16.896 Sale or contractual operation of state−owned heating, cooling, and power plants. (1) Notwithstanding ss. 13.48 (14) (am) and 16.705 (1), the department may sell any state−owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state. Notwithstanding ss. 196.49 and 196.80, no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant, and any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project under s. 196.49 (3) (b).I.e. the governor would have the power to sell any power plant at any price, without soliciting bids.
The judge turned to me and said, "Do you hear his language!"— The Autobiography of Mother Jones
I told him I did not hear and he repeated to me Barney's answers. "He swears every other word," said the judge.
"Judge," said I, "that is the way we ignorant working people pray."
Republicans have killed a controversial labor bill that has sparked a Democrat work-stoppage and large union protests at the Statehouse.posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:37 AM on February 23, 2011
But Democrats say that isn’t enough to get them back to the Statehouse.
Rep. Dale Grubb... said House Democrats are going to stand strong and won’t return to the state until Gov. Mitch Daniels and House Speaker Brian Bosma assure them they won’t resurrect four additional labor measures and six education bills....
Republicans say they will not give in, though they have agreed to put off the right-to-work issue.
Dear Fellow Citizens,posted by symbioid at 12:35 PM on February 23, 2011 [14 favorites]
I wanted to update you briefly on what is happening at the Capitol.
The Assembly has been in session for over 24 hours, debating Gov. Walker’s sham “budget repair” bill. Assembly Democrats have requested that the bill be considered by the Labor Committee before pushing through such a radical attack on the rights of workers. The Republicans, to a one, rejected that request – determined to ram this bill through without fully considering its sweeping, non-fiscal, policy provisions.
Throughout the night, Assembly Democrats offered amendments to try to improve this terrible bill – to change the provisions stripping workers’ rights to collectively bargain, to stop the dismantling of SeniorCare and BadgerCare, and to prevent the Governor from adding 35 new cronies to the already-powerful executive branch, among others. Unfortunately, Republicans have tabled every single amendment, preventing us from even considering these potential changes. We have many more changes we will suggest, addressing other aspects of the bill, including the no-bid sale of taxpayer-owned power plants.
I am very proud of my colleagues for standing up for the citizens of Wisconsin. Many of them gave voice to our constituents, by reading their letters, emails, and comments on the floor of the Assembly. Many spoke movingly about the history of labor rights in Wisconsin – as we heard thousands of voices in the rotunda singing our national anthem.
We will continue to offer our amendments in an effort to stop this bill -- or if we cannot, to improve it. We will not rest, we will keep standing up for the hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who have rallied, slept in the Capitol, contacted us, testified at our Democratic hearing, written letters to the editor, and tried mightily to make their voices heard over the past week and a half. Thank you for all the comments and feedback you have provided; it is an honor to serve you in the Assembly.
In Solidarity,
KELDA HELEN ROYS
In the United States Senate, the procedure was used in the early morning hours of February 25, 1988. Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, then the Senate Majority Leader, moved a call of the house after the minority Republicans walked out in an attempt to deny the Senate a quorum after Senate aides began bring cots into the Senate cloakrooms in preparation for an all-night session over campaign finance reform for congressional elections. Bryd's motion was approved 45-3 and arrest warrants were signed for all 46 Republicans.posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 1:02 PM on February 23, 2011 [15 favorites]
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Henry K. Giugni and his staff searched the Capitol's corridor and Senate office buildings for absent Senators, and after checking several empty offices, spotted Senator Steve Symms of Idaho, who fled down a hallway and escaped arrest. After a cleaning woman gave a tip that Senator Robert Packwood of Oregon was in his office, Giugni opened the door with a skeleton key. Packwood attempted to shove the door closed, but Giugni and two assistants pushed it open. Packwood was "carried feet-first into the Senate chamber by three plainclothes officers" and sustained bruised knuckles.[9]
"OMG!! The National Guard is touring all the prisons for some odd reason..They say they routinely do this and it has nothing to do with the takeover of the prisons by out of state (Iowa) private companies instead of corrections officers when he busts the unions...no one who has worked there for years EVER saw any of these "inspections" before. Wisconsin jobs to out of state workers??? Big Brother is finally here!"(that's from an email of a person who works at the prison)
" ... Murphy said he has not heard from Walker's office or, for that matter Koch's. He says he hopes Koch sues the Beast, citing the Streisand effect. He adds: I would just like it on the record that I'm not suicidal. If my body floats up in some Wisconsin bog or cheese factory, I was not suicidal.'"posted by ericb at 2:07 PM on February 23, 2011 [7 favorites]
"Koch": What we were thinking about the crowds was planting some troublemakers."Here we have an American governor taking in stride the suggestion from a right-wing billionaire that he use agents provocateurs to incite violence in a peaceful protest, and in fact the only reason he decided against covertly inflaming violence among his own constituents was for P.R. considerations, not because it's a fucking evil and fascistic tactic straight out of Nazi fucking Germany. Jesus Christ.
Walker: [pause] You know, well... the only problem, because we thought about that, the problem, my gut reaction to that would be... right now, the lawmakers I've talked to have completely had it with them, the public is not really fond of this. The teachers' union did some polling and focus groups I think and found out that the public turned on them the minute they closed down school for a couple days. The guys we got left are largely out of state, and I keep dismissing it in all my press conferences, "Eh, they're mostly from out of state." My only fear would be is if there was a ruckus caused, is that that would scare the public into thinking "maybe the governor's got to settle to avoid all these problems." Whereas I'm saying, "Hey, we can this, people can protest, this is Madison, you know, full of the '60s liberals, let 'em protest. It's not gonna effect us. And as long as we go back to our homes, and the majority of people are telling us we're doing the right thing, let 'em protest all they want. So, that's my gut reaction, is that I think it's actually good if they're constant, they're noisy, but -- they're quiet, nothing happens, cause, sooner or later, the media stops finding them interesting.
When the Q&A was over, Democratic state Rep. Brett Hulsey -- who had gotten in the room before the press conference began, took the governor's podium to give his own remarks and to take questions from reporters.posted by drezdn at 2:50 PM on February 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
At this point, some young staffers from the governor's office opened the double-doors wide open -- so that the sounds of the thousands of protesters came pouring in, drowning out Hulsey. The reporters then asked for the doors to be closed, but the young men stayed at the doors, keeping them fully open.
"George Soros" (James O'Keefe): What we were thinking about the Tea Party health care protests was planting some troublemakers.Every vaguely conservative media outlet (and half the non-conservative ones) would have been demanding investigations, impeachment, riots, the president's head on a pike. It would have been the biggest political story of the year, the end of the Obama administration, Glenn Beck's wildest fantasies come to life. Hell, I would be beyond disgusted with him, and I happen to think that he is, despite his flaws, one of our last best hopes for getting the country back on the right track. But when a Republican in a position of power who is already in the spotlight gets caught saying the same chilling, amoral, anti-American things and gets exposed in the most audacious way possible, there is almost zero discussion or concern.
Barack Obama: [pause] You know, well... the only problem, because we thought about that, the problem, my gut reaction to that would be... right now, the lawmakers I've talked to have completely had it with them, the public is not really fond of this. The Tea Party Express did some polling and focus groups I think and found out that the public turned on them the minute they started disrupting town hall meetings. The guys we got there are largely out of state, and I keep dismissing it in all my press conferences, "Eh, they're mostly astroturf."
My only fear would be is if there was a ruckus caused, is that that would scare the public into thinking "maybe the president's got to settle to avoid all these problems." Whereas I'm saying, "Hey, we can handle this, people can protest, this is Washington, you know, full of astroturf lobbyists, let 'em protest. It's not gonna affect us. And as long as we go back to our homes, and the majority of people are telling us we're doing the right thing, let 'em protest all they want. So, that's my gut reaction, is that I think it's actually good if they're constant, they're noisy, but -- they're quiet, nothing happens, cause, sooner or later, the media stops finding them interesting.
In February 2004, Lautenschlager made national headlines after pleading guilty to drunk driving in Dodge County, about an hour away from Madison. A Dodge County sheriff's deputy reported to the scene to find her state-owned vehicle in the ditch, and her unharmed inside. Her preliminary breathalizer test at the scene showed that her blood alcohol level was 0.12, 50% above the legal limit of 0.08.Sorry, I've got problems with drunk drivers.
Wisconsin's union employees are upset about a loss of collective bargaining and a mandated increase in benefit payments, including for health insurance. But at least these employees would still have health insurance. What has been widely ignored about Walker's bill (in part because of the speed with which he's fisting it down Wisconsin's gullet) is a sneaky provision that paves the way for him to cut, or eliminate, Medicaid and BadgerCare healthcare benefits for low-income people.posted by hippybear at 9:50 AM on February 24, 2011 [6 favorites]
Administrative rules changes sound about as interesting as the words "administrative rules." And Walker's "administrative rule" change is the kind of complex, procedural legislative legalese that few reporters are sickly masochistic enough to slog through. (And it's especially true that nobody reports on America's rising war on the poor. This was evidenced by the fact that major network stars have yet to appear in Madison, and, until this weekend, the tens of thousands sleeping in the capitol warranted segment bites equal in length and depth to the latest update on reporter Serene Branson's migraine.)
So in short: Walker's administrative rules change would allow the Department of Health Services, via the overwhelmingly GOP-controlled budget committee, to change state laws unilaterally, skipping the legislative process altogether. In terms Vicki McKenna can understand, this means Walker's bill will allow the governor to subvert the legislative process and make his own laws without going through the tiresome and long American tradition of lawmaking. But wait, there's more!
You don’t have to love unions, you don’t have to believe that their policy positions are always right, to recognize that they’re among the few influential players in our political system representing the interests of middle- and working-class Americans, as opposed to the wealthy. Indeed, if America has become more oligarchic and less democratic over the last 30 years — which it has — that’s to an important extent due to the decline of private-sector unions.posted by Trochanter at 11:34 AM on February 24, 2011
And now Mr. Walker and his backers are trying to get rid of public-sector unions, too.
Appleton at 5 p.m. at Lawrence University's Seeley Mudd Library.posted by symbioid at 1:41 PM on February 24, 2011
Beloit at 4 p.m. at 1240 Riverside Drive.
Berlin at 5 p.m. in Eastside Park.
Eau Claire at 7 p.m. in Phoenix Park.
Fond du Lac at 4 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce, 207 N. Main St., and 5 p.m. at the Opera House Square.
Green Bay at 4 p.m. at the Ray Nitschke bridge, the Walnut Street bridge, the De Pere bridge and two overpasses known as the Peshtigo 41 and the Oconto Falls overpasses.
Horicon at 4:45 p.m. at the IAM 873 labor hall, 258 Barstow St.
Janesville at 7:45 p.m. at the Rock County Courthouse, 51 Main St.
Kenosha at 4 p.m. at the UAW Local 72 labor hall, 3615 Washington Rd.
La Crosse at 4:30 p.m. at the clock tower on the UW-La Crosse campus.
Manitowoc at 4:30 p.m. at the Manitowoc County courthouse and at 6 p.m. at a town meeting at Time Out Sports Bar and Grill, 1027 N. Rapids Road.
Milwaukee at 11:30 a.m. at Milwaukee Area Technical College, 700 W. State St., at 2 p.m. at the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex, 9201 W. Watertown Plank Road, and at 4 p.m. at Water Street and Wisconsin Avenue.
Platteville at 12:15 p.m. at University Plaza on the UW-Platteville campus.
River Falls at 6 p.m., at Meyer Middle School, 230 N. Ninth St.
Sheboygan at 5 p.m. in Fountain Park.
Stevens Point at 5 p.m. at the Ramada Inn, 1501 N. Point Dr., for a march to UW-Stevens Point for a 6 p.m. rally at the campus sundial.
Wausau at 4:30 p.m. at the Marathon County courthouse.
Rallies also are planned on Thursday for the 11th straight day, both inside and outside the State Capitol in Madison.
The clock is now running for groups trying to collect enough signatures to trigger recall elections against seven Democratic senators, state officials said today.Oh.
Reid Magney, spokesman for the Government Accountability Board, said local groups have officially registered recall committees with his agency to try to recall Sen. Bob Wirch of Kenosha and Jim Holperin of Eagle River.
In addition, a Utah group, American Recall Coalition, has registered electronically to set up recall committees against Wirch and five other Senate Democrats - Lena Taylor of Milwaukee, Mark Miller of Monona, Julie Lassa of Stevens Point, Fred Risser of Madison and Dave Hansen of Green Bay.
Magney said his office is still waiting to receive paper registrations from American Recall Coalition but that the out-of-state group may begin collecting signatures for the recall elections in those districts.
"We thought we were going to have a quiet time after the election," Magney said. "Apparently not."
The only Democratic senator who is not currently the subject of a recall bid is Spencer Coggs of Milwaukee.
I worked 30 years in the [redacted] Union and was able to be insured of a safe working environment with enough staffing to help me with dangerous, two-man jobs when I needed help. I was provided with safe tools and equipment and a reasonably good working environment. I was given respect from my management with the ability to grievance sometimes ridiculous work expectations. My union stood behind me when I was pressured to cut corners to save a nickel for the company at the expense of safety. My union forged an agreement with the company to provide professional service in their [redacted] operation in return for a reasonable wage and benefit package along with working conditions that reflect the trust and professional dignity that we deserve as hard working human beings. [Redacted Corp] is a huge, money-hungry company that I seriously doubt would treat us as well as they have if we did not have union backing. But the employees are the ones who provide the service that brings in the cash and are responsible for the success of [Redacted Corp]. We have shared in the success over the years because we had a say in the day to day operation of the business. The state workers may very well lose their bargaining rights and no longer have the dedication and desire to help their particular work unit prosper. Making huge wage and benefit concessions are tough, but must be done. The people who rely on state services (taxpayers) don't want to support workers who haven't felt their pain and continue the status quo with no cuts. But to strip them of their rights to contest a safe, reasonable working condition is un-American and shouldn't be tolerated.posted by desjardins at 3:18 PM on February 24, 2011 [28 favorites]
The dueling press releases were released just hours after protesters, many of them members of the disabled community in wheelchairs, occupied the offices of the state GOP party waving signs and chanting. The standoff lasted for nearly three hours before protesters left with copies of a letter from the GOP state executive director, Mark Jefferson, promising that he would ask Walker to meet with them.posted by drezdn at 5:46 PM on February 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Let me be clear: I abhor shoving of any kind. Shoving is never justified. The world would be a better place if there was no shoving, by anyone. Make loves, not shoves. But -- and I could be wrong here -- the gentleman's actions seem to be aimed at the lens of the video camera, and not intended to cause harm to the person holding it. Pushing a camera away from one's face seems less "thuggish" to me than it does ... defensive. And purposefully picking fights with people in order to provoke an angry response does not really prove much of anything.posted by Rhaomi at 9:24 PM on February 24, 2011 [10 favorites]
None of that matters, of course. What matters is that everyone on the right was simply waiting for one of their content suppliers to produce the requisite "violence from a union thug" video, and here it is. The scripts were all written in advance. Now everyone has jumped on the story.
Because these people are completely fucking shameless, the woman from the video has compared herself to Lara Logan. I am not making that up. I wish I was making that up. But I would actually not make that up, because it would seem beyond the pale to accuse conservative activists of being so horrible, so desperate to play the victim, so morally depraved, so deep into their persecution fantasies that they've lost all perspective on the rest of the world.
The State Capitol will NOT be closing at 4:00 today. This is a rumor. If you have posted any news items to this effect, please correct your story ASAP. Also, please share this information with your fellow reporters from your news organization working on this story.posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:17 AM on February 25, 2011 [4 favorites]
"Capitol Police are working with protest organizers to begin removal of some large items that could pose fire hazards such as mattresses, folding tables and chairs.
"More detailed information will be released this afternoon about those efforts."
Assembly Rule 77. Voting mandatory; exceptions. When a question is put every member present shall vote either "aye" or "no" unless paired with another member who is absent with leave, or unless the assembly for special cause excuses the member from voting.posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 12:46 PM on February 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
[Pride at Work Executive Director] Shorey added the stakes are high because union contracts are often the only protection LGBT workers have in states that lack LGBT-specific non-discrimination statutes. Without collective bargaining, many gay and lesbian public employees would also face a much more difficult road to gain domestic partner health coverage and other benefits.posted by desjardins at 2:10 PM on February 25, 2011 [8 favorites]
Where can I go online to buy pizza/food/supplies for the protesters?
@DefendWisconsin(because they are clearing the Capitol today at 4 pm for cleaning, and no one knows exactly what "cleaning" will entail)
Folks from the WISCONSIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY will be collecting signs from the Capitol today for posterity. #wiunion
Phone number for attorney assistance if arrested: (608) 257-0945. Thanks to Hawks-Quindel & Hurley law for atty observer help. #wiunionJust in case anyone gets arrested.
On Feb. 7, with Wisconsin united in the afterglow of a Green Bay Packers victory in the Super Bowl, brand-new Gov. Scott Walker convened a dinner meeting of his Cabinet at the Governor's Mansion.Yes, well, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED on that score.
Walker held up a photo of President Ronald Reagan, who had famously fired striking air-traffic controllers, and said his plan to sweep away decades of protections for state public employees in a stop-gap budget bill represented "our time to change the course of history."
Dept of Admin says because Protesters stayed last night, no additional Protesters will be let in "until this situation is resolved" #wiunionHowever, from benmasel
"NEW RESTRICTIONS" on #Wisconsin Capitol access violate precedent frm my 1987 suit v Tommy under State Constitution. #wiunionIf this is true, it would likely still take days if not weeks to sort out the legal issues, not helpful for getting people in right now.
GOP blocks paying dem staff and dem senate offices from making copies/scans + went to my church to intimdate. Their overreaching is amazing!posted by thebestsophist at 9:37 AM on February 28, 2011 [3 favorites]
"I curse their head and all the hairs of their head; I curse their face, their brain (innermost thoughts), their mouth, their nose, their tongue, their teeth, their forehead, their shoulders, their breast, their heart, their stomach, their back, their womb, their arms, their leggs, their hands, their feet, and every part of their body, from the top of their head to the soles of their feet, before and behind, within and without."And on and on and on into seeming infinity.
"I curse them going and I curse them riding; I curse them standing and I curse them sitting; I curse them eating and I curse them drinking; I curse them rising, and I curse them lying; I curse them at home, I curse them away from home; I curse them within the house, I curse them outside of the house; I curse their wives, their children, and their servants who participate in their deeds. I (bring ill wishes upon) their crops, their cattle, their wool, their sheep, their horses, their swine, their geese, their hens, and all their livestock. I (bring ill wishes upon) their halls, their chambers, their kitchens, their stanchions, their barns, their cowsheds, their barnyards, their cabbage patches, their plows, their harrows, and the goods and houses that are necessary for their sustenance and welfare."
#wiunion reports today that protestors inside aren't "complying" - technically true. 1 or 2 people still in family area on 1st floor.posted by thebestsophist at 6:20 PM on February 28, 2011
Fox News has reported that Mike Tobin was "attacked," "punched," "hit," and "battered," yet has not released any footage of the alleged attack. This is because it didn't happen. How do I know? Because here's video of the alleged incident. Fox. News. Lies.Meanwhile, on the nauseating "Fox Nation," Charles Koch pens an open letter and is mobbed by laudatory comments:
UNIONS are history...because they have always taken and taken and never given back to our country...You Union people can howl and scream all you want...but...WE THE PEOPLE...are tired of your BS...Our country is hurting because of you and many of our political leaders...primarily the ones you sent tons of money to...WE THE PEOPLE...are correcting that problem...NOW...I wonder how many of these are paid commenters/sockpuppets/"personality management" and how many are True Believers. Is there even a meaningful difference at this point?
[...]
the progressives-socialist-communists only have 2 years to destroy this country and proclaim obama supreme leader of the new world order (at least in his pea-brain). they must do it while he is in office because in 2012 they will be hammered by the "We the Peope" and they cannot stand the thought of a America having the right to vote for a real President. soros, trumka and obummer will lose and hopefully tried for treason!
[...]
The unions try to protray themselves as American's but take a good hard look at what they are doing, THERE IS NOTHING AMERICAN ABOUT THEM OR THEIR LEADER, "barry from Kenya"
Initial restraining order GRANTED. Cap must remain open to public while Legislature is in session, hearings held, pending a full hearing!Woohoo!
“We go back a long way on this in Wisconsin, and in other states, as well,” said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, which for years has been urging its members to push their elected officials to reduce government salaries and benefits, and which has spent more than $340,000 on television and radio ads supporting the push by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s effort to strip union bargaining rights from state employees.Underpaid government officials are easier to buy.
But while Phillips’s group has been the focus of liberal outrage, owing largely to its well-known connection to – and funding from – the billionaire industrialists David and Charles Koch, conservative activists say a more significant role may have been played by a network of free-enterprise, small-government think tanks in state capitals and Washington, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (or ALEC), Wisconsin’s MacIver Institute and Ohio’s Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions.
The groups – which collectively have received tens of millions of dollars in funding from some of the biggest conservative donors in the country, including the Koch brothers, the DonorsTrust funds and the Milwaukee-based Bradley Foundation (whose president chaired Walker’s campaign) – have considered the issue a top priority for the last few years. They’ve been churning out research warning of impending fiscal disaster if governors and lawmakers in their states didn’t reign in spending by slashing their governments’ payrolls, workers’ benefits and pension liabilities, and – in some cases – have produced legislative proposals that are now at the center of debate.
This is why judges are and should not be elected officials.
We don't know what the hell's going on or who's in charge.
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posted by saulgoodman at 8:09 AM on February 23, 2011