You may have seen yesterday the strong December jobs report that came out from the BLS yesterday, with 200,000 new jobs created and the unemployment rate dropping to 8.5% - lowest in nearly 3 years. It topped off a year where U.S. jobs slowly but surely came back, with 1.92 million jobs created in the private sector in 2011 and 1.64 million jobs overall, and we are now at rates of unemployment and total jobs that we haven't seen since around the time the stimuus was passed in 2009. (which further illustrates my theory that while it was too small for what was needed, the stimulus definitely stabilized an economy that was in free fall in early 2009). You have to go back to the start of 2007 (right before the housing bubble popped) to find a time when a higher percentage of jobs had been created in the last 12 months, and even manufacturing did well this year, with 225,000 more jobs than at the end of 2010, and 23,000 more in December alone.
This U.S. job improvement needs to be a constant reminder to people who constant denigrate Barack Obama's jobs record (while he certainly hasn't done all that he could have or should have, our economy is definitely in better shape than we were 3 years ago). It also needs to be a reminder of the failures of Scott Walker, because had Wisconsin kept up with the national trend of job growth, we would have seen the following record: (you'll need to add in December's Wisconsin numbers for the year-long comparison).
2011 Wisconsin = U.S. job change 34,450
2011 Wisconsin actual job change 3,900 (-30,550 vs. U.S.)
2011 Wisconsin = U.S. private job change 41,200
2011 Wisconsin actual private job change 2,400 (-38,800 vs. U.S.)
2011 Wisconsin = U.S. manufacturing job change +8,450
2011 Wisconsin actual manufacturing job change +5,900 (-2,550 vs. U.S.)
By both private and public job measures, it can be argued that the state is bleeding between 2,500 and 3,000 jobs a month due to policies enacted since Scott Walker became governor and the GOP took over the Legislature. This is in sharp contrast to 2010, when Wisconsin was creating jobs at nearly double the U.S. rate under Doyle/ Dem control. And even if the jobs report is reasonably strong in Wisconsin for December, it should be good. When the U.S. is gaining 212,000 private sector jobs, we should be getting 4,000 jobs in the private sector in Wisconsin. So if we have some kind of positive bounce-back number of a few thousand jobs for December, I don't want to see Scott Walker running around saying "It's working", because the real credit should be going to Barack Obama's tide lifting Walker's sinking boat.
Obviously, there's a long way to go, but I'm finding the recent U.S. jobs reports encouraging, and if it continues, we should be gradually pulling ourselves out of the mess laid at our hands by the execesses and foolishness of the 2000s. But here in Wisconsin, we've gone from climbing to falling, and we'll need a similar "Dubya to Obama" change at the top of our government to help us get out of our 2011 mess.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
GOPs have only themselves to blame for Walker recall cost
I see the media has fallen for the latest GOP talking point about how recalling this corrupt Administration and the senators who went along with their thuggery is somehow "too expensive". This arises from a politically-motivated request from ALEC cabin boy Robin Vos to ask the GAB how much a "statewide recall election" would cost, and the GAB estimated the cost to local governments at around $9 million statewide.
Of course, that $9 million needs a bit more explanation past the face-value whining you'll get from right-wing media. First, there's no explanation in the GAB's estimate to whether this shows 1 statewide recall election, or a recall primary AND a full-scale general election. Because if that's the cost of both of those elections, there's an easy way for Republicans to lower the cost of this to taxpayers - stop pulling every trick in the book to extend this inevitable election and stop challenging the 800-900 thousand signatures that will come in to make Gov. Walker face the voters for what he has done. If the GOP just would step aside, accept the will of the people using their rights as outlined in the Wisconsin Constitution, and allow for 30 days for the GAB to check and tally the signatures, this would be sped up at a much lower cost.
If that scenario would play out, then you'd have a Dem Governor recall primary on April 3- the same day as the statewide GOP primary for president and numerous local elections. Elections officials are already staffed up and set for that day, so any extra cost would be minimal. Then you'd only have the recall general elections on May 1 or so, and you'd be done, at a much smaller cost.
But of course, having the recall election as soon as possible at lowest cost is NOT what the GOP is looking for. Witness the cynical judgment in a Walkershaw County court this week from a former GOP legislator that demanded the GAB take steps on their own to flag and remove unacceptable signatures, despite the fact that there is no law demanding the GAB do so and no money allocated to have them do it with any kind of effectiveness. In fact, in the GAB's own response to Vos on the costs of the recalls they say that it'll cost at least $100,000 to put in the software and materials necessary to carry out this unfunded (and unfounded) mandate, and that it would also require the hiring of 50 full-time workers for 8 weeks. So instead of the GOP paying for what they were previously required to do, they have now gotten a hack judge to pass that cost off to the taxpayers...and then the GOP has the nerve to turn around and blame the recall petitioners for the "unnecessary cost!" ARE THEY FUCKING KIDDING?
And of all the people to be concerned over the extra costs to local governments, the last guy I want to hear from is Robin Vos. If Wee Wittle Wobbin was so concerned with the extra costs and burdens on localities, why did he funnel hundreds of millions to his and Walker's buddies in the road builder lobby, including $147 million (If Robin Vos is so concerned with the extra costs, why did he funnel hundreds of millions to his and Walker's buddies in the road builder lobby, including $147 million (or 16 of these recall elections, Robby) raided out of schools and local government aids? Why did he ban local governments from working together on road projects, forcing the work to be privatized, EVEN IF PRIVATIZING COSTS TAXPAYERS MORE MOENY? Because alleged fiscal conservatives like Robin Vos are not serious about saving taxpayer money, only steering it to who pays their bills.
And especially after 2011, when the GOP cost taxpayers $400,000 for running fake Democrats in last summer's Senate recalls, and were the first groups to file recall petitions against 8 Wisconsin Dem Senators (eventually ending up with only 3 elections that the Dems all won handily) I don't want to hear a damn word from them about this. They seem to have no issues with wasting taxpayer dollars on recalls when it suits their needs, but when the other side give them the same treatment, now they get all concerned over the costs? Spare me, you hypocritical bastards.
Lastly, the biggest reason GOPs have no business whining about recall costs is that it was their own actions that made us do this. Scott Walker lied his way into office, then called hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin workers "haves" and "dropped the bomb" without any discussions with those workers. Bad enough, but then Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald admitted the move was about hurting Dems in 2012 instead of any type of fiscal reason that would help Wisconsinites, and it became obvious that the move was a political one made by Koch and ALEC-affiliated groups from outside of our state, we had a duty to fight back against it in Wisconsin. When the GOP-run Legislature rubber-stamped billions in cuts to schools, local governments, and other services while funneling hundreds of millions in tax breaks to corporate contributors, then we deserve to have our say before the damage becomes permanent. When Wisconsin has the worst economy in the lower 48 and the largest job losses in America, we deserve a chance to end this disaster.
Especially when you have an Administration that is wracked with favortism and play-to-play corruption, From the latest Walkergate examples of money laundering and influence peddling, to the Michael Gableman, Michael Best, and WisGOP triangle, to the incompetent booobs hired as a result of campaign kickbacks and the GOP spoils' system, to the lying to the public about Medicaid data and the lifting of the Family Care cap, this state's tradition of clean governmnet has been damaged nearly beyond repair. Because WisGOP lacks the balls or integrity to call their own people into account, and instead thinking they can wave their little red pom-poms to score political points, the clean-up job has to be left to us.
At a cost of less than $3 a Wisconsin adult, that clean-up job will be an absolute BARGAIN.
Of course, that $9 million needs a bit more explanation past the face-value whining you'll get from right-wing media. First, there's no explanation in the GAB's estimate to whether this shows 1 statewide recall election, or a recall primary AND a full-scale general election. Because if that's the cost of both of those elections, there's an easy way for Republicans to lower the cost of this to taxpayers - stop pulling every trick in the book to extend this inevitable election and stop challenging the 800-900 thousand signatures that will come in to make Gov. Walker face the voters for what he has done. If the GOP just would step aside, accept the will of the people using their rights as outlined in the Wisconsin Constitution, and allow for 30 days for the GAB to check and tally the signatures, this would be sped up at a much lower cost.
If that scenario would play out, then you'd have a Dem Governor recall primary on April 3- the same day as the statewide GOP primary for president and numerous local elections. Elections officials are already staffed up and set for that day, so any extra cost would be minimal. Then you'd only have the recall general elections on May 1 or so, and you'd be done, at a much smaller cost.
But of course, having the recall election as soon as possible at lowest cost is NOT what the GOP is looking for. Witness the cynical judgment in a Walkershaw County court this week from a former GOP legislator that demanded the GAB take steps on their own to flag and remove unacceptable signatures, despite the fact that there is no law demanding the GAB do so and no money allocated to have them do it with any kind of effectiveness. In fact, in the GAB's own response to Vos on the costs of the recalls they say that it'll cost at least $100,000 to put in the software and materials necessary to carry out this unfunded (and unfounded) mandate, and that it would also require the hiring of 50 full-time workers for 8 weeks. So instead of the GOP paying for what they were previously required to do, they have now gotten a hack judge to pass that cost off to the taxpayers...and then the GOP has the nerve to turn around and blame the recall petitioners for the "unnecessary cost!" ARE THEY FUCKING KIDDING?
And of all the people to be concerned over the extra costs to local governments, the last guy I want to hear from is Robin Vos. If Wee Wittle Wobbin was so concerned with the extra costs and burdens on localities, why did he funnel hundreds of millions to his and Walker's buddies in the road builder lobby, including $147 million (If Robin Vos is so concerned with the extra costs, why did he funnel hundreds of millions to his and Walker's buddies in the road builder lobby, including $147 million (or 16 of these recall elections, Robby) raided out of schools and local government aids? Why did he ban local governments from working together on road projects, forcing the work to be privatized, EVEN IF PRIVATIZING COSTS TAXPAYERS MORE MOENY? Because alleged fiscal conservatives like Robin Vos are not serious about saving taxpayer money, only steering it to who pays their bills.
And especially after 2011, when the GOP cost taxpayers $400,000 for running fake Democrats in last summer's Senate recalls, and were the first groups to file recall petitions against 8 Wisconsin Dem Senators (eventually ending up with only 3 elections that the Dems all won handily) I don't want to hear a damn word from them about this. They seem to have no issues with wasting taxpayer dollars on recalls when it suits their needs, but when the other side give them the same treatment, now they get all concerned over the costs? Spare me, you hypocritical bastards.
Lastly, the biggest reason GOPs have no business whining about recall costs is that it was their own actions that made us do this. Scott Walker lied his way into office, then called hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin workers "haves" and "dropped the bomb" without any discussions with those workers. Bad enough, but then Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald admitted the move was about hurting Dems in 2012 instead of any type of fiscal reason that would help Wisconsinites, and it became obvious that the move was a political one made by Koch and ALEC-affiliated groups from outside of our state, we had a duty to fight back against it in Wisconsin. When the GOP-run Legislature rubber-stamped billions in cuts to schools, local governments, and other services while funneling hundreds of millions in tax breaks to corporate contributors, then we deserve to have our say before the damage becomes permanent. When Wisconsin has the worst economy in the lower 48 and the largest job losses in America, we deserve a chance to end this disaster.
Especially when you have an Administration that is wracked with favortism and play-to-play corruption, From the latest Walkergate examples of money laundering and influence peddling, to the Michael Gableman, Michael Best, and WisGOP triangle, to the incompetent booobs hired as a result of campaign kickbacks and the GOP spoils' system, to the lying to the public about Medicaid data and the lifting of the Family Care cap, this state's tradition of clean governmnet has been damaged nearly beyond repair. Because WisGOP lacks the balls or integrity to call their own people into account, and instead thinking they can wave their little red pom-poms to score political points, the clean-up job has to be left to us.
At a cost of less than $3 a Wisconsin adult, that clean-up job will be an absolute BARGAIN.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Today's Walkergate questions and connections
Hilarious to see tightie-righties try to say "Nothing to see here" with today's felony embezzlement charges against Tim Russell, a former top aide to Scott Walker in Milwaukee County, and later Scotty's Housing Administrator, as well as another 2 brought up on felony charges as part of the John Doe probe. Sure, Walker isn't guilty of any of the stealing from Veterans' Groups, and he certainly has no part in Russell's gay partner getting flagged for trying to get 17-year-old boys to go inside his van, but there are definitely interesting connections.
If you read the complaint against Russell, you'll notice that most of the thefts were taken from the Heritage Guard Preservation Society. What's that? Well, it helped handle a Milwaukee County veterans' event at the Milwaukee County Zoo called "Operation Freedom," and how Tim Russell landed a gig handling its finances goes straight to Walker.
Now this is where you need to stop and put on your memory caps and put things together. Who is Darlene Wink? She's Walker's former Constituent Services Coordinator (Tim Russell's old job) who quit in May 2010 when it was revealed she was posting pro-Walker comments on blogs as part of her job, and John Doe investigators took her work computer as evidence, as they did with Russell. And among the expenses listed in Russell's criminal complaint? A series of trascations to GoDaddy.com to register scottforgov.com in 2010, which Capper noted was an Astroturf Walker campaign site that magically stopped running after the election. And oh yeah, Capper also untangeled their connections to a certain rally at a Milwaukee County Park (under Walker's jurisdiction) in 2009.
I also have seen the WTMJ crowd trying to spin Walker as some kind of honorable person because his Milwaukee County administration helped blow the whistle on Kavanaugh (a real POS who stole cash from organizations that helped the families of killed and wounded veterans, all to cover up massive debt he and his wife had accumulated). Darlene Wink was ordered by Walker to send cash to Kavanaugh's organization from Operation Freedom in 2006, and Kav was supposed to run the expenses appropriately. Then the money was first discovered missing back in 2008, when Walker Chief of Staff Tom Nardelli was informed the Zoo was never paid for the 2007 Operation Freedom event, and asked Kavanaugh about where the money went in "on numerous occasions" in 2008 and 2009. Shortly afterward, Nardelli spoke to the Milwaukee County DA, and indicated that Kavanaugh's organization owed Operation Freedom about $11,000 in cash.
Remarkably, Kavanaugh was still allowed on the scene at the 2010 Operation Freedom , and this article features great stuff from him, Tim Russell, and the recently-resigned Darlene Wink. In the article, Russell is shrugging and saying it could be "bookkeeping errors" explaining the missing money, when the criminal complaint says he had already stolen thousands from Operation Freedom earlier in the year! These people have no shame whatsoever- high-characters hires by Walker, to be sure. If Walker knew about the fact that Russell and Kavanaugh were stealing money from Operation Freedom, why in the world were they hanging around the event in June 2010 while Walker was campaigning for governor?
The Milwaukee County DA didn't file charges after talking with several others in 2011 to gather evidence...including Darlene Wink in November 2011. So it seems like they used some information and interviews from their Walker campaign corruption case to put details together on how the Operation Freedom money was allegedly stolen by Kavanaugh, and it was enough to nail him on it.
Also interesting is to see that the donators to "Operation Freedom" happen to be a whole lot of Milwaukee businesspeople, as well as future U.S. Senator Ron Johnson and the Republican Party of Milwaukee County, but I'll give that a pass, as it may just be coincidence...for now. Because what you can't ignore is that if Walker's Number 2 in the office was running this organization, how do we know that he spent money on more than just himself, and what other similar "third-party" organizations was he funneling money through?
Remember, the one guy who blew the whistle on missing money for Operation Freedom was Tom Nardelli, and what did Nardelli do when Walker got elected governor? He followed Walker to Madison in late July, but then quit his $90,000 a year state job a few days later, right as the John Doe investigation was heating up. I'm not saying I know why, but you think it might be possible Nardelli knew a bit too much about where the money from Operation Freedom and other 3rd Party Walker organizations was REALLY going to? (I could be hired on Fox with that type of question, couldn't I?)
It seems quite clear that in the process of discovering the usage of money-funneling schemes by the Walker campaign, Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm came upon these clear thefts by Russell and Kavanaugh, as well as the child enticement Russell's partner tried to pull, and got these charges on the record as early as he could. Much of the criminal complaint mentions that these revelations come "as part of the John Doe investigation", and Chisholm clearly signaled today that there was a lot more they were still looking into connected to the case. Notice that Cindy Archer never gets mentioned in this incident, despite the fact that she was higher up the chain than Russell, and had to be privy to what was happening with items like Operation Freedom. That tells you the fun is only starting here, as much as the Walker whiners don't want to believe it, and it's only going to get bigger and more direct as the next few months go on.
If you read the complaint against Russell, you'll notice that most of the thefts were taken from the Heritage Guard Preservation Society. What's that? Well, it helped handle a Milwaukee County veterans' event at the Milwaukee County Zoo called "Operation Freedom," and how Tim Russell landed a gig handling its finances goes straight to Walker.
Due to alleged financial mismanagement, in about 2009, Operation Freedom donations were entrusted to the Alonzo Cudworth American Legion Post. While by all reports thge Cudworth Post discharged their financial duties in exemplary fashion, in October 2009, then County Executive Scott Walker transferred the Operation Freedom funds - some $19,000 - to HGPS, the corporation controlled by [Walker's then- Deputy Chief of Staff] Tim Russell.And interestingly, Russell had set up bank account in HGPS' name 2 months before Walker's proclamation, and named two Milwaukee County Walker employees as 2nd and 3rd in command- Darlene Wink and James Tetjen (hilariously, both of them say they have no idea what this organization was and never attended any of its meetings). Amazing this new "community" organization was being run by a bunch of Walker lackeys, huh?
Now this is where you need to stop and put on your memory caps and put things together. Who is Darlene Wink? She's Walker's former Constituent Services Coordinator (Tim Russell's old job) who quit in May 2010 when it was revealed she was posting pro-Walker comments on blogs as part of her job, and John Doe investigators took her work computer as evidence, as they did with Russell. And among the expenses listed in Russell's criminal complaint? A series of trascations to GoDaddy.com to register scottforgov.com in 2010, which Capper noted was an Astroturf Walker campaign site that magically stopped running after the election. And oh yeah, Capper also untangeled their connections to a certain rally at a Milwaukee County Park (under Walker's jurisdiction) in 2009.
To summarize this whole thing, we know that there was a Koch-funded Tea Party rally held at a Milwaukee County park, and that the park logo was on the banner proudly announcing the rally. It doesn't really matter which front group sponsored it. But the request for information from the official unofficial campaign blog for Scott Walker [scottforgov.com], which all information available points to Darlene Wink of being a contributor, was directed to Wink. Then when Walker's spokeswoman supplied her answer, it immediately appeared on the blogsite. And this once mystery group was able to get the requested information and pay the obscenely overcharges that Walker would charge an average citizen.Well, and given that milwaukeecountyexecutivescottwalkerforgovernor.com is also mentioned in the criminal complaint as another domain name improperly paid for by Russell's little non-profit, yes it does.
So to summarize the summary, Walker was already playing up to the Koch Brothers using County property. To keep this relationship and overreach of his powers from receiving too much attention, he and his politically appointed cronies would give incomplete and/or inaccurate information, often at overly inflated prices, to those who did not support him. But if it was an ally (or one of his own staff) the restrictions magically lifted and accurate information was presented promptly and at very low price, if not for free.
Are you starting to see the pattern yet?
The actual url of the site was interesting in itself: http://www.milwaukeecountyexecutivescottwalkerforgovernor.com/ It does make one think it was a campaign site, doesn't it?
I also have seen the WTMJ crowd trying to spin Walker as some kind of honorable person because his Milwaukee County administration helped blow the whistle on Kavanaugh (a real POS who stole cash from organizations that helped the families of killed and wounded veterans, all to cover up massive debt he and his wife had accumulated). Darlene Wink was ordered by Walker to send cash to Kavanaugh's organization from Operation Freedom in 2006, and Kav was supposed to run the expenses appropriately. Then the money was first discovered missing back in 2008, when Walker Chief of Staff Tom Nardelli was informed the Zoo was never paid for the 2007 Operation Freedom event, and asked Kavanaugh about where the money went in "on numerous occasions" in 2008 and 2009. Shortly afterward, Nardelli spoke to the Milwaukee County DA, and indicated that Kavanaugh's organization owed Operation Freedom about $11,000 in cash.
Remarkably, Kavanaugh was still allowed on the scene at the 2010 Operation Freedom , and this article features great stuff from him, Tim Russell, and the recently-resigned Darlene Wink. In the article, Russell is shrugging and saying it could be "bookkeeping errors" explaining the missing money, when the criminal complaint says he had already stolen thousands from Operation Freedom earlier in the year! These people have no shame whatsoever- high-characters hires by Walker, to be sure. If Walker knew about the fact that Russell and Kavanaugh were stealing money from Operation Freedom, why in the world were they hanging around the event in June 2010 while Walker was campaigning for governor?
The Milwaukee County DA didn't file charges after talking with several others in 2011 to gather evidence...including Darlene Wink in November 2011. So it seems like they used some information and interviews from their Walker campaign corruption case to put details together on how the Operation Freedom money was allegedly stolen by Kavanaugh, and it was enough to nail him on it.
Also interesting is to see that the donators to "Operation Freedom" happen to be a whole lot of Milwaukee businesspeople, as well as future U.S. Senator Ron Johnson and the Republican Party of Milwaukee County, but I'll give that a pass, as it may just be coincidence...for now. Because what you can't ignore is that if Walker's Number 2 in the office was running this organization, how do we know that he spent money on more than just himself, and what other similar "third-party" organizations was he funneling money through?
Remember, the one guy who blew the whistle on missing money for Operation Freedom was Tom Nardelli, and what did Nardelli do when Walker got elected governor? He followed Walker to Madison in late July, but then quit his $90,000 a year state job a few days later, right as the John Doe investigation was heating up. I'm not saying I know why, but you think it might be possible Nardelli knew a bit too much about where the money from Operation Freedom and other 3rd Party Walker organizations was REALLY going to? (I could be hired on Fox with that type of question, couldn't I?)
It seems quite clear that in the process of discovering the usage of money-funneling schemes by the Walker campaign, Milwaukee County DA John Chisholm came upon these clear thefts by Russell and Kavanaugh, as well as the child enticement Russell's partner tried to pull, and got these charges on the record as early as he could. Much of the criminal complaint mentions that these revelations come "as part of the John Doe investigation", and Chisholm clearly signaled today that there was a lot more they were still looking into connected to the case. Notice that Cindy Archer never gets mentioned in this incident, despite the fact that she was higher up the chain than Russell, and had to be privy to what was happening with items like Operation Freedom. That tells you the fun is only starting here, as much as the Walker whiners don't want to believe it, and it's only going to get bigger and more direct as the next few months go on.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Hey WEDC, can you spare a millionaire a dime?
Just noticed that Gov. Walker was running around trying to take credit for the 120 jobs that might develop from the Shopko-Pamida merger that was announced today. The good news is that Shopko wisely chose Wisconsin over Flori-duhhhh to keep its headquarters in Ashwaubenon, and it looks like Shopko will put in a lot of money to remodel Pamida stores into what will become Shopko Hometown stores. Of course, as with most mergers, you can bet some stores will eventually be found redundant and close, but it's probably an overall plus for Wisconsin when a large employer decides to expand its corporate headquarters in state.
Now, the Walker folks were quick to throw out a press release touting the fact that the newly-formed Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation gave Shopko up to $2 million in tax credits in connection to the move. But that's sketchy reasoning at best, as Shopko is a solid firm, and had already owned and operated 7 Pamida stores as Shopko Hometown. So was it really worth it to give them a tax write-off of $16,666 a job, especially if it might have happened anyway.
I sure hope Shopko doesn't follow the lead of Madison's Spectrum Brands, who got $4 million in tax breaks from the state around Thanksgiving in return for saying they would create 60 jobs...at some point. Apparently all they had to do was ask and the Walker boys threw them the $4 million in credits like it was candy. So what did Spectrum do with the cash? They promptly turned around and gaven their CEO $2.5 million in salary and benefits and $11.2 million in stock options.
Hmmm, $4 million in state tax write-offs, $2.5 mil in salary, and standing to make a whole lot more if you jack the stock price up (likely by using the tax credits as extra "profit", or eventually laying off employees and/or cutting salaries). Not a bad payday for "leading" the former Rayovac to a $75 million LOSS last year, and a $190 million LOSS the year before.
With that kind of record, do you blame the Bradley Center to come begging to the Administration for more state money? (so far they haven't been successful, which I view as a good thing) The Bradley Center probably thought the Walker Administration and WEDC was so desperate for good job-development publicity that Scotty wouldn't only just give them money, but he'd put in a free day in the Bango costume. Or he'd chip in for primo Marquette seats in return for a few more credits toward his degree. One of the two.
Edit": For more on this, read what the Chief has to say about how unneeded these tax credits really were.
Now, the Walker folks were quick to throw out a press release touting the fact that the newly-formed Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation gave Shopko up to $2 million in tax credits in connection to the move. But that's sketchy reasoning at best, as Shopko is a solid firm, and had already owned and operated 7 Pamida stores as Shopko Hometown. So was it really worth it to give them a tax write-off of $16,666 a job, especially if it might have happened anyway.
I sure hope Shopko doesn't follow the lead of Madison's Spectrum Brands, who got $4 million in tax breaks from the state around Thanksgiving in return for saying they would create 60 jobs...at some point. Apparently all they had to do was ask and the Walker boys threw them the $4 million in credits like it was candy. So what did Spectrum do with the cash? They promptly turned around and gaven their CEO $2.5 million in salary and benefits and $11.2 million in stock options.
Hmmm, $4 million in state tax write-offs, $2.5 mil in salary, and standing to make a whole lot more if you jack the stock price up (likely by using the tax credits as extra "profit", or eventually laying off employees and/or cutting salaries). Not a bad payday for "leading" the former Rayovac to a $75 million LOSS last year, and a $190 million LOSS the year before.
With that kind of record, do you blame the Bradley Center to come begging to the Administration for more state money? (so far they haven't been successful, which I view as a good thing) The Bradley Center probably thought the Walker Administration and WEDC was so desperate for good job-development publicity that Scotty wouldn't only just give them money, but he'd put in a free day in the Bango costume. Or he'd chip in for primo Marquette seats in return for a few more credits toward his degree. One of the two.
Edit": For more on this, read what the Chief has to say about how unneeded these tax credits really were.
More Walker Medicaid hijinks- truth or fantasy?
Got tied up with watching Bucky basketball slug along against Michigan State and lose on yet another replay call last night. So I couldn't jump on this when I saw it break. Fortunately, Capper and James Rowen have a good rundown of the sketchiness surrounding the Walker Administration's newly-found $300 million reduction of its Medicaid deficit.
What I want to go into is why this deficit dropped from $554 million to $232 million, and combine it with some past history. The DHS itself admits that they and the Walker Administration have done nothing to "improve" the Medcaid deficit picture in the letter they sent the Joint Finance Committee. I'll throw in my own notes at the end of each of the 4 points in the letter.
Of course, despite the improved budget picture, DHS Secretary and Heritage Foundation hack Dennis Smith is still saying that they won't reduce any of the $554 million in projected Medicaid cuts, because Smith said "We have to make sure we grow the profits of our insurance company donators and throwing people off of Medicaid and Badger Care and into the private market is a great way to do that." (Oh wait, he didn't say that, but was only thinking it. Sorry bout that)
And why am I skeptical of how this played out? Because Smith, DHS and the Walker Administration have a history of lying and deceiving on these topics. The worst example was in August, when Smith and DHS cherry-picked and gave false impressions when they relayed the state's own report on the effects of Obamacare, then tried to silence the author of the report, lest he tell media that Obamacare would cover over 340,000 more Wisconsinites in the next 5 years. More recently, you have the Family Care fiasco, where not only did the Walker Administration put an illegal limit on enrollment in the popular program, but then Walker held a press conference and tried to take credit for the move when DHS and Walker had been ordered by the Feds to lift the cap. So with that sort of background, why wouldn't Smith and DHS give a "rosy scenario" of increased Medicaid enrollment and costs to cause a "budget crisis" to appear, and then use this crisis as an excuse to put in big cuts to social services and other areas of the budget?
It's not like Walker hasn't pulled similar garbage before, such as when he sent off layoff notices of Milwaukee County employees in 2009 and then admitted it was a trick to grab more budget concessions (messing with employees' jobs- HILARIOUS!), and then 5 months later ended up with a $9 million budget surplus.
And in the unforgettable David Koch phone call, Walker bragged about planning to send "5 to 6,000" layoff notices to state workers to "crank up a little more pressure" on the Wisconsin 14 after they left the state. Walker's administration knew thousands of state workers had already retired or left service and that there was no need for layoffs if they wanted to lay off current staff to bring down expenses to the level they wanted (for that reason, I knew the threat was bullshit at the time, and I was hardly a higher-up).
So "broken" budgets and huge cuts have been consistently pulled by Walker and his boys as a deceptive hardball tactic to try to get his way, and so I reserve the right to be suspicious of past and current Medicaid numbers. Don't be shocked if some other new "surprise" pops up as this runs through Joint Finance and the Legislature in the next few weeks, and maybe we'll see some other fun revelations at the State of the State on Jan. 25. Keep your eyes open on these things and don't let up, because Scotty thinks he can grift and deceive his way into selling off Wisconsin one more time to his contributors, but he won't be able to do it if we do a little "cranking up" of the pressure ourselves.
What I want to go into is why this deficit dropped from $554 million to $232 million, and combine it with some past history. The DHS itself admits that they and the Walker Administration have done nothing to "improve" the Medcaid deficit picture in the letter they sent the Joint Finance Committee. I'll throw in my own notes at the end of each of the 4 points in the letter.
Caseload: Under current eligibility standards, based on actual enrollment to date, we project that enrollment growth will be smaller in FY 12 compared to Act 32 [the state budget] assumptions. We project that enrollment will continue to grow, however, eventually reaching roughly the same average level in FY 13 as assumed in Act 32....[basically the DHS thought there would be more people on Medicaid than there actually were. Oops.]So out of 4 reasons for the reduced deficit, 2 are due to the state overstating the amount of the Medicaid crisis, and 2 are due to Obama Administration policies that help states. Nice, huh?
Medicare Part B Premiums: The state is required to pay Medicare Part B premiums for Medicaid enrollees who also participate in Part B. In November, the federal government announced 2012 premiums that were lower than assumed in the September estimate. [in other words, the Feds demanded less money than the state thought they would. "Thanks Obama!"]
Drug rebates: The September projection assumed that the Department would need to return $25 million of drug rebates received in FY 11 to the federal government based on provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) [THIS IS OBAMACARE!] Based on a more detailed analysis, the repayment amount is now estimated to be approximately $7 million. [or $18 million saved. Once again, "Thanks Obama!"]
Cost per enrollee trends: Actual expenditure data in FY 12 indicate costs per enrollee for various services will be lower than assumed in the September projection. The projection still assumes that costs for the average enrolee will increase during the biennium, based on historical trends. [DHS overestimated the costs. Oops again].
Of course, despite the improved budget picture, DHS Secretary and Heritage Foundation hack Dennis Smith is still saying that they won't reduce any of the $554 million in projected Medicaid cuts, because Smith said "We have to make sure we grow the profits of our insurance company donators and throwing people off of Medicaid and Badger Care and into the private market is a great way to do that." (Oh wait, he didn't say that, but was only thinking it. Sorry bout that)
And why am I skeptical of how this played out? Because Smith, DHS and the Walker Administration have a history of lying and deceiving on these topics. The worst example was in August, when Smith and DHS cherry-picked and gave false impressions when they relayed the state's own report on the effects of Obamacare, then tried to silence the author of the report, lest he tell media that Obamacare would cover over 340,000 more Wisconsinites in the next 5 years. More recently, you have the Family Care fiasco, where not only did the Walker Administration put an illegal limit on enrollment in the popular program, but then Walker held a press conference and tried to take credit for the move when DHS and Walker had been ordered by the Feds to lift the cap. So with that sort of background, why wouldn't Smith and DHS give a "rosy scenario" of increased Medicaid enrollment and costs to cause a "budget crisis" to appear, and then use this crisis as an excuse to put in big cuts to social services and other areas of the budget?
It's not like Walker hasn't pulled similar garbage before, such as when he sent off layoff notices of Milwaukee County employees in 2009 and then admitted it was a trick to grab more budget concessions (messing with employees' jobs- HILARIOUS!), and then 5 months later ended up with a $9 million budget surplus.
And in the unforgettable David Koch phone call, Walker bragged about planning to send "5 to 6,000" layoff notices to state workers to "crank up a little more pressure" on the Wisconsin 14 after they left the state. Walker's administration knew thousands of state workers had already retired or left service and that there was no need for layoffs if they wanted to lay off current staff to bring down expenses to the level they wanted (for that reason, I knew the threat was bullshit at the time, and I was hardly a higher-up).
So "broken" budgets and huge cuts have been consistently pulled by Walker and his boys as a deceptive hardball tactic to try to get his way, and so I reserve the right to be suspicious of past and current Medicaid numbers. Don't be shocked if some other new "surprise" pops up as this runs through Joint Finance and the Legislature in the next few weeks, and maybe we'll see some other fun revelations at the State of the State on Jan. 25. Keep your eyes open on these things and don't let up, because Scotty thinks he can grift and deceive his way into selling off Wisconsin one more time to his contributors, but he won't be able to do it if we do a little "cranking up" of the pressure ourselves.
Monday, January 2, 2012
These Roses really smell
Well, I just got back from watching the Rose Bowl downtown, and needless to say, I AM INCENSED. Bad missed tackles on big plays, idiotic, childish TOs n plays that won't be replayed, and inexcusable mistakes in key moments tend not to win you big games when they matter. I'm tempted to just accept that my alma mater at UW-Madison may have national title talent, but will never have the intangibles or abilities to take it all the way.
I'm just glad the 20 people reading this know me as the 37-year-old Jake, which means after this initial rage wears off in a couple of hours, this will be more like my attitude.
Which is probably better than my early-20s something attitude, even though it does sum up my feelings toward Bret Bielema and discussing this giveaway of a game right now. (yeah, the languagre is NSFW, as is what's going through my head)
I'm just glad the 20 people reading this know me as the 37-year-old Jake, which means after this initial rage wears off in a couple of hours, this will be more like my attitude.
Which is probably better than my early-20s something attitude, even though it does sum up my feelings toward Bret Bielema and discussing this giveaway of a game right now. (yeah, the languagre is NSFW, as is what's going through my head)
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The media "Village" - no judgment required
Great find by Phil Scarr at Blogging Blue, which leads you to an outstanding article at the Huffington Post from Jonathan Bines eviscerating worthless New York Times columnist and usual Sunday talk show guest David Brooks. Particularly, Bines nails Brooks for his mastery of the D.C. cocktail party usage of false equivalency. For example:
Uhh, NO THEY ARE NOT. One statement is correct (Medicare would end as we know and be turned to a voucher system under Paul Ryan's plan), one is wrong (Obamacare does not institute "death panels", insurance companies are a different matter). This is not a debatable matter.
And David Brooks is a symbol of a much bigger problem in today's media. Brooks is a major member of the D.C. "Village", where hanging out in the right social circles and getting the right people to talk to you is more important than actually, you know, REPORTING WHAT'S HAPPENING. And the real goal with the average Village "journalist" is access, not analysis, so if you can give both sides equal creedence (whether they deserve it or not), then you'll get all the interviews and invitations to big events you want. Doing real journalism, like what someone like Matt Taibbi does in exposing Wall Street malfeasance and their allies on Capitol Hill, means you have to describe it as you are seeing it, which means you call out bullshit and corruption when it appears, and tweak a lot of powerful noses in the process.
And you wonder why D.C. was stuck on talking about deficits and debt when the vast majority of America was more concerned about inequality and unemployment in 2011? Because to the Villagers, what's going on in their little elitist bubble should be considered much more important to America than what's actually happening in...most of America. We saw the same thing during the protests here in Wisconsin last February, when the Sunday talk shows were refusing to have organized labor officials on their shows when discussing labor issues. Because after all, why would labor unions be considered a reliable source when discussing collective bargaining and the state of labor? Why shouldn't we rely on the David Brookses and George Wills and other Villagers and paid political spinmeisters to be the ones talking about issues which they have zero personal experience about?
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel pulls the same no-judgment garbage in their editorial today, trying to credit Gov. Walker for "thinking big."
CMON J-S! Be honest and ask if this worked to improve our economy (being Number 1 in job losses for the last 5 months indicates no), and don't take the Administration's assertion that they cut "the state's chronic structural deficit" at face value, especially when your own Politi-crap publication said 6 weeks ago that the GAAP deficit has gotten bigger under Walker. Taking away thousands of dollars of take-home pay and banishing 50 years of bargaining rights in order to funnel money to corporate contributors IS NOT A FUCKING GAME outside of the Village. But Journal Communications has to show how "fair and balanced" they are toward this administration, and wants Walker to keep calling in on WTMJ, so they can't tell the truth that this attack on hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites has caused major pain and is a massive failure, and have to leave it up to "debate." And Republicans get away with throwing these whoppers out there all the damn time, without the media calling them out on it and having the judgment to stop giving these people a perceived "equal opinion" that they are not worthy of.
That's the kind of insider bubble mentality that we have to puncture, and that's why it's up to us to hold the media's feet to the fire every bit as much as should try to we hold our politicans accountable. Because D.C. Villagers and Journal Communications corporates won't make the effort to address the public that pays their salaries until they face shame and a loss of income from that public. Both politicans and media have chosen to remove themselves from our reality in favor of staying confortable inside their little world, and it's time for us to expose and invade that world, and show that many of these emperors have no clothes, and not worthy of any air time. A major 2012 resolution should be to call out bullshit every time it's being thrown out, and not to let the Villagers and the politicians get away with their half-truths and half-assedness.
[Brooks writes] "Republicans decry the technocratic rationing model as "death panels." Democrats have gone into demagogic overdrive calling premium support ideas "privatization" or "the end of Medicare." (The Missing Fifth 5/2)In other words, in Brooks' world if a Republican says something that's strong and false, and Democrats respond with something strong and based in truth, both parties are doing the same thing, and are equally to blame for the problem not being solved.
Already many consultants are telling Republicans to drop austerity and go back on offense: Spend 2012 accusing the Democrats of sponsoring death panels. The Democrats will spend 2012 accusing Republicans of ending Medicare. Whichever party demagogues best wins. (Medicare Survival Guide, 5/26)"
Since the accusations made by Democrats and Republicans against each other must balance, Brooks is able to dispense with consideration of their relative merits. Republicans are engaged in demagoguery, falsely accusing Democrats of supporting "death panels." Consequently the corresponding Democratic accusations must also represent demagoguery -- whatever they may be. As it happens, Republicans are, in fact, calling for the replacement of Medicare with a program that would offer "premium support" for private insurance. To quote David Brooks: "True Medicare reform replaces the fee-for-service system with premium support." (David Brooks, The Serious One 11/7). But because the Republicans are engaging in demagoguery, to describe this Medicare-ending privatization plan as a call for "privatization" or the "end of Medicare" must also represent demagoguery. Q.E.D.
Uhh, NO THEY ARE NOT. One statement is correct (Medicare would end as we know and be turned to a voucher system under Paul Ryan's plan), one is wrong (Obamacare does not institute "death panels", insurance companies are a different matter). This is not a debatable matter.
And David Brooks is a symbol of a much bigger problem in today's media. Brooks is a major member of the D.C. "Village", where hanging out in the right social circles and getting the right people to talk to you is more important than actually, you know, REPORTING WHAT'S HAPPENING. And the real goal with the average Village "journalist" is access, not analysis, so if you can give both sides equal creedence (whether they deserve it or not), then you'll get all the interviews and invitations to big events you want. Doing real journalism, like what someone like Matt Taibbi does in exposing Wall Street malfeasance and their allies on Capitol Hill, means you have to describe it as you are seeing it, which means you call out bullshit and corruption when it appears, and tweak a lot of powerful noses in the process.
And you wonder why D.C. was stuck on talking about deficits and debt when the vast majority of America was more concerned about inequality and unemployment in 2011? Because to the Villagers, what's going on in their little elitist bubble should be considered much more important to America than what's actually happening in...most of America. We saw the same thing during the protests here in Wisconsin last February, when the Sunday talk shows were refusing to have organized labor officials on their shows when discussing labor issues. Because after all, why would labor unions be considered a reliable source when discussing collective bargaining and the state of labor? Why shouldn't we rely on the David Brookses and George Wills and other Villagers and paid political spinmeisters to be the ones talking about issues which they have zero personal experience about?
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel pulls the same no-judgment garbage in their editorial today, trying to credit Gov. Walker for "thinking big."
Voters have very strong opinions about Gov. Scott Walker, and for many it's because of his signature idea of 2011: He pushed to roll back more than 40 years of accepted practice by sharply curtailing bargaining rights for most of Wisconsin's thousands of public employees.Look at the weasel words in those 3 paragraphs: "the accompanying budget cuts will hurt the state over the long term, and they may be right. "This was one of the bigger ideas of the year - and one of the bigger political bets in Wisconsin." "signature idea of 2011." Yeah, well if I said sticking bratty children in an oven as a way to get them in line might work, would the J-S laud that as a "big thought" and "signature idea" as well.
The results of this experiment in governance may not be known for years. Property tax bills certainly were moderated as a result of the governor's initiative, and the state's chronic structural deficit was tamed. But schools and municipalities complain that the accompanying budget cuts will hurt the state over the long term, and they may be right.
It's possible Walker may not be in office to see how all this turns out: It's likely that an effort to force him to defend his seat in a recall this summer will succeed. Whatever happens, this was one of the bigger ideas of the year - and one of the bigger political bets ever in Wisconsin.
CMON J-S! Be honest and ask if this worked to improve our economy (being Number 1 in job losses for the last 5 months indicates no), and don't take the Administration's assertion that they cut "the state's chronic structural deficit" at face value, especially when your own Politi-crap publication said 6 weeks ago that the GAAP deficit has gotten bigger under Walker. Taking away thousands of dollars of take-home pay and banishing 50 years of bargaining rights in order to funnel money to corporate contributors IS NOT A FUCKING GAME outside of the Village. But Journal Communications has to show how "fair and balanced" they are toward this administration, and wants Walker to keep calling in on WTMJ, so they can't tell the truth that this attack on hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites has caused major pain and is a massive failure, and have to leave it up to "debate." And Republicans get away with throwing these whoppers out there all the damn time, without the media calling them out on it and having the judgment to stop giving these people a perceived "equal opinion" that they are not worthy of.
That's the kind of insider bubble mentality that we have to puncture, and that's why it's up to us to hold the media's feet to the fire every bit as much as should try to we hold our politicans accountable. Because D.C. Villagers and Journal Communications corporates won't make the effort to address the public that pays their salaries until they face shame and a loss of income from that public. Both politicans and media have chosen to remove themselves from our reality in favor of staying confortable inside their little world, and it's time for us to expose and invade that world, and show that many of these emperors have no clothes, and not worthy of any air time. A major 2012 resolution should be to call out bullshit every time it's being thrown out, and not to let the Villagers and the politicians get away with their half-truths and half-assedness.
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