation give money to a conservative cause, it's pretty clear that the company is conservative...but they can honestly deny that the company supported a candidate. (Note: This will all change as a result of Citizens United, I daresay).

The two major forces behind the boycott effort seem to be unions and social networking sites. There are several Facebook groups, each with links to websites that provide instructions of how to find out who supported Walker (or, simply list those companies), and how to boycott.  See an article at http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_5bab503a-4aab-11e0-ae93-001cc4c03286.html.

Several of the companies (Kwik Trip and M&I, at least) that were specifically asked to comment publicly in support of collective bargaining, were not willing to do so, but said that they were not taking a stance one way or another: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_2f1e9c9e-51a3-11e0-b7d2-001cc4c002e0.html.  And also, http://host.madison.com/business/article_85d909a8-4c4d-11e0-a141-001cc4c002e0.html.

This opened up a very practical argument from the conservative side of things, which is that in a time of recession, we actually need to support our businesses, lest the Wisconsin economy collapse (subtext: collapse further, so that we no longer seem open for business. personally, i think it might be a bit late for that...).  Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, a business interest group (who hosted a speech by Scott Walker shortly after this all started...) was particularly vocal: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_dae2c8dc-514b-11e0-9a2f-001cc4c002e0.html.

They brought up the idea of a "buycott", where instead of refusing to support businesses, we insist on supporting businesses we like (which, for them, means supporting Walker donors).  They also tried to cast the movement as union intimidation: this is always a theme with conservatives, just as on the left, we cast everything as controlled by corporate interests.

The most recent piece of the boycott story comes from my own union, WSEU/AFSCME Council 24.  Sometime last week, one of their field organizers, speaking on behalf of the union, sent a letter to businesses in southeastern WI, saying that if they did not hang signs in support of unions, they would be targeted for boycott. He explained that they had all been offered signs, and had refused them. (The signs, by the way, apparently had an AFSCME logo: I'm a *member* and I still feel weird about having their logo in my window!).  The Journal Sentinel reported on this: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118963234.html.  The interesting part, or one of them, is that even though I'm a member of this council, theoretically one of the people who would be *doing* the boycott, this was the first I'd heard of this.

And another interesting part is that for many small business owners, taking a political stance in any direction can have a devastating impact on their business. Depending on the location, they could potentially end up losing just as many customers for supporting unions, as for not supporting unions. Regardless, many of these were small businesses, which in my mind are incredibly important to our economy: these are the very businesses that we could support with our purchasing, and with small businesses, it is much easier to have a conversation with an owner or worker to find out what their thoughts are, without needing a public declaration.  Finally, a boycott has the intention of economic harm. It seems highly counterintuitive to focus that on local businesses - if you don't like the politics of a local business, simply don't shop there. It doesn't have to be a full boycott.

Finally on Friday, the WSEU leadership said that there was not actually a threat, that this was not sponsored by the union, and that it was just one staff member's campaign.  http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_6bee6a90-5c99-11e0-a0d5-001cc4c03286.html.  And that may be...and that may not be. And we'll never really know.

Some time in between the last week of February and the second week of March, a friend asked me to take on the issue of boycotts. I think she was hoping that I'd provide links and resources, but instead, I'm going to write a guide.

Here it is:

The Rek Tangle Guide to Boycotts and Buycotts

1. Clarify why you are boycotting, and WHO you are boycotting. This is important because you will need to be able to explain it both to the targets of your boycott, and to the people who you hope will join your boycott.  Stick to a list of points that are as straightforward as possible. Remember that there are people who may not agree with all of your politics but who may agree with your boycott in this specific instance. (For example, there are plenty of people who aren't too concerned with the negative impact of globalization, but they may be interested in boycotting a company that takes advantage of free trade zones to operate sweatshops).

Do research into the various subsidiaries of the companies you are boycotting so that you don't accidentally break your own boycott. Many companies own unexpected brands and companies.  There are some very useful "Who owns?" charts on the internet.

2. Get people or organizations to sign on. The point of a boycott is to have an adverse financial effect on a business which will force it to consider your point of view.  Therefore, the more customers (or more major customers) who sign on, the better.  However, do not sign on people without their agreement. If you are talking to an organization, make sure that the person you are talking to has the authority to do so, and get their commitment to help get their individual members signed on.

3. Notify the company that you are boycotting, why you are boycotting, and who you are. This is a critical but often forgotten step. There's nothing wrong with simply not shopping somewhere, but it's unlikely to have any impact on a company's business practices or politics.  A boycott necessitates that you inform the company of what you would like them to do differently.

4.  Spread the word, and remind other people to practice Step 3.

5. At some point, it is worth discussion what your end-point is. Will you stop boycotting when the company indicates that it is willing to speak with you further about the issues you are protesting? Are there specific actions the company needs to take? And what will you do if they take some, but not all, of these?

6. Find a positive action, too: Choose where you will "buycott."  These will be companies that you endorse and where you intentionally spend your money while you are boycotting. This has three impacts: it supports businesses with positive financial feedback, it demonstrates to your boycott target that your boycott is feasible in part because you can obtain comparable goods/services elsewhere, and it makes it easier for people to join your boycott without feeling like they will be deprived.

7. For your "buycott," do the same steps as above. Clarify why you have chosen these businesses. Are there particular positive things you can highlight, such as livable wages, proactive working conditions, strong unions, community involvement?

8. Encourage people to sign on; some people who don't want to formally boycott may be more willing to "buycott."

9. Notify your "buycott" targets. Explain why you are buying from them, and remember to THANK THEM for their specific actions that have made you choose to spend your money at their business.  (See step 6).

10. If your boycott is successful, remember to patronize those former boycott targets as a way of thanking them, and making it clear that your boycott was for that purpose. Continue to buy from your buycott targets, too. Divide your purchasing power among however many comparable businesses meet the criteria you have set.

At every step:
At each and every step, think about the impact that your action will have on workers. Look into the ownership structure of a company, look into who specifically has made donations, look into the local economy.  If a national corporation donates to conservative causes, but the local franchise owner doesn't,  think about whether the adverse effect on the local franchise, and the workers at the local franchise, will help achieve your goal of changing the national level.

In particular, make sure that you communicate your boycott to the people with the POWER. Going in to a big box store and telling the cashiers about your plan to boycott has very little impact. For particularly large corporations, while it is important to communicate to local management, they may have very little control over the corporate policies, so make sure you write to the CEO, CFO, various executives, and the board or shareholders.

Remember that depending on the laws in your area, and whether workers are unionized, regular folks working regular jobs can be subject to adverse effects such as pay cuts, layoffs, work hour reductions, etc. Work *with* these folks - hell, they may even want to join your boycott.

Boycotts have a lot of potential. We have seen this in the Civil Rights movement, we have seen it in farmworker justice movements, and we have seen it in the anti-sweatshop movements. The more we can maximize the efficiency of our boycotts, the more powerful they will be, and the more alliances we can build.

And that, my friends, is the Rek Tangle Guide to Boycotts/Buycotts. (Yes, I have been slightly inconsistent with the use of quotation marks around "buycott" - it doesn't feel like a real enough word to not have quotes. I've also remained with the sexist "boycott" rather than trying to create a new word that doesn't have the word "boy" in it).

Thoughts on Recalls

Two opinion posts in one night, with not a source to be cited!

There have been 4 recalls in WI history, of which 2 have been successful.  There are currently petitions underway to recall 16 state Senators (in WI, someone must be in office for a full year before they can be recalled).  There are recalls for 8 Republicans (mostly sponsored by the Dem Party, I believe) and 8 Democrats (many sponsored by a group from Utah, as far as I understand it). There is also a "pledge to sign a recall petition for Walker when it is time" movement.

Ever since WI Act 10, the Budget(less) Repair Bill, passed, the emphasis has been on recall petitions (as well as the April 5th Supreme Court Justice election).

Recall is a powerful thing. I'm glad we have it, and I'm glad there is a one-year waiting period, even though it can be frustrating. As we have been seeing, a major swap of political power can result in an emphasis on un-doing, and if recalls were easier or could happen more quickly, I think we would make a lot less progress, and would spend a lot of time going over the same issues, back and forth and back and forth. A recall is a vote of no-confidence. It can be a vote against a specific individual, or a vote against a particular party or set of political beliefs that have been in power.

I absolutely support recalling Walker. And I am very certain that I will still support his recall in November/December when the petition is circulating.

I support the recalls of some of the Republican senators, as well. And yet, I'm not volunteering my time to help with the recalls. I'm not making phone calls, I'm not collecting signatures, I'm not even talking much about them.

Recall is the tool of constituents. It is a way for us to express to our elected officials that they have not represented us, and that we insist on representation, or at least, on being heard.  I am not the constituent of a Republican. My state Senator is a Democrat, and I like him.

Who am I to go into someone else's district and tell them that they have not been represented, or that their Senator doesn't care about them, doesn't listen to them, works against their interests?  There's no way for me to know that. And I don't just mean "Well, clearly, they got elected there so someone must like them". There is no way for me to know what issues are important in all of the other districts in the state. There is no way for me to judge whether these Senators have failed people.  The budget, collective bargaining, consolidation of power, these are all big issues. But they also aren't the only issues.

I am thrilled to hear that people in these districts are mobilizing to recall, to protest, to attend town meetings. I'm thrilled because it means that people are expressing their opinions and becoming involved with the system beyond just at the ballot box. I'm thrilled that people are angry about what their Senators have voted on. Those votes have already had an adverse effect on me as an individual, but my voice doesn't need to matter to their Senators. Their voices do.

We know that the Republicans have already tried to characterize the major protests as the result of "out-of-state people". And that Madison has a reputation and is scorned for, being super liberal. A recall effort is where there is no longer any dispute over who is standing up against their representatives. The more the process is run by people in those districts, the less argument there can be about who's behind it.

So yes, I'm in favor of the recalls. And I'm not going to criticize you for going door-to-door in Green Bay. But I'm not going to join you. And you can bet that if the petition against my state Senator gets enough signatures, I'll be voting for him again (unless someone better runs!).

The Rek Tangle Endorses...

There is an election in five days in Wisconsin, on Tuesday, April 5th. 

It is crucial that we all cast our ballots. No matter what our thoughts on the current system are, it is the system we have, and it is a system that is meant to function with participation from everyone. (And, my take on things has always been that if we can't motivate ourselves to participate in *this* system, then how the hell do we think we're going to motivate ourselves to participate in a more fully democratic system post-revolution?)

Since this is a blog, which is a vaguely journalistic endeavor, and also a very opinionated endeavor, it seems like endorsements are in order. After all, the Major Bloggers endorse people.

So, we here at the Rek Tangle would like to throw our political clout behind the following:

For Supreme Court Justice, we endorse using your own free will and research to make up your mind. Supreme Court Justice David Prosser is the incumbent. He is fairly conservative, and has served in the State Assembly in the past. Joanne Kloppenburg is the challenger. She is viewed as fairly liberal, and has worked as an Assistant Attorney General until both Democrat and Republican AGs. The Supreme Court Justice has a 10 year term, so there are lasting impacts. Additionally, many of the current and future challenges to the Budget Repair Bill are very likely to end up with the state's Supreme Court. 

For Dane County Executive, we endorse using your own free will and research to make up your mind. Current Democratic State Rep Joe Parisi is running against conservative Dane County Supervisor Eileen Bruskewitz. 

For Madison mayor, we again endorse using your own free will and research to make up your mind. Paul Soglin has been mayor in the past, Dave Cieslewicz is the current mayor. Both are liberal. Since they have both been in this position previously, their past records are particularly useful to examine.

If you are in Madison Ward 6, as I am, there is an election for Alder. Marsha Rummel is the incumbent, and Twink Jan-McMahon. Unsurprisingly, we are endorsing using your own free will and research to make up your mind.  Marsha Rummel has been the alder for a number of years; Twink Jan-McMahon runs the Sustainable Atwood organization/group. 

Finally, there are two referenda (yes, I was a Latin geek). One from Dane County, one from Madison. Both regard the Citizens United decision.  For this one, we endorse thinking about whether you actually want corporations to be voting in our elections. And also, doing some reasearch. 

But most of all, what we endorse, is that you get out there and vote. Vote for someone who you actually believe in, who you genuinely believe will do the right thing. Don't vote for the lesser of two evils, or vote along strict party lines. If you don't like any of the candidates, you should still go to the polls and vote. You can abstain from any races in which there is no candidate you support. You can write in your own candidate (this is most powerful, of course, if you coordinate it with other people).  It may not change who wins the election if you abstain from a race, but it demonstrates that there are people who are motivated, who care about our local government, and who are dissatisfied with the options (remember, in addition to telling us what percentage of the vote, and how many votes, the different candidates get, elections also tell us how many people went and voted).

Representative democracy is based on people expressing their opinion through elections. Particularly in the current political climate where there is so much effort to disenfranchise people, those of us who can vote need to do so. The only way towards a more equitable society is for a more participatory society, and we need to be practicing participation.  We can only change things when we all get involved and refuse to be silenced.

If you have lived in Wisconsin for 10 days, you are eligible to vote. You can register or change your address at the polls. There is really no good excuse to not vote.

To see if you are registered, and to check your polling place, visit https://vpa.wi.gov/. (You will need to know your name and birthdate. Hopefully, you know those things, right?)

You can also view a sample ballot at the link above, so that you can be prepared for what to expect.

For information about registering at the polls, and what identification/proof of residence will be accepted, visit http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/voters/registration-voting.

If you or someone you know needs help getting to a polling place, Union Cab (a worker owned co-op) and Badger Cab are both offering free rides to and from the polls!  Visit http://www.unioncab.com/opencms/opencms/news/ElectionDay.html for more information. Please note, they do advise signing up ahead of time to help with scheduling.

Thursday 3/31

Today has been somehow very slow. And yet, important things have happened.

Duh. That's because tomorrow is Friday. So no matter how many big things happen, the Republicans will probably wait until tomorrow to do anything major in response.  Again, timing is everything.

In a beautiful use of Open Records laws, the Journal Sentinel requested the documentation for the original DOA estimate of $7.5 million for cleaning up the Capitol (back during the Capitol Access hearings, which, for the record, DOA is still in violation of the court order that came out of that process).  It turns out that it was a pretty easy records request for DOA to fulfill, since was just one page of notes. (http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118951264.html).  Ironically, notes are generally not considered to be official records, but I suppose in this case, it was in the state's best interest to show *something*.  


Of course, we are still waiting on a more realistic estimate (they did backpedal from that one pretty quickly), and while the Capitol interior is mostly fine, the lawn did get trampled pretty badly. Luckily, it is spring, and so this is about the time that one would be doing lawn maintenance anyway, I believe.


Dane County Circuit Court Judge Sumi ruled that Act 10 is not actually law: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118986974.html. This is big news because on Tuesday, she refused to rule on the issue of whether or not it had been published and put into effect.  The amended TRO from Sumi: http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0331/0331sumi.pdf. (One thing I am LOVING, as a source-citing geek, is the broad circulation of primary source documents. From  a civics perspective, it is fantastic because it is getting more of us to be more involved with the actual laws, rules, proposals and statements. From a historical perspective, it means that many of us are basing our documentation on the primary source, rather than secondary accounts). 

Dane County DA Ismael Ozanne (who filed the suit) isn't sure what led to Judge Sumi's action: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/ozanne-unsure-what-prompted-sumi-to-act.html

Of course, Vos (a republican) believes that a judge doesn't have the right to do this: http://budget.wispol...itics.com/2011/03/vos-blasts-sumi-order.html

The other Republicans have started to weigh in, when they were able to take breaks from their busy work day of creating jobs, while the rest of us lounge around and drink...whatever it is that we drink.  

Senator Fitzgerald has finally used the term....JUDICIAL ACTIVISM: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0331/0331fitzgeraldtro.pdf.  This is crucial for him to point out, because there is an election next week for a Supreme Court Justice, and obviously it is in the administration's best interest to remind us all of the dangers of "activist judges".  

On a more serious note, I find it frightening that many of the top-ranking state officials seem to be misunderstanding the separation of powers/checks and balances system. They are correct that judges don't make the law...but the courts are responsible for enforcing the law, and also, for determining whether the laws themselves are legal within the confines our our pre-existing Constitution, etc.  And in this case, she is not ruling that the law is bad, she is ruling that other laws may have been broken in the process, and if those laws were broken, then this law cannot stand.  Having immunity doesn't mean you didn't break the law; it just means you can't be prosecuted for it. And having immunity certainly doesn't mean that the law doesn't apply to you.

Today's JFC hearings focused on education: The UW, K12, and Tech Colleges.  The DPI Superintendent (Tony Evers) testified on behalf of the Department of Public Instruction, and on behalf of the people (his position is elected, rather than appointed).  He spoke about the the impact of the budget on local school districts and their ability to function under the proposed budget cuts and revenue caps.   He compared some of those cuts to some of the areas in the budget where we are increasing spending.  He also spoke about the need to continue to mandate that the Choice schools use the same standardized tests as public schools, and the importance of teacher licensing in Charters.  He also asked, "What's up with that?" with regard to some of the proposals.   Finally, he drew attention to the potential legal problems and fiscal irresponsibility of creating a new (in addition to the one we already have) 3rd grade reading initiative housed in DOA, rather than DPI. 

Read it at  http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/pdf/dpinr2011_32.pdf. Seriously. What IS up with that? It's a question a lot of us have been asking lately. 

 

Walker also announced the creation of a reading task force: http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0331/0331walkerreading.pdf. At least *something* proactive is being done regarding education?

 

I'm actually not sure what tomorrow will hold. Possibly some sort of legal action by the administration against Judge Sumi? Possibly they will attempt to re-pass the Budget(less) Repair Bill (as Sumi has suggested, in order to save taxpayer money)? Possibly something else. 

Tomorrow, I am hoping to finish my post on education (especially now that the JFC hearing has happened and I can factor that in). Also this weekend, stay tuned for Rek-Tangle's Election Endorsements!

Wednesday 3/30

Today has been a lot of odds and ends. Follow-up to yesterday's court order, continuation of the Capitol protest/citation for sign-holding stories, more about the budget, and more about Choice schools (I did, in fact, start an education post, but fell asleep before finishing).

Today marked fewer entrances to the Capitol (http://capaccess.blogspot.com/2011/03/capitol-entrances_30.html).  Previously, entrances were at North and South Hamilton, with media, staff, and people with disabilities using the MLK side. An earlier post on their blog talks about tour groups; maybe we should just form massive "tour groups" and go in requesting tours.

From the Dane County GOP. http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0330/0329danecountygop.pdf on the open meetings hearing. Which they followed up with a "satirical" "apology" to Judge Sumi: http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0330/0330danecountygop.pdf.  This would be a lot funnier if it wasn't so similar in tone and maturity to many of the releases put out by Walker, the Fitzgeralds, and the RPW. (On the other hand, it is also not any less inflammatory and immature than many of the statements from AFSCME, DPW, and some of the other unions). The full story was covered in the Cap Times: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/health_med_fit/vital_signs/article_36b8963c-5ae8-11e0-bcde-001cc4c03286.html
  
A multi-year study shows that Choice students are more likely to go to college. http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/118886284.html. Still, we really don't have good data on this program, and won't for quite some time.  And, as I'll talk more about, there is vast difference between the Choice schools, and without knowing *which* schools are being studied, it is hard to know whether this research extends to all of them. 
Also, fewer schools have signed up for the Choice program next year...but some of them are linked to past problems...http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/118884864.html
  
Governor Walker introduced the budget repair parts of the Budgetless Budget Repair Bill: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/guv-releases-budget-repair-bill-part.html, with news story at  http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_8f448814-5afd-11e0-be8a-001cc4c002e0.html. Most of this is not particularly unexpected...I have not yet read the bill, however, so I can't speak to what policy items may be tucked in there in plain view.
 
Apparently Cambridge (MA) has passed a resolution supporting WI AFSCME. Somerville, get going! My union did send me a copy of the resolution, but I couldn't open it.  


The JFC is holding budget hearings/briefings where the various agencies come and testify regarding the components of the budget that affect them.  These are not open to public commentary, but I believe members of the public can go. I am not going to post everything I read about them, but I do think people should look into it.  A lot has been posted at http://budget.wispolitics.com.  The JFC members also express opinions and ask questions, so it's a very good way to get both a better picture of the budget *and* a better sense of where some of the key legislators stand on these issues.


The Wheeler Report finally has a nice concise page on hearings/legal stuff: http://thewheelerreport.com/Budgetrepair.htm
I have been wanting something like this for weeks. It isn't perfect, as it doesn't yet list all of the various legal proceedings, but it's a great start.  (Other proceedings: The Capitol Access case has not been fully resolved. AFSCME also has a suit pending against Walker for violating the law for not negotiating in good faith. And I believe there may be one or two other challenges).

On the topic of inflammatory messages, apparently, my union (WSEU/AFSCME Council 24) is circulating a boycott ultimatum to businesses: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/118910229.html. Note: I have NOT received anything about this from my union.  I have, therefore, not seen the full letter. However, I disagree strongly with the parts that are quoted. I believe businesses have the right to remain neutral, and that this does not make them inherently anti-worker.  I believe that boycotting small businesses for simply refusing to take a strong political stance, is more harmful to workers. There are small businesses that will lose just as much patronage by putting up a pro-worker sign as they would by a union boycott. More to the point, however, is that if you want to organize a boycott, you really ought to tell the people who are supposed to be *doing* the boycott. Finally, being outright rude in a letter does not actually help your cause. My cause. Anyone's cause.

And, DOA will continue to implement WI Act 10: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_195e7dd0-5b20-11e0-83bb-001cc4c002e0.html. I have not heard anything from my union about how we will pay dues come that time (possibly because we will be decertifying, though I was under the impression we'd still pay dues). I also have not heard anything from my HR department.  


Senators Darling and Hopper (Republicans) say they will fight Walker's effort to dismantle SeniorCare. http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/darling-hopper-vow-to-preserve.html. However, it's worth noting that both of them are up for recall, with Hopper being particularly vulnerable.  


The DOA has reported that companies are, in fact, moving to WI from IL as a result of our tax incentives and other new business-friendly laws: http://www.wrn.com/2011/03/huebsch-illinois-companies-coming-to-wisconsin/.  Of course, they also manage to get in some digs at the previous administration. And, neglect to mention that about 400 jobs with Talgo moved to IL when Walker declared that he didn't want to use the High Speed Rail money for HSR (and subsequently, the Feds took back the money). 


Secretary of the Department of Children and Families apparently didn't realize that the proposed Biennial Budget would give her organization a lot of power to make unilateral changes in the WI Shares program... And, finally, a clearer explanation of what's going on with the EITC (which I have been confused about): http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/questions-for-anderson.html. Yet, the secretary somehow believes that reducing TANF payments will somehow help with Governor Walker's vision of helping low-income families: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/committee-now-hearing-about-children.html

Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Department of Corrections says that the prison population is decreasing: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/hamblin-says-corrections-population.html . Wonder if that will have an effect on the success of privatization?  


I will end tonight on a simultaneously pessimistic and optimistic note: Senator Lena Taylor's statement on the ways in which Walker's budget is hurting the economy and the people of Wisconsin. In addition to being very clear, it cites sources! Which I love. http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0330/0330taylor.pdf

Tuesday 3/29: Open Meetings Hearing and Choice School Results

The big story on Tuesday was the Circuit Court hearing on a more permanent injunction against the Secretary of State to not publish Act 10. I didn't follow all of the hearing, though I tried to catch up in the afternoon.

The other big story was that the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program scores from the WKCE were released. This is the first time that the MPCP schools have taken this exam, and so the first time we've been able to compare their results to other students in Milwaukee and around the state.

10:04am  DPI press release on the first round of standardized testing info from MPCP: http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/pdf/dpinr2011_30.pdf. The actual results are at http://dpi.wi.gov/oea/mpcp/results.html. And an article with some commentary: http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/118820339.html

10:10am  The Appeals Court denies Van Hollen's request to drop the appeal re: Open Meetings, mostly, it seems, because they have already forwarded it to the Supreme Court: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0329/0329appealscourt.pdf. And the Circuit Court will still continue: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118839999.html

10:16am  A new estimate on the cost of state troopers - the total is to about $5.5 million. http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/118835564.html

11:00pm  From end to beginning: Circuit Court Judge Sumi bars further implementation of Act 10, but refuses to declare that it is not law, as some were hoping. http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0329/0329sumiamendedorder.pdf (the order) and Speaker Fitzgerald's charming repsonse: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0329/0329fitzsumi.pdf.

And, since primary sources aren't the whole story, some news articles:

Judge Bars Implementation...and very clearly explains what exactly she means, without quite saying that people ignored her the last time: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news.../local/govt-and-politics/article_9bb38eb8-5a14-11e0-a6ee-001cc4c03286.html. She also points out that there are, in fact, penalties for not obeying court orders. (and I'm pretty sure those penalties apply regardless of what party you are in, how friendly you are with Walker, or which police force your father runs).

Plus another story: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118839999.html

And the short, easy to read version: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/sumi-blocks-further-implementation-of.html
  
I have lost track of how many attorneys SoS La Follette has gone through today. First, the judge ordered the state to give him new one since she believed the DOJ had a conflict of interest: http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/118841029.html, and http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/sumi-says-court-hearing-to-proceed-la.html.
  
Then, it seems like the attorney sent by the said that he was there to represent the state's interests, rather than La Follette's and would run into ethical conflicts. So now, it seems, La Follette has his own attorney, and it will be determined later who will pay for this. http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/lang-testifes-la-follette-gets-new.html

The Legislative Reference Bureau testified at the Open Meetings hearing today. They reiterated that they believe that they were obligated to publish the bill, and also, that their publishing does NOT make it law: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/lrb-chief-publication-of-repair-bill.html

Apparently, they seemed uncomfortable. Not surprising, given that it sounds like Senator Fitzgerald...strongly encouraged... them to publish the bill: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_89f28044-5a3c-11e0-a5ad-001cc4c03286.html
  
In a story that sounds like it should show up on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Scott Walker is requesting $150 million dollars from the federal government for...improvements/upgrades to the Hiawatha line. You know, the train from Milwaukee to Chicago: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_94d56d1e-5a3c-11e0-adcf-001cc4c03286.html
Did you know? Getting federal funds for something like this will actually reduce the amount of money that the state will need to spend! Geez, too bad there's not additional money available for projects like this...
  
 The DOJ seems to be implying that it knows better than the court, what the court's role can be? Hmm. http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/doj-will-study-options.html
  
And finally, the story that got me out of bed this morning (literally): the first WKCE test scores for the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program have been released: http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/118820339.html. Check out their chart at: http://media.journalinteractive.com/images/WKCE29G1.jpg. DPI's press release is at http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/pdf/dpinr2011_30.pdf.
This is the first year that the Choice schools have participated in the WKCE (basically, the WI standardized test). One component of Walker's budget would remove the requirement that the Choice schools administer this particular test (inste...ad, they could use any standardized test). Use this data as an argument against that! These numbers are only a snapshot...we need more years of data to determine if students are progressing better or the same (or worse) than MPS students.
The comparison between MPS and the state averages, though, is a compelling argument for why the Choice schools are so politically popular: clearly, we are not focusing on education nearly enough!

Finally, a few people have been posting reminders: Always read any petition before you sign it. Do not sign multiple pages without reading each one. We learned this lesson the hard way in Massachusetts in 2005. AND, just as important, if you are going out with petitions, make people read them! Encourage them to sign, but also encourage them to be responsible consumers - that's the most important thing for democracy.
 
 
  

Monday 3/28

I actually took Sunday off from posting, though I admit to having done some reading. 

Monday, however, was back to work and back to my second job of posting news for my friends :)

7:24am  I am a wild card! http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118750859.html. Which way will I vote?
Actually, while I don't have time to look up the stats right now, I'm pretty sure that, statistically speaking, I don't vote. Ha, take that statistics!

7:31am  Secretary of State La Follette reiterates his belief that Act 10 is not yet law. And, he actually casts the blame pretty equally on the administration and LRB: http://www.channel3000.com/news/27338551/detail.html

7:34am  Dennis Smith, Secretary of the Department of Health Services: http://www.jsonline.com/business/118688049.html. Needs to fix a budget shortfall, and dislikes needing to get permission from the feds.

12:04pm  DOA believes it is law and will enact it. Smaller paycheck FTW? http://www.jsonline.mobi/news/statepolitics/118775974.html


 And yes, if it is overturned, we may get retroactive payback for those benefits. However, that could be a while from now.

12:54pm  Views on expanding private school vouchers: http://www.jsonline.mobi/more/news/education/118721419.htm

 1:26pm  Sometimes thinks that all politicians should have to spend a year living at the poverty line.

3:49pm  DOJ says Act 10 is law, requests to withdraw appeal re: open meetings, and to end TRO: http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0328/0328doj.pdf

3:50pm  LFB summary of budget: good to familiarize, will have impact on all of us: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lfb/LFBPublications_ButtonPages/2011-13_budget.htm

3:50pm  Another memo from Leg Council to Barca: http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0328/0328legcouncil.pdf

3:56pm  Wind farm rules are under debate in WI, with more stringent rules winning: http://www.jsonline.com/business/118744034.html

3:56pm  Proposal to make it illegal to picket a home: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_b57973b8-5829-11e0-963d-001cc4c03286.html
Apparently there is already an ordinance against this in Madison. Also, US Supreme Court may think it is fine???


4:22pm   fears that Wisconsin has reached the point where I will be feeling immensely more conservative than the rest of you. And much more pessimistic about the power of elections to effect any kind of substantial change in the direction we are moving.

7:26pm  thinks it is fairly disgraceful that 20% of the electorate can be considered a normal or good turnout for an election. Hell, it's disgraceful that anything less than 50% can be considered good turnout. (http://gab.wi.gov/node/1688). To me, that's a much bigger problem than free speech zones, anti-worker legislation, etc.

7:58pm  I don't know about you, but when I need to travel all around the state, I'm probably going to use a car, not a plane. Then again, I'm not a governor; I'm just a lowly state employee trying to save money and stick to the OSER travel rules: http://www.channel3000.com/politics/27346903/detail.html
It turns out that Walker's plane expenses are not any higher than previous governors - however, it still seems like a waste of money. I know WI is bigger than the states I'm used to, but still. 


7:59pm  Can't remember if I already posted this article about WI health care laws following the ALEC models...which may be a good way to predict what's coming next...http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/health_med_fit/vital_signs/article_30e0cb12-5719-11e0-970f-001cc4c002e0.html

8:02pm  This article claims that it is hidden; I just think most people just focused on CB and forgot the rest. Part of the Budget Repair Bill changes some civil service jobs into appointed positions. http://www.politicususa.com/en/scott-walker-power-grab. Regardless, Walker has clearly (this, the Medicaid rules, the DOA 3rd grade reading) been making serious moves towards consolidation of power in the Governor.

Timing is Everything

I've taken a much needed break from political writing/thinking towards the end of the weekend. Then I started thinking about why, exactly, weekends have been so draining lately.

When Scott Walker announced the Budget Repair Bill, many sources commented on his tactic of releasing it on a Friday afternoon, in order to miss the weekday news cycle and get buried in the weekend, and then pushed through on Tuesday.

And obviously, this backfired. The unions took advantage of those two days (Saturday and Sunday) to plan a massive lobby day and protest for Tuesday and Wednesday. When the JFC announced that it would hold a hearing on the bill on Tuesday morning, hundreds of union members were already planning on skipping work and coming to Madison.

Still, many of the big moments of the last six weeks have been on Fridays. Although the bill was passed on a Thursday evening, it was signed on Friday. Actually, it was signed on Friday morning...but the official signing ceremony (mistakenly billed as a "singing" ceremony; I still find that to be humorous) was held on a Friday afternoon.

The last-minute "stunning" "twist" of the LRB's publication of Act 10 (and the Administration's contention that it is, in fact, law now) happened on a Friday afternoon, too. 

It's as if the Republican leadership believes that we get all of our news from the morning paper. Maybe they haven't heard about Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and email. It's increasingly hard to bury things in the news cycle (and, I will also give credit, our local media has recognized that these things are important, and not let the stories drop).  After that initial weekend, there have almost always been major protests planned for Saturdays (until 3/26, when the plans were smaller). Why try to push something through on Friday afternoon, when it just adds more fuel to a righteously angry crowd the next morning? 

More to the point, it gives us time to plan. To organize a strategy to fight against the perpetual erosion of local control, workers' rights, and increasingly consolidated power of the governor. And mostly, this is what we've done. This weekend was the first time when that felt less true; we had intentionally stopped the major protesting in order to focus on recall petitions, Supreme Court campaigning, and other strategies for the ballot. We stayed focused, mostly...but I also think we got distracted by the "publishing" of the law. We didn't wait to see who would believe that it was law and who wouldn't (so far, the tally is that the Republican administration, including DOA, and the Dept of Justice, believe that it is law, and the LRB who published it, and the Legislative Council, plus a few DAs and the Secretary of State, believe that it is not yet law). We had the whole weekend, though, and by now, things feel back to focus: we know which lawsuits to launch or continue, depending on whether Act 10 is or is not the law. 

But that's neither here nor there.

The point is, the Republicans continue to try to sneak things past us on Friday afternoons. Therefore, I propose that we should all automatically plan to converge on the Capitol from after lunch until closing, on Fridays. We can be there when the news comes down. We can tell our legislators what we think. And then, once we are all gathered, we can discuss the implications. We can divide the work of researching various elements, and the work of creating strategies, and the work of maintaining the strategies we are currently using.

In other words, let's build something, and let's not wait for news cycles, or wait for the sneaky maneuvers that will surely come. Especially as we head into the discussions over the Biennial Budget (which is just as important - this is where the money is, and it could be the first time that we won't be able to bargain for our working terms), we need to be prepared. And not prepared in a paranoid way. Prepared in the way that means we'll already be able to mobilize with clarity of purpose *and* tactic.

So. What are you doing on Friday afternoon?

(okay. this coming friday is april fools day. so really, friday? hell yeah!)

Saturday 3/26

Again, from Facebook. I'm simply not finding enough time during the week to write as much as I'd actually like to write.

But at least I can document here.

12:02pm  Apparently, due to our protesting, a group serving meals to homeless folks needed to find a new location for a while...and now, even though we're no longer in the Capitol 24/7, they aren't necessarily letting them back in: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/grassroots/article_cf82819c-5729-11e0-a547-001cc4c03286.html

2:52pm  Things are fairly quiet on the square. Handful of folks outside, maybe 50-60 in rotunda. Singing We Shall Overcome.

Later on, some folks, including one with a Batman cape, led chants in the rotunda, and then went up the 1st floor rotunda, where they held signs, and were then issued $205.50 citations for protesting outside of the designated area.  This has been the new tactic (and protest target) for the week.

6:10pm  More on choice (voucher) expansion: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/article_469352ce-57da-11e0-93a3-001cc4c03286.html

7:05pm No mention of how little they mentioned Libya at some points: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/us/27overload.html. And Libya started before the Japan quake... It's been interesting to find my focus on the Middle East/North Africa, and Wisconsin, with very little perspective on what is happening nationally.


11:45pm  My blog was right-on, and ahead of the State Journal. No one knows whether this bill is law or not: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_74859b5a-580d-11e0-9bee-001cc4c03286.html. However, DOA (part of the Walker admin) is acting as if it is...which means those of us who will be financially affected, will probably see that effect soon, unless something changes.

Who decides what is law?

We seem, yet again, to be at an impasse in Wisconsin. I don't know who is in charge of determining when a bill is actually law, but I'm hoping that someone knows. My summary from last night was "The Legislative Reference Bureau has published WI Act 10. Fitzgerald encouraged them. DOJ says that since La Follette didn't tell them to do it, the terms of the restraining order were not broken. There's dispute about who needs to publish it for it to actually be law, vs just published?"

On Friday afternoon (3/25), the Legislative Reference Bureau published Wisconsin Act 10, at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2011/data/acts/11Act10.pdf. They are, apparently, administratively required to publish all bills within 10 business days of approval.

At the same time, however, Secretary of State Doug La Follette is under a restraining order from a Dane County circuit judge (in response to a challenge based on the Open Meetings law by Dane County DA Ismael Ozanne) not to publish the bil. The restraining order targeted La Follette in part because legislators have immunity while they are in session. Several Democrats, have, apparently waived this immunity, but that's a digression.  After the restraining order was issued, La Follette sent this letter to the LRB on March 18, telling them not to take further action on the bill due to the order: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0325/0324secofstate.pdf

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca was very active last night:

He has submitted an Open Records Request to the LRB, requesting correspondence between the LRB and the Governor's office, Scott Fitzgerald, Jeff Fitzgerald, and the Senate & Assembly Majority Leaders, regarding Act 10, since it's passage on March 10th: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0325/0325barcaopenrecords.pdf. This is not a random request: Scott Fitzgerald has said that he did sent a letter to the LRB asking if they could publish Act 10: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/scott-fitzgerald-sent-lrb-letter.html

Also, Barca has published an email from the Legislative Council, which says that it is the understanding of the LRB that a law does not take effect until it is published by the Secretary of State: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0325/0325barcaatty.pdf  (A non-PDF summary is at http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/leg-council-e-mail-says-lrb-believes.html)


And, of course, Barca made a statement: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0325/0325barcalrbaction.pdf

Meanwhile, in an attempt to clarify, the Department of Justice has issued a statement, which I find frustratingly unhelpful: http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0325/0325cosh.pdf. They seem to be saying agreeing that the LRB can publish the Act without direction from La Follette (though they stop short of saying that the LRB is *required* to) and thus La Follette has not violated the restraining order. However, they also seem to be saying that publication by the LRB makes it law.  A non-PDF version is at http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/doj-lawful-publication-didnt-violate.html. 


It seems that many sources are in agreement that La Follette did not violate the restraining order, and that the LRB can publish the Act. However, there is still disagreement over whether publication by the LRB puts it into effect as law, or whether action by the Secretary of State is required. 
The news media is also attempting to figure this out. Most notable to me is that all the stories about this are leading with lines about the twists and turns, the shocking new actions, etc. LRB thinks this doesn't mean the bill is law, Fitzgerald thinks it does: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118677754.html. And this opens up lots of other lawsuits that had to wait until it was law (and apparently, there are other legal experts who believe that publication by the LRB may put the law into effect): http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_f22629e6-572a-11e0-ab2f-001cc4c002e0.html

Dane County DA Ismael Ozanne, the plaintiff in the Open Meetings suit, says the LRB action is not of legal significance: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/dane-county-da-lrbs-actions-of-no-legal.html. However, he also seems to be implying that the defendant (La Follette) was implicated in the publication, when everyone else seems agreed that this was not the case.


The judge on-call for emergencies has declined to hear the case this morning, saying that there are already hearings set with Judge Sumi, who issued the restraining order: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/judge-declines-to-hold-hearing-on-lrb.html


And, even the New York Times is covering this, again, with no resolution: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/26/us/26wisconsin.html

More updates as I have them; in the meantime, I don't even have any analysis to provide. 

News Highlights of the Days - 3/24 and 3/25

Before I launch into this afternoon/evening's madness involving WI Act 10, it is time to play catch-up with the news from yesterday and today.

I had also said a post on education was coming. It is, but has been stalled to the contents of my next post.

Education in Brief:
Wednesday was the Senate Education Committee hearing on SB-22 (regarding setting up an appointed state chartering authority to create charter schools) as well as a few other unsavory bills. Summary of the Ed Com hearing on SB 22. http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/education/blog/article_c406a4da-55b5-11e0-9c47-001cc4c03286.html

It's not exactly news, since it is spelled out in the Biennial Budget, but the Biennial Budget will eliminate teacher licensing requirements for charters: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_53098d18-5549-11e0-9361-001cc4c03286.html. This opens up the possibility that a teacher who has had their license *revoked* could end up teaching at a charter school. I want to challenge the Republicans on this: Are their lawyers members of the bar? Are their doctors certified? Do they want drivers to be licensed? It's bad enough to consider ending up with a highly politicized separate school system that is private/public partnership, but to think that it could be WORSE while being billed as better is just horrible. 
  
Republicans also want to expand private school vouchers (a program currently operating only in Milwaukee, and only for low-income families): http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2011/03/24/news/local_news/news2403.txt. They'd also consider tax credits to families who send their children to private school. Again, more on education another time. 
 
Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission:
In the Budget, the counsel for the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) will act as a mediator (and final authority) for labor disputes (since we won't have unions). It would also make this position*appointed* (and thus, probably politically biased). http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/03/walkers-budget-would-make-wi-labor-mediator-political-appointee.php.  Yet again, Walker is continuing to consolidate power in the hands of the Governor, while removing power from legislators, citizens, and local governments (where citizens, of course, have the most influence). And it amazes me how little resistance the Republicans are putting up. Perhaps they didn't realize that their party is supposedly all about removing government interference and getting rid of big government...

And, there are questions about whether WERC (Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission) will be able to hold elections for unions in time for the deadline in the WI Act 10: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118552299.html. Plus, that article contains more info on Open Meetings suit.


Budget Repair Bill: The second coming:
In order to pass WI Act 10, all fiscal provisions were (theoretically) stripped out so that it could pass with a simple majority. Now, the fiscal parts of Budget Repair are lurking: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_f00eeec0-a9ef-5e63-b726-8fd4773d82c3.html
Many of these are things that many of us are opposed to, such as the sale of our state's power plants, potentially in a no-bid sale. The legislature returns on April 5th (election day). 


Voter ID Update:
With the upcoming Supreme Court Justice election, and the recent debate in the Senate over a Voter ID bill, there have been a lot of concerns that they would pass it just before the election, and disenfranchise many people. The ID law not in effect for April 5 election! http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/crime_and_courts/blog/article_275151ba-557b-11e0-972c-001cc4c03286.html. It hasn't passed both houses, and they are on recess until April 5. Even if it does get passed and is signed, La Follette might wait the full 10 days to publish, so it won't be in effect by April 5th, regardless. The reason the Senate did not push it through without the Democrats is that if they removed the fiscal element, it would have been very likely to have been challenged for it's constitutionality (forcing people to pay for an ID in order to vote can be considered a poll tax).  

Open Meetings Lawsuit, and The Importance of The State Supreme Court:
On Thursday, an appeals court sent the Open Meetings case to State Supreme Court: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/appeals-court-asks-supreme-court-to.html

This is a clear explanation of why the April 5th election matters: there are many legal challenges pending (including a new one today, which claims that WI Act 10 contains fiscal components, and thus there was not quorum to vote on it: http://budget.wispolitics.com/2011/03/report-unions-lawsuit-alleges.html). Many, if not all, of these looming cases will end up at the Supreme Court. 

Also, this will be a fairly wide-reaching decision - one thing the appeals court is asking the Supreme Court to rule on is whether a ciruit court judge can strike down a law that has been passed, if there were open meetings violations. If the answer is no, then our open meetings laws may lose some of their teeth - I am not sure, and I plan to try to learn more.  

  

Supreme Court incumbent Prosser will, as a current Supreme Court Justice, help decide whether the Court will hear the appeal of the Open Meetings violation suit: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_83ea87ea-566e-11e0-a3a7-001cc4c03286.html

 

 Provocation:
On Thursday, a second Indiana prosecutor resigned after suggesting that the government in Wisconsin use violence during the protests.  Initially, it was reported that an email had been sent to Walker, suggesting that he could stage an attack on himself, possibly involving firearms, which could then be pinned on the protesters and the unions. In the initial reports, there was a claim that this man's email had been hacked, and that despite his strong Republican leanings, he hadn't actually sent this: http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2011/03/24/email-to-walker-suggested-faking-attack-on-governor/
However, it sounds like yesterday, the man admitted to sending the email, and stepped down from his position: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_4b9b989a-565d-11e0-b49f-001cc4c03286.html. Poor Indiana. At this rate, they'll run out of prosecutors. 

"Starve the Poor"
The Theme Of The Day on Thursday was "Starve the Poor."  The Department of Corrections on a proposal to reduce inmate meals from three times a day, to twice a day:  http://host.madison.com/ct/blogs/article_d56cb380-5647-11e0-aa1d-001cc4c03286.htm
At least the Department of Corrections has concerns about this plan. Admittedly, their concerns are about control, while mine are more about humane treatment... This also sets up a very sweet deal for private companies, if/when our prisons are privatized. Also: making inmates pay for medication is in no way acceptable. Especially for illness/injury sustained during/as result of incarceration. This article also lists some of the things made using prison labor. Ever wondered about how the state makes hundreds of photocopies, or installs furniture? Yup, mostly prison labor. 

Continuing the "Starve the Poor" theme, part of this federal bill would prevent people who strike from going on (or getting increased benefits from) food stamps: http://thinkprogress.org/2011/03/23/buried-provision-food-stamps/. The bill also has a lot to do with checking eligibility - which is code for "We are pretty sure you people are cheating the system" - here in WI, they want to check eligibility for Medicaid more often...but eligibility for private school vouchers *less* often. It's all about the privatization! Cut back on funding social service programs so that we can divert that money to the private sector.

Capitol Access and Damage Assessment: 

The DOA continues to attempt to figure out how much damage our unruly crowd of thuggish protesters caused, and also, what access we will have to the Capitol: http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2011/03/24/doa-capitol-damage-estimate-could-take-weeks/

Apparently, legislators (all) are being asked to remove signs from windows (which, of course, means that the Dems are being asked to remove signs from windows): http://wseusepac.blogspot.com/2011/03/republicans-do-not-like-democrats.html. Wonder when DOA will notice the signs in my building...or if they'll make Grothman take down the Tea Party flag on his door (I believe decorating might be against DOA regulations as well - it certainly is in my building, though many people do decorate their cubes with pictures of family, cute magnets, and various other personalized touches).

Regarding the Biennial Budget: 
Yesterday, it was announced that the JFC will begin budget briefings starting next week. The schedule is posted: http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/110324_agency_briefings.pdf. Agencies will brief JFC on the implications of the budget on their services/programs, and then the JFC will determine what version of the Biennial Budget the houses will vote on. There is no public testimony at these briefings. Since they are technically briefings, rather than hearings, I am not sure if they will be open to the public. Given the current tone of the administration, I suspect that if it is at all legal (or could be construed as legal) to close these meetings, they will do so.


Members of the public can testify, and listen to public testimony, at a series of hearings around the state, which were announced today. The Republicans, never resisting a chance to criticize the former Democratic administration, and also never missing a chance to sound like they are making major overtures towards bipartisanship, announced these dates in a letter to the Democrats on the JFC. The dates are in the letter at http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0325/0325jfchearings.pdf. (Note to readers: I am seeking a ride to Milwaukee for the April 11th hearing, as early as possible in the morning).


For some very readable budget analysis/explanation, the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families (WCCF) has published their thoughts at http://thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0323/0323wccf.pdf. Their analysis focuses on women, children, low-income people, and the way that social service reductions will impact these folks. 


Moving Forward: I'll end this post on an optimistic note (perhaps overly optimistic) from the Isthmus, regarding what the coalition-building results of Walker's anti-union campaign have been: http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=32875

And, this evening, about 50 bicyclists rode in circles (around the Capitol) in protest of Walker's budget: http://host.madison.com/ct/blogs/article_9b3ed6fe-56f4-11e0-a76a-001cc4c002e0.html. At least one bus driver honked out "this is what democracy looks like." A frequent chant was "More Bikes Less Walker."  And after our group got separated a few times by stopping at the (very frequent) red lights, the police told us to just keep riding, to stick together, and to ignore the lights!

News Highlights of the Days - 3/22 and 3/23

Tuesday and Wednesday have both been very busy days for me, so I haven't been Facebooking much. I've been accumulating topics, and links, and I'm just going to post them here with a bit of explanation. 

1) A very coherent article about some of the ways in which the Budget Repair Bill, the Budget, and the current Republican policies target, in particular, women and people of color.  I would also add that the elimination of SeniorCare (which may not happen after all, but has been discussed a lot) might also affect women a lot.

http://womensmediacenter.com/blog/2011/03/exclusive-wisconsin-budget-battle-targets-women-and-people-of-color/

2) Medicaid under attack. There are several ways in which Medicaid is under attack. Wisconsin Act 10, if published (currently being challenged due to the way in which it was passed), will enable to Director of the Department of Health Services and the Governor to make sweeping changes to the Medicaid program.

One of the changes that is being talked about is SeniorCare. SeniorCare is a Wisconsin state prescription plan for seniors, which is much less expensive (and, I believe, much less confusing) than Medicare Part D. If SeniorCare is gutted, elderly residents in Wisconsin would be forced to spend more money by going through Medicare Part D. And it turns out that many of those prescription plans are run by companies that donate heavily to the Republicans, including the Republican Governors Association which gave money to Walker's campaign: http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/press/walkers-13-million-reasons-for-funneling-seniors-out-of-seniorcare.html

Another issue with Wisconsin Act 10 (the non-fiscal version of the Budget Repair Bill): It doesn't actually deal with the Medicaid shortfall. That's because it's a non-fiscal Budget Repair Bill (which really sounds like an oxymoron to me). So we can make drastic changes to the program without legislative review...but right now, we're still on track to financial problems:

http://m.host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/article_97a1a8a2-54d1-11e0-86a8-001cc4c002e0.html
  
They are finally starting to talk about what Medicaid changes might be made, and the State Journal explains them: http://m.host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/article_b64a1730-54d1-11e0-83ae-001cc4c002e0.html

I can't remember if I posted this already, but DHS has announced that they are freezing enrollment for BadgerCare Basic (a self-funded plan for childless adults that was created last year when the state discovered that once BadgerCare Plus was opened to childless adults, there was a huge waiting list of people who were eligible but couldn't get on due to enrollment limits): http://www.thewheelerreport.com/releases/March11/0318/0318dhsbasic.pdf



3) An article that sums up the legal aspects of what has been happening in Wisconsin, leading to why the April 5th Supreme Court Justice election is so critical, and is truly the only time the people of WI will *definitely* get to vote on this issue (there's no way to know whether a recall effort against Walker will actually pick up steam in 9 months). 

http://onmilwaukee.com/living/articles/jagler032311.html

And for some explanation of the type of person that Prosser is, it's important to learn about his history: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118410829.html

4) Related to the election on April 5th, our local taxi cooperative (yes, in Madison, we have a cooperatively owned cab company) has decided to provide free rides for people needing assistance getting people to the polls: http://www.facebook.com/UnionCab/posts/10150117370887535

5) At this point in the fight to move Wisconsin forward, or at least, halt the backwards movement, there is a lot of focus on money. Who gave it, who spent it, who offers it, where the state spends it, how the state spends it, where we boycott...

Last week, a number of Wisconsin Republicans went to DC for a fundraiser. Just to help them feel at home, protesters crowded the streets and the building where they were. The fundraiser was sponsored by a lobbyist that works for the Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association. Hint: The Wisconsin Transportation Builders don't build trains, buses, light rail or bike paths. They focus on roads. Lots of roads. The same roads that Walker was hoping to use our high speed rail money for, until the Feds took it back (because if you can't play with the toys as they are meant to be played with, you don't get to play with them at all).

http://uppitywis.org/blogarticle/dc-fundraiser-wisconsin-gop-was-roadbuilder-sponsored-payoff


6) Open Records. Wisconsin has a fabulous open records law. We the people can request records from the state. There are parameters, of course, and not everything can be obtained, but many things are available.

Last week, there was a settlement on a suit from Walker's office regarding an open records request filed by The Isthmus (a local paper) and the AP, for emails to the Governor regarding the Budget Repair Bill. The settlement involved handing over emails from February 11th (when the bill was introduced) to February 17th, I believe (when Walker was claiming he was getting thousands of emails all in support).


http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=32818&sid=f0fef0d190953479f851f9fd91700995

Today, it turns out that a watchdog group requested emails sent by Republicans discussing how to handle the absence of the Democrats. And by "handle" I mean "punish". It seems like the intent of the request may have been to determine whether Fitzgerald was aware of the potential mis-use of the State Patrol. But it reveals so much more.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20110323/GPG0101/110323141/Emails-show-how-GOP-state-senators-planned-punish-14-AWOL-Dems?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

You can actually see all the emails at: http://www.scribd.com/collections/2926400/Documents-Regarding-WI-Senator-Scott-Fitzgerald


7) Open Meetings
After Dane County Judge Sumi ordered a restraining order on Wisconsin Act 10, the state Attorney General, JB Van Hollen, requested to appeal (http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/118462359.html). Part of his argument seems to be that a judge doesn't have the authority to rule on legislative actions. The problem is, her ruling had nothing to do with the content of the law, and everything to do with whether the actions taken by members of the legislature were legal or not. If we can't challenge our lawmakers regarding their methods, we lose another bit of our power within the democracy that we have. 

The appeal has to be filed on behalf of someone and in this case, that happens to be Secretary of State Doug La Follette. Except, it seems that Van Hollen forgot to mention this to La Follette:

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_1cd4920c-541c-11e0-8303-001cc4c03286.html

And the Dane County DA is pretty sure that the details of *how* the law got passed *is* important, and he says so: 

http://m.host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_fa0f0f36-54d9-11e0-abbb-001cc4c002e0.html



 8) Budget Odds and Ends:

It turns out that a major bipartisan effort might end up being...saving the state's recycling funding. Democrats like it because recycling is a way to love the earth. Republicans like it because they hate unfunded mandates, and because, well, landfills are expensive, and you can always trust the Republicans to analyze the fiscal impact.

http://m.host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_e791e3fe-5404-11e0-8d8a-001cc4c002e0.html


On the other hand, the Walker administration continues to disappoint some traditionally conservative voters: Farmers. Preserving farmland is apparently not as critical as encouraging development. It seems like there should be a way to preserve farmland *and* create jobs. But here in the dairy state, we apparently no longer need farmland: 

http://m.host.madison.com/mobile/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_b719c790-7f9f-5405-8fbb-6530abbca388.html

The state power plants have been both a major issue and a non-issue during the recent debates over the Budget Repair Bill. It was one of the 3 major items that I highlighted in my first analysis of the bill, because it gave major power to the governor to sell all of the state's power plants...in no-bid sales.  But, along with Medicaid (another one of my 3 major items), it was pretty much ignored during the first week of the protests (though it was discussed at great length during the JFC and Assembly hearings). Until, of course, Walker was recorded having a phone conversation with someone who identified himself as David Koch. Suddenly, despite a denial from a Koch brothers spokesperson, there was an obsession with the idea that there was a secret deal between Walker and the Kochs to sell the power plants at a good rate. I have tended to dismiss that as too much conspiracy, not enough proof. However, the idea of no-bid sales with minimal legislative oversight is pretty scary...and screams of big centralized government and disempowerment of the voters and legislators!  And while this part does not appear in Wisconsin Act 10, it is still going to come up again later:


http://m.host.madison.com/mobile/article_c7c57cc8-51b3-11e0-a99f-001cc4c03286.html




9) Non-budget Related Items:

Walker has fired the lawyers who were defending the state in a challenge to domestic partner laws passed under former Governor Doyle (a Democrat). The reason the state hired lawyers in the first place was that JB Van Hollen (see above: WI AG) refused to defend the law when it was challenged.

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/on-topic/article_ad99f656-5593-11e0-bafd-001cc4c002e0.html


A bill has been proposed (but has not yet passed) that would create incredibly strict restrictions on the locations for wind farms (restrictions which would make several wind farms that were in planning stages unable to function). And indeed, we now have the first cancellation of a project. Again, because Wisconsin is open for business. Just not *all* business:

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/118397164.html

And finally, after spending $500,000 on a system to prevent childcare fraud (an issue uncovered by a Wisconsin journalist a few years ago, involving child care centers creating phony children, enrollment records, etc, in order to collect money from the state program to help fund childcare for low-income families so that parents can work), Walker's administration has canceled the contract with the company that was working on this program: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/118342669.html. 

Yet again, this is a particularly bipartisan issue: no one wants to see money intended for childcare going to the owners of centers: the Dems because social services are good, and the Repubs because fiscal transparency is important. Pay attention to this story, because coming up tomorrow, we'll talk about education and the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program.

In fact, most of what I plan to write about tomorrow (hopefully!) is education: Charter schools (including SB-22, which is being discussed by the Ed Committee today), Choice schools, and the education components of the Biennial Budget. I might even provide some links to information about the potential splitting of the UW-Madison from the UW system.