middle wisconsin news - feb 2012

8/3/2019 Middle Wisconsin News - Feb 2012

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Middle Wisconsin News

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The True Costs

We have been hearing a lot about costs these days: the cost of gasoline, of healthcare, of education, of housing, and other costs that di-

rectly impact us. But let us consider some other “costs” that may or may not impact our pocket book, but that impact us just the same.

Example One

Wisconsin GOP legislative leaders secretly developed new election maps last year to strengthen their majority. These redistricting maps

were drafted in Michael Best’s Madison offices to grant them attorney-client privilege. Newly released documents show 75 Republi-

cans signed legal, confidentiality agreements, along with Eric McLeod of Michael Best & Freidrich law firm, promising not to discuss

the new maps while they were being developed. This legal agreement tells each lawmaker “you agree not to disclose the fact and/or

contents of such discussions or any draft documents within your possession.” Wisconsin taxpayers will pay Michael Best & Freidrich

$400,000 to draw up these maps in secret along with the confidentially agreement. Included in documents released to the panel of three

federal judges, who are hearing the case brought before the court, was a set of talking points:

“Public comments on this map may be different than what you hear in this room. Ignore the public comments.”

The talking points were created by Adam Foltz, a legislative aid to Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald. Taxpayers pay Adam Foltz

$50,000 a year, and he continues to work from the law office of Michael Best --not the Capitol building. ( Milwaukee Journal)

Republicans had fought to keep the emails and other documents private, but the judges issued a scathing order on Thursday, February

16, forcing them to make the contents public. Judge Stadtmueller, a judge appointed by President Reagan, issued another stern repri-

mand on Tuesday, February 21 blasting Republicans for what he called a pattern of secrecy and concealment. Judge Stadtmueller said:

“The facts are the facts. And what has occurred here is beyond the pale in terms of lack of transparency (and) secrecy. But

appearances are everything. And Wisconsin has prided itself from one generation after another on openness and fairness and do ing

the right thing. And to be candid, we have seen everything but that in the way this case has progressed.’” (St. Paul Pioneer Press,

2/27/12.)

Judge Stadtmueller’s statements address these questions: What is the "cost" to the integrity of the legislative process when it is cloaked

in secrecy? What is the "cost" to the constituents when their voices are not heard or ignored? What is the "cost" to the taxpayer when the

map and secret documents are drawn up in a private law firm and two aides work at that private law firm out of the public eye instead o

the Capitol?

Example Two

Michael Best’s law firm has also given free legal advice (estimated value of$40,000 or more) to Supreme Court Justice Michael Gable-

man. Justice Gableman continues to hear cases brought before the Supreme Court by the law firm of Michael Best and refuses to recuse

himself. A noted case was the collective bargaining act.

What is the "cost" to the integrity of the Supreme Court when a justice receives “free” legal advice (Outright bribery was outlawed in

1905.) from a law firm who continues to have cases heard by this justice? Does anyone really believe Justice Gableman is able to be

objective in these cases?

By Joyce Leudke



© 2011Middle Wisconsin


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Example Three

Mining in Northern Wisconsin has been a contentious issue in the legislature. On Wednesday, February 16, in hopes of pushing through

this controversial legislation, Senate Majority leader Scott Fitzgerald disbanded a special Senate mining committee in favor of the Assem-

bly’s version. The Assembly’s version weakens existing mining regulations along with environmental regulations. Senator Bob Jauch,

who represents the district directly impacted by the mine, was on the Senate mining committee. He and the other committee members had

scheduled two public hearings, in Ashland and Platteville, that were cancelled.

What is the "cost" to the constituents of Senator Jauch’s district when the senator they elected to speak for them in Madison is muted be-

cause the committee is disbanded? What is the "cost" to the people of this district when only one public hearing was held in the area?What is the "cost" to the voice of the people when they were given a maximum of three minutes to speak at this public hearing? What is

the "cost" to the dignity and culture of Native Americans whose lands will be directly affected when their voices are being i gnored?

Example Four

The continuing FBI John Doe probe has resulted in arrests of former and current aides of Governor Walker. Darlene Wink pleaded guilty

to two misdemeanor charges of working on Walker’s gubernatorial campaign on county time. She has agreed to cooperate with prosecu-

tors in ongoing investigations of other close Walker associates.

Tim Russell, Walker’s former deputy of chief at the county (accused of stealing more than $21,000), and Kevin Kavanaugh, Walker’s

appointment to the Milwaukee County Veterans Service Commission (accused of stealing some $42,000), were arrested and charged with

multiple felonies.

Cindy Archer, an appointee of Governor Walker, has had her home raided by the FBI as part of the ongoing investigation.

Andrew Jensen Jr, a commercial real estate broker, was jailed for a time for refusing to cooperate with the secret John Doe investigation.

He did not want the grant of immunity to be made public.

Immunity was given to Cullen Werwie, Walker’s current spokesman and former campaign aide, and Rose Ann Dieck, a Republican opera

tive.

Four felony misconduct in office charges against Kelly Rindfleisch, a top aide to Gov. Walker during his final year as Milwaukee County

executive, will proceed. She is free on a $1,000 bond.

What is the cost to the integrity of the governor’s office with this on-going and expanding John Doe probe?

As we can see with these four examples--and there have been many more in this past year --the high cost to the reputation of Wisconsin, its

legislative process, the governorship, the Supreme Court, and the people of Wisconsin is a cost too great to bear. It is time to bring back

honesty and open government. It is time to restore the reputation of this once proud progressive state. It is time for change. It is in our

hands through the recall process. And it is a signal to future elected officials that we will not stand by to see the reputation and integrity of

the people of Wisconsin and our government trampled on! We will use the power of Wisconsin’s Constitution to restore our state.

True Costs Continued . . .



Information Technology Solutions

The U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB) is incensed at the decision by the Obama

administraon to guarantee that the prevenve health care benet package in the Aorda-

ble Care Act (ACA) includes contracepve care. In a USCCB video, Cardinal-designate Timot

Dolan, the former archbishop of Milwaukee, wags an index nger as he invokes religious

freedom protected by the “very rst amendment.” The archbishop calls upon his ock tocontact their elected ocials and let them know that “religious liberty must be restored.”

Under a cloak of reverence for religious freedom, the bishops say reproducve health care

must be denied. As do the rights to millions of American women, millions of people of othe

religious faiths, and even millions of American Catholics — most of whom disagree with the

archbishop.

Before we ask President Obama to reverse his administraon’s decision, there are some

troubling quesons we should ask the bishops and ourselves lest we destroy religious free-

dom in the name of preserving it:

•A paent who takes birth control pills, under the USCCB’s code of conscience, with the in-

tenon of prevenng pregnancy, commits a sin. If that same paent takes the same prescri

on for another health purpose, it is permissible. Is there any way that respects a paent’s

right to privacy that also enables insurance companies and employers to deny birth control

pills to prevent pregnancy while it permits them for regulaon of menstrual cycles?

•In Wisconsin, we have a Medicaid family planning program to prevent unintended pregna

cy. It has been very successful. It saves taxpayer dollars by reducing unwanted pregnancies

and aborons among parcipants. Medicaid payment records show that many Catholic hos

pitals, clinics, physicians and pharmacists are parcipang in the program. These instuon

provide birth control services and receive public insurance (tax) dollars in payment. There i

no reason for the bishops to wait to exercise their conscience“rights.” They could stop ac-

cepng payment for family planning now. Why wait?

•Many people of sincere faith disapprove of childhood immunizaons even though they ar

like family planning, on the top 10 list of major public health benets. Under the religious

exempon based on an employer’s conscience that the USCCB is asking for, an employer

with a conscienous objecon to immunizaon might deny its employees’ children insuran

coverage for measles, mumps, polio, Pertussis, and rubella vaccines. What would be the

public health impact on children when so many are not immunized?


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“Change willnot come if wewait for some

other person or some other time. We arethe ones we’ve been waitingfor. We are thechange that weseek.”

- President Barack Obama

American Health

By Lon Newman – Wausau, WI

Contraceptive Controversy

Continued on Page 7

http://usccb.org/

http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/actioncenter/CatholicsSupportAccesstoContraceptionACA.asp


http://www.priestsforlife.org/qa/question.aspx?id=305


https://www.forwardhealth.wi.gov/WIPortal/Tab/42/icscontent/provider/FamilyPlanningWaiver/index.htm.spage






http://usccb.org/



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Amazing Race- March 3, 2012

Team Registration Form

*Co-ed 2-5 people per team: $50/team (all proceeds go towards HHM)

Team Name: ________________________________ Team Captain: _______________________

Registration Fee Enclosed _________________

All team members must sign the attached waiver in order to participate! Forms and registrationfee can be sent to the following address: Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Assistance (HHM Amazing Race) 1109 N. 6th Street, Wausau, WI, 54403

Team Member Name Address Phone



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Amazing Race - March 3, 2012

Participant Waiver FormI, _________________________ (your name), understand that by participating in this event I assume that Iam healthy to participate in all activities planned and organized and am fully able to meet all the demandsthat is expected of me.

The risk that I am taking in this event is all on my own and relieve the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Associ-ation of any liability of responsibility if I’m to get hurt, injured, or die from the activities I’m involved in.

I will act civilly towards the organizers and other participants in this event. I also understand that the organ-izers reserve the right to terminate my involvement if there’s just cause.

_____________________________________________ Signature (Guardian’s Signature if under 18)

_____________________________________________

Date



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Northwoods Grassroots Labor Activistsand The North Central Labor Coalition

Bread and Roses Film Festival Celebrating a Century of

Women Workers Fighting and Winning

Friday March 23 6:30 PM

Collective Voices: The 1912 “Bread and Roses” Strike

Bread and Roses

Saturday, March 24 1:00 PM

Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America

Norma Rae

Saturday, 4:30 PM Join us for Supper.

Saturday, 6:00 PM The Willmar 8 Revisited

Made in Degenham All Films shown at The Guild Hall, 39 South Pelham Street,

Rhinelander



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©

The Bread and Roses Strike of 1912 Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; bread and roses, bread and ros-es.

In 1912 the workers of the woolen mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts, struck for decent pay and working conditions. Women and

girls played a key role in the success of the strike and they in-spired James Openheim to write “Bread and Roses,” a poemwhich later was revised as a song.

As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead Go crying through our singing their ancient call for bread. Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.

Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.

As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days, The rising of the women means the rising of the race.

No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes, But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses, bread and

roses.

Lawrence workers at the grave of Anna LoPizzo

killed by the police during the strike.

The Film Festival will be at The Guild Hall, 39 South Pelham Street, Rhinelander

715-401-2002 715-369-0309

http://northwoodssolidarity.blogspot.com/ Find us on FaceBook

--------------------------------------

“The long memory is the most radical idea in America.” Utah Phillips



By Dave Svetlik


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CHALLENGING THE MYTH... “And if all others accepted the lie which the party

imposed—if all records told the same tale— then the lie passed into history and became the truth.”

—George Orwell, 1984 (published in 1949

The Myth That God Is On Our Side

Being the free-thinking spirit that he was, Benjamin Franklin had a difficult time accepting the fundamental-ist Puritan religions of his day. Avoiding their intolerant attitudes, Franklin concluded, “ the most acceptablservice to God is doing good to man.” If people cared for others, it mattered little what they believed.

We have a revival of religious fundamentalism in America today. Countless individuals claim to know thewill of God. “God won the election,” “God doesn’t like those other religions,” “the Bible says this,” the Koran says that,” and perhaps most destructive of all, “God is on our side.”

It seems quite a denigration of the supreme creator of this incredible universe (universes?) to think that hecould care less than equally for all humans. Claiming God is on one’s side excuses one from the hard work of thinking, from the difficult task of trying to understand the equally valid and cherished ideas of those dif-ferent from us, from seeking the common values that genuinely do exist among all humans, and from the constant vigilance required to control the economic and political power forces that are almost always at the hearof any real threats to human freedom or moral societies.

None of us are special children of God. All of us are. If we have followed Franklin’s precepts and our guiding philosophy has been “doing good to man,” then we have been truly moral indeed. And be we Christian,Jew, Muslim or Unitarian, we will part this world with grace and dignity and be received with joy.

(Portions of this article were previously published in the Wausau Daily Herald)

Confusing Terms Government Deficit and Debt:

The deficit is the yearly difference between collected revenues and government spending. The debtis the total accumulated amount owed by the government and is divided between public and privatedebt.

Income and Wealth: Income is the amount of money an individual makes on a yearly basis. Wealth is the total accumulated money, property, and materials owned by an individual.

These terms are often used in confusing and sometimes deceptive ways.

middle wisconsin news - feb 2012

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