Walker and Van Hollen = Pure Naked Corruption

I knew the WisGOPs and Walker were corrupt, I just didn't know how obvious they'd be.

Seriously, up to $500,000 to Michael, Best and Friedrich on a no-bid contract? And drawing it up one week before you "dropped the bomb" on collective bargaining rights? As if you needed any more evidence that this was drawn up from D.C. and was in the works from the start, that story from Bill Leuders lays it bare. Blackwater (excuse me, Xe) is impressed with this unaccountable arrangement.

Especially nice is the way the "revolving door" works, where J.B. Van Hollen's office allows for one of his former underlings to receive a huge payday right after leaving state service.

Signing the contract for Michael Best & Friedrich was attorney Raymond Taffora, a month after he left his job with the state attorney general's office, which usually represents the state on legal challenges.

Werwie said the firm was hired "at the request of the attorney general's office" to review the budget-repair bill and provide other legal services the office could not.

Correspondence shows the governor on Feb. 4 requested legal assistance from the attorney general's office in anticipation of litigation on the bill. The office declined, citing a lack of sufficient non-union staff with the necessary expertise. It recommended that the governor appoint special counsel.

And gee, you think the law firm that's getting a blank check might just tell the Governor's office what they want to hear regarding the legality of what they're trying to push through? Especially at $300 an hour of taxpayer money with ZERO oversight from the Attorney General's Office or the State Legislature?

Guess those $1,000 contributions Ray Taffora gave to J.B Van Hollen each of the last 4 years had quite the rate of return, didn't it? And the over $37,000 Michael Best & Friedrich employees gave to Walker's guv campaign had a payoff of over 14 to 1on this contract alone. Like most privatization deals, the taxpayer gets nothing in savings, but the well-connected can make a fortune.

You gotta give the scumbags in the GOP credit for one thing- they take care of those who take care of them. The rest of you can go to hell, but they sure know who pays their bills.