Madison - Appeals Court allows secret probe into recall elections to proceed

Source: Journal Sentinal

Appeals Court allows secret probe into recall elections to proceed
Attorney General Van Hollen declined the case

By Patrick Marley, Jason Stein and Daniel Bice of the Journal Sentinel Updated: 7:21 p.m.


Madison — The state Court of Appeals blocked an attempt Thursday to halt a secret investigation into recent recall elections and unsealed some files in the case, revealing that Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen last year declined a request to lead the probe after considering the question for nearly five months.

The unanimous decision by a three-judge panel of the Madison-based 4th District Court of Appeals is a win for prosecutors and comes just three weeks after they faced a separate setback by the judge overseeing the investigation. That earlier ruling quashed subpoenas issued to conservative groups supporting Gov. Scott Walker.

How the case will move forward is not clear, but observers have long expected that the losing party in Thursday's appeals court ruling would appeal to the state Supreme Court.

The appeals court Thursday also unsealed some of the previously secret documents in the case at the request of the three unnamed parties who sued to block the probe. The documents confirmed for the first time that Van Hollen was asked to lead the probe by Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, a Democrat, in January 2013.

Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/appeals-court-wont-block-secret-probe-into-recall-elections-b99195441z1-242846031.html

Mitt Romney Is the 2016 Republican Front-Runner (This is not an "Onion" story.)

Mitt Romney leads the Republican field among New Hampshire primary voters for 2016. Yes, you read that right.



Why not make it a third run for president? That's something that the former Republican nominee is definitely not thinking about right now. To put it in his own recent words: "Oh, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no."

But that didn't stop the Virginia-based bipartisan policy firm Purple Strategies from adding his name to a recent survey for Granite State voters, which shows Romney in the lead with 25 percent support. Libertarian firebrand Rand Paul (who has strong infrastructure in New Hampshire) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are behind with 18 percent and 17 percent support, respectively.

We might be experiencing Mittmentum 3.0. The Netflix documentary about his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns was recently released to the excitement of political insiders everywhere. GOP insiders want him to come back: "You know what a lot of them say to me?" an anonymous "operative" told BuzzFeed. "I think we need Mitt back." Romney was even on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to slow jam the news.


http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/mitt-romney-is-the-2016-republican-front-runner-20140130

The Republican Brain

Krugman nails it. The far right and the billionaires will only accept total surrender. No compromise

JANUARY 30, 2014, 5:38 PM
Godwin Help Us

Not my line, alas — Jonathan Chait uses it as the excerpt for his report on the WSJ’s editorial defending Tom Perkins, now famed for comparing criticism of the one percent to Kristallnacht. And boy, am I jealous.

...........................

Slightly more seriously: the attitude of that WSJ editorial brought to mind Lincoln’s description of the attitude of Southern politicians in his Cooper Union speech. Obligatory declaration: I am not saying that a high income share for the top one percent is anything like slavery. The similarity lies not in what is being defended, but in the demands of those feeling insecure — namely, that any form of criticism be banned.


Lincoln:

Oh, the tyranny! - A history of the executive order

Oh, the tyranny!

by David Atkins

If this isn't the face of an Imperial tyrannical Presidency one step short of Hitler, I don't know what is:
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/oh-tyranny-by-davidoatkins.html

"Dear Editor of the Wall Street Journal: It's started: The great unwashed are coming"

"The American Bullshit Association"

This - is how you win the day

Capitalism in the 21st Century

Capitalism
The translation hasn't been published yet, but Capitalism in the 21st Century is attracting attention.

From a slideshow summarizing the argument (pdf):



from a slideshow at:
http://piketty.pse.ens.fr/files/Piketty2013Cologne.pdf
http://www.eschatonblog.com/2014/01/capitalism.html

JUST WRONG!!! Lunches seized from 40 kids in debt at Salt Lake City elementary

Lunches seized from kids in debt at Salt Lake City elementary
Education » School officials cite unpaid balances on students’ meal accounts.
By Lisa Schencker | The Salt Lake Tribune
First Published Jan 29 2014 05:29 pm • Updated 8 hours ago


Up to 40 kids at Uintah Elementary in Salt Lake City picked up their lunches Tuesday, then watched as the meals were taken and thrown away because of outstanding balances on their accounts — a move that shocked and angered parents.

"It was pretty traumatic and humiliating," said Erica Lukes, whose 11-year-old daughter had her cafeteria lunch taken from her as she stood in line Tuesday at Uintah Elementary School, 1571 E. 1300 South.


Lukes said as far as she knew, she was all paid up. "I think it’s despicable," she said. "These are young children that shouldn’t be punished or humiliated for something the parents obviously need to clear up."

Jason Olsen, a Salt Lake City District spokesman, said the district’s child-nutrition department became aware that Uintah had a large number of students who owed money for lunches.


more:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57468293-78/lunches-olsen-lunch-district.html.csp