Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Issue of the Week: Walker Contradicts Himself Before Congress
“Any chance we'll get to be a completely red state?” billionaire businesswoman Diane Hendricks asked Gov. Scott Walker in January 2011, shortly after he took office.
“Oh yeah,” Walker said, like it was no big deal.
Walker's path to red statehood?
“Divide and conquer.”
Undermine public employees' rights first, then bust private sector unions through “right to work” legislation.
Well, that's what Walker said in private to a donor who would ultimately give his campaign more than $500,000. We only know about this exchange because it was captured by filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein in his documentary As Goes Janesville.
In public, on the other hand, Walker told a completely different story and repeatedly swore up and down that his attack on public employees' bargaining rights was merely about balancing the budget.
Right.
The problem for Walker is that his apparent public lies are catching up to him.
On Monday, three Democratic congressmen wrote to Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
That's the committee before which Walker testified, under oath, that he had never had a discussion about the political ramifications of his collective bargaining battle. It wasn't about punishing political rivals. It was merely about balancing the budget, he said with a straight face.
“Congress relies on the accuracy of official testimony to make effective policy determinations, and you have written letters in the past asking witnesses to clarify testimony before our committee when new information arises,” the congressmen wrote to Issa. “We ask that you write to Governor Walker on behalf of the committee and request an explanation for why his statements captured on this videotape appear to contradict his testimony before the committee.”
Does Walker's contradiction under oath equal perjury?
Heroes of the Week: Children's Service Society Respite Volunteers
Medical bills, care-giving costs and time constraints can add great stress to families with special-needs children. The challenges can become even greater in a down economy.
The Children's Service Society of Wisconsin (CSSW) helps families by regularly hosting “respite events,” which match volunteers with children with special needs and their siblings for fun and activities while their parents and/or caregivers get a much-needed break. Respite events typically include 75 children and 100-130 volunteers, along with nurses, staff and behavioral specialists from CSSW.
CSSW, established in 1889 to provide homes for orphaned and abandoned children, provides services such as child and family counseling, foster care, adoption and independent living skills programs.
CSSW welcomes individual volunteers and those from corporate, church, student and club groups. Readers interested in helping to strengthen families while spending quality time with kids are encouraged to call 414-444-5760 or visit www.cssw.org for more information.
“Oh yeah,” Walker said, like it was no big deal.
Walker's path to red statehood?
“Divide and conquer.”
Undermine public employees' rights first, then bust private sector unions through “right to work” legislation.
Well, that's what Walker said in private to a donor who would ultimately give his campaign more than $500,000. We only know about this exchange because it was captured by filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein in his documentary As Goes Janesville.
In public, on the other hand, Walker told a completely different story and repeatedly swore up and down that his attack on public employees' bargaining rights was merely about balancing the budget.
Right.
The problem for Walker is that his apparent public lies are catching up to him.
On Monday, three Democratic congressmen wrote to Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican chair of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
That's the committee before which Walker testified, under oath, that he had never had a discussion about the political ramifications of his collective bargaining battle. It wasn't about punishing political rivals. It was merely about balancing the budget, he said with a straight face.
“Congress relies on the accuracy of official testimony to make effective policy determinations, and you have written letters in the past asking witnesses to clarify testimony before our committee when new information arises,” the congressmen wrote to Issa. “We ask that you write to Governor Walker on behalf of the committee and request an explanation for why his statements captured on this videotape appear to contradict his testimony before the committee.”
Does Walker's contradiction under oath equal perjury?
Heroes of the Week: Children's Service Society Respite Volunteers
Medical bills, care-giving costs and time constraints can add great stress to families with special-needs children. The challenges can become even greater in a down economy.
The Children's Service Society of Wisconsin (CSSW) helps families by regularly hosting “respite events,” which match volunteers with children with special needs and their siblings for fun and activities while their parents and/or caregivers get a much-needed break. Respite events typically include 75 children and 100-130 volunteers, along with nurses, staff and behavioral specialists from CSSW.
CSSW, established in 1889 to provide homes for orphaned and abandoned children, provides services such as child and family counseling, foster care, adoption and independent living skills programs.
CSSW welcomes individual volunteers and those from corporate, church, student and club groups. Readers interested in helping to strengthen families while spending quality time with kids are encouraged to call 414-444-5760 or visit www.cssw.org for more information.
And capitalists and businesses are not doiing the same thing? The whole idea of "Profit" is to sell something at a price higher than what it costs the business to produce it. Part by screwing the customer in giving something that is valued less than what the customer pays, and screwing the company's own workers in having them work a higher value than what they are getting paid for.
They only get away with it because of a good "sales" job on the worker and customer, selling them some swampland in Florida, deceiving them in to thinking they got a fair deal.
Do you really think that a state of pure capitalists can all survive? In the absence of a sucker liberal to make your money from, the capitalists cannot have all of themselves survive. They will constantly be throwing away the bottom ranks of their own kind, just to feed the higher ranks "profits".
I'm sure he knows but doesn't want to get distracted from winning the election. Most people don't care if someone sent emails. Most people don't care he had a homosexual working for him. Homophobe Barrett will criticize anything at this point. Walker can deal with the John Doe thing later. If a Republican were the DA this would not even be an issue. Yes, I'm sure there are laws against sending certain kinds of emails and there are propbabl laws against hiring homosexuals that the Democrats would like to take advantage of. Funny the Democrats usually are the party that the homosexuals will join with, unless a Republican is a homosexual, then its just terrible.
I drive through all the neighborhoods throughout Waukesha County. I saw one Barrett sign and hundreds of Walker signs. Generally the people who live out here are the smarter and harder working types that don't believe in unions or welfare. They really don't have much sympathy for six figure public workers who where getting all these huge benefits for make-work jobs. The people out here who make six figures are usually producing a profit for someone and have to pay for their own benefits and retirement. I think they are a little annoyed seeing school teachers living in their neighborhoods driving big SUVs and having a good laugh at taxpayer expense. Then rioting in Madison when their welfare is taken away.