Posts Tagged ‘Wisconsin’
Recount Mania
After days of waiting to hear if JoAnne Kloppenburg would request a recount in her recent loss of the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, the news finally arrived late yesterday afternoon. In Wisconsin, a recount is provided to a candidate at the expense of the taxpayers when the vote difference is less than one half percent…
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Anita MonCrief at the WI Campaign for Liberty Conference, Rothschild WI
What’s Next for Wisconsin?
A recount is looming over yesterday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court election. Currently, Incumbent Justice David Prosser is trailing by 206 votes to Prosecutor Joanne Kloppenburg with 100% of the precincts reporting. With the momentum from the union protests, this election was one that many thought Kloppenburg would win. But the Tea Party showed up to…
Read MoreJudge Sumi Strikes Again
Dane County Judge Maryann Sumi has issued another temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking further implementation of the budget repair bill (Act 10), which Governor Scott Walker signed into law on March 11. See if you can follow me on this legal mess. Last Monday, the Department of Justice appealed Judge Sumi’s original TRO delaying publication…
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LaCrosse, WI Activist Training
St. Croix County, WI Activist Training
Winter is Back
This past week I started packing away all of my winter items and getting ready for spring in Wisconsin. I was looking forward to a new beginning, snow finally melting, the robins returning and buds appearing. It seems to me a breath of freshness is needed in Wisconsin, winter is always tough here and I…
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New Local Government Leaders Needed
What we are seeing in Wisconsin underscores why local government matters and why we need a new generation of local government leaders. The Left, particularly the Labor Movement is readjusting its focus to the local level. Labor already has control of many school boards and other local government bodies across the nation. That’s why there…
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The Battle In Wisconsin Continues
Last evening brought a whole new resurgence to the battle in Wisconsin. Finally, some of the stalemate was going to be overcome. The consequences of these actions are still somewhat unknown, but we are sure to be witnessing more history happening in Wisconsin.
Read MoreCollective Bargaining Is a Privilege, Not a Right
I keep hearing the narrative that somehow, as though it were written in stone, collective bargaining is a right for public sector unions. I would disagree entirely: collective bargaining is a privilege, not a right, for public sector unions. And you know what? About 50 years ago, the A.F.L.-C.I.O. agreed with me. The union’s Executive Council in 1959 said: “In terms of accepted collective bargaining procedures, government workers have no right beyond the authority to petition Congress — a right available to every citizen.”
Read MoreWisconsin Craziness Continues
It’s hard to believe that protests have now been going on in Madison for 16 days and 14 State Senators have been AWOL for 13 days now. Here is some of the latest news. A private citizen is suing one of these Senators to compel the Senator to return to the state Capitol. The Senate has voted on a resolution to impose a fine for Senators missing two or more days. Taxpayers continue to pay the salaries of these 14 AWOL Senators and are wondering when this all will end.
Read MoreWhat Are All These Protests About?
A week ago this past Tuesday, I was in Madison, WI to attend a conference with my colleague. The conference happened to coincide with the first day of protests against Governor Scott Walker and those who supported his Budget Repair Bill. Little did I know that American Majority would be playing a major role in this effort later in the week.
Read MoreCutting Spending Isn’t Easy
Once a person benefits from government spending, they rely upon it and will be extremely motivated to contact their elected officials if there is even a rumor of cutting that spending. Almost without fail, there will be stronger political pressure to not cut spending than the political pressure to reduce the spending. Moreover, government agencies always think their budgets should grow, regardless of the effectiveness or necessity of their programs. It takes a tremendous amount of courageous and commitment to see a proposed spending cut through to be enacted into law.
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Keep Them Accountable
The Wisconsin Spring Primary Elections are less than a week away. But what happens after a new crop of elected officials arrives? Do they fall off your radar as you proceed with your daily life? Or, do you stay on top of their activities to ensure they are delivering on the promises they made during their campaigns?
Read MoreState of Emergency
Governor Walker’s first State of the State was delivered on the same day he declared a state of emergency for 29 counties in Wisconsin. Don’t be confused. It wasn’t because of a lack of money to cover the budget shortfalls or the incorrect recording of expenditures; it was due to the snow storm of the year that is hitting many states throughout the country. Just like the snow storm, states are facing similar shortfalls in their budgets and looking for alternatives to make up for these deficits.
Read MoreTaxing Times in Wisconsin
The Packers may have beaten the Bears on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl, but Wisconsin’s individual income tax rates are still 2.75% higher than Illinois’ rates in the highest tax bracket. While Wisconsin may have lower corporate tax rates than many other states, the individual income tax rate in Wisconsin is particularly unfriendly to flow through entities (Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Partnerships, Subchapter S Corporations, etc.) that are taxed at the partner/owner level .
Read MoreVoter ID on the Horizon
Next week the Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Transportation and Elections is holding a public hearing on Senate Bill 6. This bill, as noted in the committee hearing notice, would require certain photo identification in order to vote in Wisconsin. Currently, Wisconsin does not have this requirement.
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