Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Issue of the Week: J.B. Van Hollen's Frivolous Lawsuit
Plus: Hero of the Week
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen is wasting the state's precious time and resources by appealing the injunctions against the new voter ID requirements.
Two judges have now decided that the Republican-backed law presents too many barriers for voting, would disenfranchise more than 300,000 eligible voters and violates the Wisconsin Constitution, which protects the right to vote.
Last week, Dane County Circuit Court Judge David Flanagan issued a permanent injunction against implementing the law, pretty much guaranteeing that the voter ID requirements will not be in place for this fall's elections.
Flanagan made a clear case for the injunction in his 20-page order. He noted that one of the experts hired by the state to support the voter ID, Peter Morrison, "has not been shown to possess sufficient training or experiences to prepare or to offer reliable expert testimony" on Wisconsin's voter ID requirements. Yet other experts credibly testified that 333,276 eligible voters lacked acceptable ID to vote under the new provisions.
The judge also wrote that investigations by the Milwaukee Police Department, county prosecutors, the state Department of Justice and Van Hollen's own task force failed to produce "a prosecution of a voter fraud violation that would have been prevented by the voter ID requirements" the Republicans passed last year. In other words, voter IDs are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist—voter fraud.
Even worse, the voter ID requirements violate the Wisconsin Constitution's protection of the right to vote. State lawmakers can only pass laws relating to voting and elections in very limited areas, and the voter ID law is way outside of those boundaries.
Yet Van Hollen is pushing ahead with the appeal and is trying to get the Republican-friendly majority on the state Supreme Court to disenfranchise more than 300,000 eligible voters and create a radical interpretation of the state constitution.
How frivolous is this appeal? The state Supreme Court already refused to review the cases. But Van Hollen is hoping that his utterly political, terribly wasteful suit will succeed, eventually, so that those who bear the brunt of the provisions—low-income voters, the elderly, minority voters and students—will be disenfranchised in Wisconsin.
An attorney general needs to put the well-being of the state above partisan politics, so Van Hollen should refocus his energy on prosecuting crimes that actually do exist. Allegations of voter fraud are merely an excuse to support the disenfranchisement of voters who tend to vote for Democrats.
Heroes of the Week: Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful Volunteers
Established in 1983, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful Inc. (KGMB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting viable solutions for environmental issues in the greater Milwaukee area. Dedicated volunteers help KGMB (1313 W. Mount Vernon Ave.) successfully provide many educational and community service opportunities, including its annual Great American Cleanup and environmental programs such as "Greening Milwaukee," which specifically focuses on increasing the tree canopy in southeast Wisconsin through education, awareness and advice. KGMB also offers a question hotline (414-272-5462) and educational outreach classes and activities for all ages.
"We can always use volunteers," said Joe Wilson, executive director of KGMB. "Our success begins with the actions of individuals. It can start with an educational event, a litter cleanup, recycling drive, graffiti paint-out, planting a community garden or planting just one tree."
Volunteers are vital to KGMB and are always needed for ongoing and special events. In addition, KGMB is seeking major funding and in-kind support for its recently launched Teach Responsible Environmental Education House (TREE House) project, which offers after-school interactive educational programs for children. For more information about donating or volunteering opportunities, visit www.kgmb.org or contact Emily Brown at 414-272-5462 (ext. 105).
Two judges have now decided that the Republican-backed law presents too many barriers for voting, would disenfranchise more than 300,000 eligible voters and violates the Wisconsin Constitution, which protects the right to vote.
Last week, Dane County Circuit Court Judge David Flanagan issued a permanent injunction against implementing the law, pretty much guaranteeing that the voter ID requirements will not be in place for this fall's elections.
Flanagan made a clear case for the injunction in his 20-page order. He noted that one of the experts hired by the state to support the voter ID, Peter Morrison, "has not been shown to possess sufficient training or experiences to prepare or to offer reliable expert testimony" on Wisconsin's voter ID requirements. Yet other experts credibly testified that 333,276 eligible voters lacked acceptable ID to vote under the new provisions.
The judge also wrote that investigations by the Milwaukee Police Department, county prosecutors, the state Department of Justice and Van Hollen's own task force failed to produce "a prosecution of a voter fraud violation that would have been prevented by the voter ID requirements" the Republicans passed last year. In other words, voter IDs are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist—voter fraud.
Even worse, the voter ID requirements violate the Wisconsin Constitution's protection of the right to vote. State lawmakers can only pass laws relating to voting and elections in very limited areas, and the voter ID law is way outside of those boundaries.
Yet Van Hollen is pushing ahead with the appeal and is trying to get the Republican-friendly majority on the state Supreme Court to disenfranchise more than 300,000 eligible voters and create a radical interpretation of the state constitution.
How frivolous is this appeal? The state Supreme Court already refused to review the cases. But Van Hollen is hoping that his utterly political, terribly wasteful suit will succeed, eventually, so that those who bear the brunt of the provisions—low-income voters, the elderly, minority voters and students—will be disenfranchised in Wisconsin.
An attorney general needs to put the well-being of the state above partisan politics, so Van Hollen should refocus his energy on prosecuting crimes that actually do exist. Allegations of voter fraud are merely an excuse to support the disenfranchisement of voters who tend to vote for Democrats.
Heroes of the Week: Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful Volunteers
Established in 1983, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful Inc. (KGMB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting viable solutions for environmental issues in the greater Milwaukee area. Dedicated volunteers help KGMB (1313 W. Mount Vernon Ave.) successfully provide many educational and community service opportunities, including its annual Great American Cleanup and environmental programs such as "Greening Milwaukee," which specifically focuses on increasing the tree canopy in southeast Wisconsin through education, awareness and advice. KGMB also offers a question hotline (414-272-5462) and educational outreach classes and activities for all ages.
"We can always use volunteers," said Joe Wilson, executive director of KGMB. "Our success begins with the actions of individuals. It can start with an educational event, a litter cleanup, recycling drive, graffiti paint-out, planting a community garden or planting just one tree."
Volunteers are vital to KGMB and are always needed for ongoing and special events. In addition, KGMB is seeking major funding and in-kind support for its recently launched Teach Responsible Environmental Education House (TREE House) project, which offers after-school interactive educational programs for children. For more information about donating or volunteering opportunities, visit www.kgmb.org or contact Emily Brown at 414-272-5462 (ext. 105).
anoyance=Stupid little person.
The Governor and AG should have these judges arrested for insubordination. How dare they underminde Crown authroity. We elected these officials to dictate a Republican agenda and whiny liberal judges are just saying no, just to say no regardless of how logical it is and how obvious it is we need voter ID.
anoyance: We elected these officales including the JUDGES. They all are in office to represent ALL WISCONSINITES not just those you agree with. Let me ask you why did walker bring a company from Illinois including there employes to Wisconsin on tax dollare and not hire any Wisconsinites? Why is he suporting Harley Davidson firing of Wisconsinites and bringing a company from overseas with there employees to Wisconsin? anoyance =stupid. For my money you are as UN-AMERICAN as Clown sykes and Clown wagner and Clown wtmj tv/radio. jus sa in ya no.
Walker needs to put pressure on those judges. I'd sent the Capitol Police over to their homes for a daily shekedown until they change their minds.
As for bringing companies in from out of state, thats what the high speed train nuts wanted. They wanted Doyle to bring in a company from Spain to build the trains and then bring over all these Spanierds to work there. I've already met a few workers from Spain. Well at least they were decent enough to live in nice Republican neighborhoods. Obvioulsy if you bring jobs to Wisconsin you have to bring workers to work the jobs. Our REAL unemployment rate is only 2%, so we don't have the workers to fill the jobs. Those 8% or 10% unemployment figures are a myth. Those are made up of people who have chosen unemployment as a career or are unemployable bromides that simply no one would want under any circumstance (ie overweight, too old, tats, peircings, poor dental hygiene, purple and pink hair, etc). The labor shortage has gotten so bad they are hiring Mongoloids to work at the grocery store.
anoyance: You talk with forked toung. You are not only a stupid person with distorted facts (if I am wrong you must quote your source) you are ignorant.
Dude, go to Walmart, the labor shortage is so bad they hire people in wheelchairs or on oxygen. Go to the grocery store and see who packs your bags!!!
Unemployment is only a problem when decent, clean, law abiding, good looking people can't get a job.
anoyance: dude ah dude or do I mean dude? Is that all you got?
@jusme
Been following your comment for a few weeks..... Entertaining to say the least. To say the most: You have to be the stupidest SOB on the face of the earth. At first, I thought you were "trolling" with your bad garammar, syntax and spelling. But then it didn't stop.
I mean...SERIOUSLY....do you want to engage in discussion or simply type to exercise your fingers? Because it sure as shit seems like the latter. You...have...not...made....a...single..intelligent...point....ever.
Your obsession with these AM talk show hosts is compulsive. Your counter-points border on the insane and you simply come across as stupid.
The Paterno family has more sense than you: They shut their mouths.
Did you say we elected JB to be at odds with 1/2 of Wisconsinites. Hay loony look in the mirror ans see the real LUNATIC.
No we elected him to be at odds with the looney left. The kind of idiots that are too lazy to get an ID at the DMV. What so f.....ing hard about doing that!!!!!.
Oh I'm sure he is not representing old black ladies like Joe McNally. Or the guy who drives up and down Lincoln Memorial in that old station wagon covered in stickers. Or Juan Valdiz and his mariachi band protesting in front of Palermos. Or any body who could be in Tyler Perry's next movie. Or the crack addicts wandering the 3rd ward. Or all the people standing at bus stops with their mouths hanging open.
JB represents the good people. Ones who have chosen to get a picture ID. Ones who had enough gumption and personal repsonsiblity to take that short trip to the DMV, step inside, and follow procedure. Seiously, if you can find your way to the polls you can find your way to the DMV.
anonymous and jusme, please, "Get a room!"
Or at least go out to the back alley and duke it out without us having to see and hear.
Or get out your duelling pistols!
1. Reduce taxes,
2. Reduce the federal deficit, and
3. Shrink government. .... enough said? No!
Is this a take-off of the Boston Tea Party?They say yes! True, the mantra over 200 years ago was "No taxation without representation". Somehow, the message got twisted, the "without representation" part got left out. It is all about Taxes, and the apparent Robin Hood "Redistribution" it represents. But it does not stop there.
The problem back then was that imperialist England was imposing laws on the colonies, when the colonies had no representatives in Parliament, the British "congress". It was not about King George, the monarchy had already been stripped of its arbitrary "by decree of the king" powers long before in the Magna Carta back in 1215. England had a Parliament, which was 2 parts, an appointed House of Lords (like our Senate), and a popular-vote elected House of Commons (like our House of Representatives). But, there were no rich, white, business-owning, colonial men in either part of Parliament (and no poor, non-white, colonial women either. That's another story).
Back to the Present, and the Twisted Truth...
1. Reduce taxes - but only on the "half that pays taxes"
2. Reduce the federal deficit - stop spending, but only on the have-nots.
3. Shrink government - stop only the regulations on "my private business"
Our past elected Government was how "Taxes" on "only" the upper half got set up, so it must be torn down along with all those "job-killing" things that same government created... affirmative action, school integration, school-funding formulas, regulations on Wall Street, regulations on private business, a renters right to vote, an employee's right to vote, etc.
This Voter ID issue is all about "representation", who should be allowed to have a voice, who should have control. Thanks to modern reality that all men (and women) do not have an equal result after their 12-25 years of being indoctrinated by our schools, economy, and "family values", we will never agree on who should be allowed to lock in their position of privilege, does not matter if it is earned, by genetic birth-right, or by financial inheritance.
So you do not get a check mailed to you from the government with your name in the "Pay to the Order of" line, does that mean YOU are not getting anything out of what government has done?
And what of you who work for a business, are you willing to let your CEO or stockholders vote for you? Do you trust them? Are you willing to let your landlord (or husband, or household employer) have your vote, since you are not a "White male property owner" as our founding fathers originally set up?
Just another one of the simple solutions the simple mind of the WaukeshaGus has to offer. Simple solutions =simple mind.