Issue of the Week: Political Ads for Alberta Darling's Recall Election
Plus Hero of the Week
Case in point: As co-chair of the state budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, Darling recently engineered more than $1.5 billion worth of cuts to public education. For a former public school teacher to so seriously damage public education is both a disgrace and a serious assault on the future economic growth of our great state. But if you were to believe the ads by special-interest groups such as the American Federation for Children, you would think there is no stronger advocate for our kids than Darling. Just the opposite is true: Cutting more than $1.5 billion in funding for public education is not the way a children's advocate votes.
It would be nice to see accuracy in these ads so that voters could compare Darling's record to their values and make a sound decision on Election Day. But Darling and her corporate supporters are trying to convey the notion that she is a moderate Republican when, in fact, she has shown herself to be more extreme than Gov. Scott Walker on a number of issues. For example, Darling wanted to reinstate for-profit bail bondsmen in Wisconsin for the first time in 30 years, even though they had been linked to corrupt practices in the judicial system. Even Walker had the sense to veto this provision.
So when you hear the ads, please check the facts.
Heroes of the Week
Penfield Children's Center Volunteers
Raising a child is hard work—even more so for parents of children with disabilities or developmental delays. The Penfield Children's Center's mission is to help children "reach their full potential through education, therapy services and family programs."
Located at 833 N. 26th St., the nonprofit offers early intervention "birth-to-3" services for children with delays or disabilities, a special care nursery for sick infants and toddlers, outpatient therapy for children up to age 18 and educational and support services for parents and caregivers on a free or sliding-fee basis.
Teenagers, students and adults volunteer in the classrooms and special care nursery, and also assist with special projects and fund-raising events. Readers who wish to donate their time and talents to help children with special needs and their parents are urged to call 414-345-6330 or visit www.penfieldchildren.org.
David, you claim that both public employees and the hand-out class are full of corruption, and therefore should have the entire class (of each) cut down or eliminated.
There is far more corruption going on in private business, which is the reason the concerned, voting public has used government powers to create laws and regulations to expose and limit the corruption (both public and private). I have kin and friends in both public and private sector, they have their eyes open and tell me what goes on.
Of all the "working poor" I have ever had the opportunity to have a conversation with, including those who have ever been on that hated AFDC, not one has ever talked about holding back on work hours or job opportunities to stay on the dole. Oh, they did complain about how hard it was to make it going beyond the benefits cut-off line, but all made an effort to move up to where they did not need public benefits.
I see no point in cutting big holes in the safety nets of people who are actually trying to live honest and hand-out free. But you and the rest of the area conservatives would cut off every one of them to get rid of the corrupt few. I would like to see your "Guilty until proven innocent" tactics applied to all the private corporations before you pass that same judgement on entire classes of people you do not agree with. At least those corrupt corrporations have the funds to pay for the defense, the funds to make the necessary changes.
Another point about "waste" and "redistribution of wealth", it's a fact that American business needs LOTS of customers who can afford to pay "cost profit" prices charged in retail. There are 2 big and obvious ways to redistribute... take in taxes and then just "give" to the bottom, no demand for time punched on the clock, or hiring them in one of those "make-work", "innefficient", "wasteful" jobs. At least, this class of waste is turning around and buying in private business retail shops, and they are putting in some time in exchange for their pay. It at least teaches their children to get a job for their pay, a far more valuable thing to teach the children then the stuff they learn growing up in a welfare class neighborhood.
Tommy tried the W2 thing, even if inspired by ALEC, to break this cycle of poverty breeding a hand-out, no work ethic culture. -- The only reason conservatives turned on this, is it left some of them working shoulder to shoulder alongside the darker members of this class.
Also, go to a social service advocacy place that is hired to "manage" the government assistance checks received by many of these people, making sure the money is applied to rent, food & clothes for the kids (and not to the boyfriends wheels). Ask them how many of the clients are black, how many are white! The news does not like to report these kinds of facts, no political gain for their private owners.
waukeshaguy: i see in your article that you feel people should work 70-80 hours aweek. do you. when all the laws are off the books one day you will be working these kinds of hours and your pay will go to almost nothing. you won't have vacation time or any time.have you been unemployed if not you might be one day and then you will see what it is like to try to find a job you can support a family on and can't find a job. the unemployment runs out and you still don't have a job. you will worry your butt off. there are no jobs out there just because you may have one and are just fine theres more people out there that are not as lucky as you. and they arn't all lazy. and THANK THE UNIONS FOR THE BENEFITS YOU HAVE TODAY BECAUSE PEOPLE DIED FIGHTING TO GET BETTER WAGES AND BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS. losing all of this is the agenda of the GOP they want to and they will in time take all this away, if they own and control every thing and every one.
No I don't work those kinds of hours. I used to so I could earn a good income. I have been out of work. I have collected unemployment until it ran out (but I owned other businesses at the same time as a back up). But I made a personal decision to simply find a job by moving to where the jobs were. Not laying in a hammock waiting for some goverment program to come knocking on my door with a job offer. I've ditched the house and just moved to where there was plenty of work. And if we dumped all these welfare programs, others would do the same. My benefits are provided by ME, not some union. I decided to be the BOSS of company and design and pay for all my own benefits. I will fire anyone who does not share my beliefs. Its a personal lifestyle decision I made. Just like people on welfare, its a personal lifestyle choice. I'm pretty sure if you devote every waking hour to finding ways to make money, you will not need to be on welfare. If you are out of work, I'm pretty sure if you drive down to Florida and Georgia you will many opportunties in the fast food and agriculture industries that will offer you unlimited hours of work. I've lived in the car. Not fun. But I would not trade the experience for anything. I've had to give the house back to the bank. I move 1000 miles and lived in cheap motels. I had to take the kids out of school. Even lived without cable TV. Drove a tin can car. Was even on food stamps for a month. Paid my electric bill late. But if the goverment simply had put me on the dole, I might not have ever gotten motivated to look for jobs nationwide rather than locally. Welfare would have ruined my life and kept me down.