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hue's Journal
hue's Journal
March 24, 2015
John Menard Jr. is widely known as the richest man in Wisconsin. A tough-minded, staunchly conservative 75-year-old billionaire, he owns a highly profitable chain of hardware stores throughout the Midwest. He’s also famously publicity-shy — rarely speaking in public or giving interviews.
So a little more than three years ago, when Menard wanted to back Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — and help advance his pro-business agenda — he found the perfect way to do so without attracting any attention: He wrote more than $1.5 million in checks to a pro-Walker political advocacy group that pledged to keep its donors secret, three sources directly familiar with the transactions told Yahoo News.
Menard’s previously unreported six-figure contributions to the Wisconsin Club for Growth — a group that spent heavily to defend Walker during a bitter 2012 recall election — seem to have paid off for the businessman and his company. In the past two years, Menard’s company has been awarded up to $1.8 million in special tax credits from a state economic development corporation that Walker chairs, according to state records.
And in his five years in office, Walker’s appointees have sharply scaled back enforcement actions by the state Department of Natural Resources — a top Menard priority. The agency had repeatedly clashed with Menard and his company under previous governors over citations for violating state environmental laws and had levied a $1.7 million fine against Menard personally, as well as his company, for illegally dumping hazardous wastes.
Secret $1.5 million donation from Wisconsin billionaire uncovered in Scott Walker dark-money probe
https://www.yahoo.com/politics/secret-1-5-million-donation-from-wisconsin-114429739886.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=maJohn Menard Jr. is widely known as the richest man in Wisconsin. A tough-minded, staunchly conservative 75-year-old billionaire, he owns a highly profitable chain of hardware stores throughout the Midwest. He’s also famously publicity-shy — rarely speaking in public or giving interviews.
So a little more than three years ago, when Menard wanted to back Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — and help advance his pro-business agenda — he found the perfect way to do so without attracting any attention: He wrote more than $1.5 million in checks to a pro-Walker political advocacy group that pledged to keep its donors secret, three sources directly familiar with the transactions told Yahoo News.
Menard’s previously unreported six-figure contributions to the Wisconsin Club for Growth — a group that spent heavily to defend Walker during a bitter 2012 recall election — seem to have paid off for the businessman and his company. In the past two years, Menard’s company has been awarded up to $1.8 million in special tax credits from a state economic development corporation that Walker chairs, according to state records.
And in his five years in office, Walker’s appointees have sharply scaled back enforcement actions by the state Department of Natural Resources — a top Menard priority. The agency had repeatedly clashed with Menard and his company under previous governors over citations for violating state environmental laws and had levied a $1.7 million fine against Menard personally, as well as his company, for illegally dumping hazardous wastes.
March 24, 2015
John Menard Jr. is widely known as the richest man in Wisconsin. A tough-minded, staunchly conservative 75-year-old billionaire, he owns a highly profitable chain of hardware stores throughout the Midwest. He’s also famously publicity-shy — rarely speaking in public or giving interviews.
So a little more than three years ago, when Menard wanted to back Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — and help advance his pro-business agenda — he found the perfect way to do so without attracting any attention: He wrote more than $1.5 million in checks to a pro-Walker political advocacy group that pledged to keep its donors secret, three sources directly familiar with the transactions told Yahoo News.
Menard’s previously unreported six-figure contributions to the Wisconsin Club for Growth — a group that spent heavily to defend Walker during a bitter 2012 recall election — seem to have paid off for the businessman and his company. In the past two years, Menard’s company has been awarded up to $1.8 million in special tax credits from a state economic development corporation that Walker chairs, according to state records.
And in his five years in office, Walker’s appointees have sharply scaled back enforcement actions by the state Department of Natural Resources — a top Menard priority. The agency had repeatedly clashed with Menard and his company under previous governors over citations for violating state environmental laws and had levied a $1.7 million fine against Menard personally, as well as his company, for illegally dumping hazardous wastes.
Secret $1.5 million donation from Wisconsin billionaire uncovered in Scott Walker dark-money probe
https://www.yahoo.com/politics/secret-1-5-million-donation-from-wisconsin-114429739886.html?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=maJohn Menard Jr. is widely known as the richest man in Wisconsin. A tough-minded, staunchly conservative 75-year-old billionaire, he owns a highly profitable chain of hardware stores throughout the Midwest. He’s also famously publicity-shy — rarely speaking in public or giving interviews.
So a little more than three years ago, when Menard wanted to back Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker — and help advance his pro-business agenda — he found the perfect way to do so without attracting any attention: He wrote more than $1.5 million in checks to a pro-Walker political advocacy group that pledged to keep its donors secret, three sources directly familiar with the transactions told Yahoo News.
Menard’s previously unreported six-figure contributions to the Wisconsin Club for Growth — a group that spent heavily to defend Walker during a bitter 2012 recall election — seem to have paid off for the businessman and his company. In the past two years, Menard’s company has been awarded up to $1.8 million in special tax credits from a state economic development corporation that Walker chairs, according to state records.
And in his five years in office, Walker’s appointees have sharply scaled back enforcement actions by the state Department of Natural Resources — a top Menard priority. The agency had repeatedly clashed with Menard and his company under previous governors over citations for violating state environmental laws and had levied a $1.7 million fine against Menard personally, as well as his company, for illegally dumping hazardous wastes.
March 23, 2015
Eleven potential GOP presidential candidates among the dozens attending
Eleven potential Republican presidential candidates, several media titans and a gaggle of top political donors ranked among attendees this month of a secretive politics and policy conference, according to an attendee roster obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.
Likely White House hopefuls listed as participants include former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former Amb. John Bolton.
Their names, along with about 300 others, appear within disclosure documents filed today by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii — who, along with Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, was one of the handful of Democrats who participated in the annual conference sponsored by the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
The "World Forum" event, conducted March 5 through March 8 at a luxurious resort in Sea Island, Georgia, has been conducted annually since 1982.
Sessions at the invitation-only, off-the-record affair came with such titles as "Campaign 2016: What to Expect," "The Shape of Education Reform in the Post-Obama Era" and "Bipartisan Agreement in Economic Policy."
Meet the top politicians, mega-donors who mingled at secretive conference
http://www.publicintegrity.org/2015/03/19/16927/meet-top-politicians-mega-donors-who-mingled-secretive-conferenceEleven potential GOP presidential candidates among the dozens attending
Eleven potential Republican presidential candidates, several media titans and a gaggle of top political donors ranked among attendees this month of a secretive politics and policy conference, according to an attendee roster obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.
Likely White House hopefuls listed as participants include former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and former Amb. John Bolton.
Their names, along with about 300 others, appear within disclosure documents filed today by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii — who, along with Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, was one of the handful of Democrats who participated in the annual conference sponsored by the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
The "World Forum" event, conducted March 5 through March 8 at a luxurious resort in Sea Island, Georgia, has been conducted annually since 1982.
Sessions at the invitation-only, off-the-record affair came with such titles as "Campaign 2016: What to Expect," "The Shape of Education Reform in the Post-Obama Era" and "Bipartisan Agreement in Economic Policy."
March 21, 2015
One of the next stops on the 2016 trail: David Koch’s 30,050-square-foot Palm Beach mansion.
A group of White House hopefuls, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, are scheduled to make a pilgrimage to the oceanfront estate of the billionaire industrialist on Sunday afternoon.
The occasion is a lunchtime fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association, of which Koch is a major supporter. The event will also give presidential aspirants face-time with some of the party’s most influential and generous contributors.
Former governors Jeb Bush of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas were also invited to the event; Perry aides said he would not be able to attend.
The RGA Executive Roundtable Program is one of the most successful donor efforts on the right, ballooning from less than dozen members in 2009 to more than 600 this year. The initiative is open only to chief executives, entrepreneurs and wealthy philanthropists, who must donate a minimum of $25,000 a year to participate.
***********************
Here's where Wanker will be Sun.
X-posted in Politics
GOP hopefuls set to attend fundraiser at David Koch’s Palm Beach mansion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/03/20/gop-hopefuls-set-to-attend-fundraiser-at-david-kochs-palm-beach-mansion/?postshare=5741426893113127One of the next stops on the 2016 trail: David Koch’s 30,050-square-foot Palm Beach mansion.
A group of White House hopefuls, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, are scheduled to make a pilgrimage to the oceanfront estate of the billionaire industrialist on Sunday afternoon.
The occasion is a lunchtime fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association, of which Koch is a major supporter. The event will also give presidential aspirants face-time with some of the party’s most influential and generous contributors.
Former governors Jeb Bush of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas were also invited to the event; Perry aides said he would not be able to attend.
The RGA Executive Roundtable Program is one of the most successful donor efforts on the right, ballooning from less than dozen members in 2009 to more than 600 this year. The initiative is open only to chief executives, entrepreneurs and wealthy philanthropists, who must donate a minimum of $25,000 a year to participate.
***********************
Here's where Wanker will be Sun.
X-posted in Politics
March 21, 2015
One of the next stops on the 2016 trail: David Koch’s 30,050-square-foot Palm Beach mansion.
A group of White House hopefuls, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, are scheduled to make a pilgrimage to the oceanfront estate of the billionaire industrialist on Sunday afternoon.
The occasion is a lunchtime fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association, of which Koch is a major supporter. The event will also give presidential aspirants face-time with some of the party’s most influential and generous contributors.
Former governors Jeb Bush of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas were also invited to the event; Perry aides said he would not be able to attend.
The RGA Executive Roundtable Program is one of the most successful donor efforts on the right, ballooning from less than dozen members in 2009 to more than 600 this year. The initiative is open only to chief executives, entrepreneurs and wealthy philanthropists, who must donate a minimum of $25,000 a year to participate.
GOP hopefuls set to attend fundraiser at David Koch’s Palm Beach mansion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2015/03/20/gop-hopefuls-set-to-attend-fundraiser-at-david-kochs-palm-beach-mansion/?postshare=5741426893113127One of the next stops on the 2016 trail: David Koch’s 30,050-square-foot Palm Beach mansion.
A group of White House hopefuls, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, are scheduled to make a pilgrimage to the oceanfront estate of the billionaire industrialist on Sunday afternoon.
The occasion is a lunchtime fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association, of which Koch is a major supporter. The event will also give presidential aspirants face-time with some of the party’s most influential and generous contributors.
Former governors Jeb Bush of Florida and Rick Perry of Texas were also invited to the event; Perry aides said he would not be able to attend.
The RGA Executive Roundtable Program is one of the most successful donor efforts on the right, ballooning from less than dozen members in 2009 to more than 600 this year. The initiative is open only to chief executives, entrepreneurs and wealthy philanthropists, who must donate a minimum of $25,000 a year to participate.
March 17, 2015
The state Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a former aide to Gov. Scott Walker when he was Milwaukee County executive.
Kelly Rindfleisch, who was convicted of misconduct in office for doing campaign work while at her county government job, appealed her conviction to the state's highest court in December. The move came after a state appeals court upheld her conviction in November.
On Monday, the Supreme Court denied her petition. Justice David Prosser did not participate.
Rindfleisch, who served as Walker's deputy chief of staff, was one of six people convicted as part of a now-closed secret John Doe investigation into the activities of Walker's aides and associates while he was county executive. Walker was never charged.
Rindfleisch pleaded guilty to one felony count of misconduct in office for doing campaign work while at her government job. But in her appeal, she argued that the evidence against her investigators obtained in her emails should have been suppressed, saying they were obtained during an unconstitutional search. Rindfleisch argued that the warrant should have been more specifically tailored.
Former Scott Walker aide Rindfleisch denied state high court appeal
http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/former-scott-walker-aide-rindfleisch-denied-state-high-court-appeal-b99464133z1-296601611.htmlThe state Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a former aide to Gov. Scott Walker when he was Milwaukee County executive.
Kelly Rindfleisch, who was convicted of misconduct in office for doing campaign work while at her county government job, appealed her conviction to the state's highest court in December. The move came after a state appeals court upheld her conviction in November.
On Monday, the Supreme Court denied her petition. Justice David Prosser did not participate.
Rindfleisch, who served as Walker's deputy chief of staff, was one of six people convicted as part of a now-closed secret John Doe investigation into the activities of Walker's aides and associates while he was county executive. Walker was never charged.
Rindfleisch pleaded guilty to one felony count of misconduct in office for doing campaign work while at her government job. But in her appeal, she argued that the evidence against her investigators obtained in her emails should have been suppressed, saying they were obtained during an unconstitutional search. Rindfleisch argued that the warrant should have been more specifically tailored.
March 17, 2015
You probably missed this one, after all most news coverage told people that Governor Walker signed a "right to work" bill. According to the accounts, this bill means that workers will no longer be forced to pay a fee to the union that represents them. This was presented as a victory for workers' rights over the power of unions. In fact, it was about denying the people of Wisconsin the freedom of contract.
This is not just a question of the best slogan for a marketing campaign; it's a question of how we think about workers' rights. Walker and his supporters want people to believe that a basic right of workers is being denied if they are forced to pay a union representation fee. This is nonsense if we think about the issue in its full context.
The problem is supposed to be that some workers dislike unions in general, or the union at a specific workplace, and don't think they should have to pay a representation fee to the union to hold a job. But there are often many things about a job that workers don't like.
Often employers demand that workers work bad shifts, starting their shift late at night or work on weekends. Employers can demand that workers come in on Thanksgiving or that they put in overtime. They might even do it with just a few minutes' notice, forcing workers to make rush plans for child care, skip doctors' appointments, or cancel other commitments.
Scott Walker Ends Freedom of Contract in Wisconsin
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dean-baker/scott-walker-ends-freedom_b_6882738.htmlYou probably missed this one, after all most news coverage told people that Governor Walker signed a "right to work" bill. According to the accounts, this bill means that workers will no longer be forced to pay a fee to the union that represents them. This was presented as a victory for workers' rights over the power of unions. In fact, it was about denying the people of Wisconsin the freedom of contract.
This is not just a question of the best slogan for a marketing campaign; it's a question of how we think about workers' rights. Walker and his supporters want people to believe that a basic right of workers is being denied if they are forced to pay a union representation fee. This is nonsense if we think about the issue in its full context.
The problem is supposed to be that some workers dislike unions in general, or the union at a specific workplace, and don't think they should have to pay a representation fee to the union to hold a job. But there are often many things about a job that workers don't like.
Often employers demand that workers work bad shifts, starting their shift late at night or work on weekends. Employers can demand that workers come in on Thanksgiving or that they put in overtime. They might even do it with just a few minutes' notice, forcing workers to make rush plans for child care, skip doctors' appointments, or cancel other commitments.
March 17, 2015
Scott Walker Government and Politics News Politics
- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks during the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines on Jan. 24.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks during the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines on Jan. 24.
(Bloomberg Politics) — On a sunny Saturday in September 2009, with Wisconsin in the throes of tea party fervor, conservative starlet Michelle Malkin fired up a crowd of thousands at a lakefront park in Milwaukee with rhetoric about White House czars and union thugs and the "culture of dependency that they have rammed down our throats."
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a Republican candidate for governor, casually attired in a red University of Wisconsin Badgers sweatshirt, stepped to the podium to amplify the message. "We're going to take back our government," he shouted, jabbing the air with a finger. The attendees whooped and clapped. "We've done it here, we can do it in Wisconsin and, by God, we're going to do it all across America."
In a way, the event was Scott Walker's graduation to the political major leagues. The audience had been delivered up by Americans for Prosperity, a tea party organizing group founded by Charles and David Koch, the billionaire energy executives whose fortune helps shape Republican politics. With Americans for Prosperity, the brothers had harnessed the tea party's energy in service of their own policy goals, including deregulation and lower taxes. And in Walker, they'd found the perfect instrument to help carry them out. The rally was one of the first times they'd joined forces.
UNION WAR
The relationship between the Kochs and Walker was cemented during Walker's bitter war against public unions that led to a recall election in 2012. During the tense weeks of standoff at the capitol in Madison, it was the Kochs' tea party troops who provided the main counterforce to the tens of thousands of union activists protesting the governor, in a battle Walker eventually won.
How Scott Walker became king of Kochworld
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150217/NEWS02/150219834/how-scott-walker-became-king-of-kochworldScott Walker Government and Politics News Politics
- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks during the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines on Jan. 24.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker speaks during the Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines on Jan. 24.
(Bloomberg Politics) — On a sunny Saturday in September 2009, with Wisconsin in the throes of tea party fervor, conservative starlet Michelle Malkin fired up a crowd of thousands at a lakefront park in Milwaukee with rhetoric about White House czars and union thugs and the "culture of dependency that they have rammed down our throats."
Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a Republican candidate for governor, casually attired in a red University of Wisconsin Badgers sweatshirt, stepped to the podium to amplify the message. "We're going to take back our government," he shouted, jabbing the air with a finger. The attendees whooped and clapped. "We've done it here, we can do it in Wisconsin and, by God, we're going to do it all across America."
In a way, the event was Scott Walker's graduation to the political major leagues. The audience had been delivered up by Americans for Prosperity, a tea party organizing group founded by Charles and David Koch, the billionaire energy executives whose fortune helps shape Republican politics. With Americans for Prosperity, the brothers had harnessed the tea party's energy in service of their own policy goals, including deregulation and lower taxes. And in Walker, they'd found the perfect instrument to help carry them out. The rally was one of the first times they'd joined forces.
UNION WAR
The relationship between the Kochs and Walker was cemented during Walker's bitter war against public unions that led to a recall election in 2012. During the tense weeks of standoff at the capitol in Madison, it was the Kochs' tea party troops who provided the main counterforce to the tens of thousands of union activists protesting the governor, in a battle Walker eventually won.
March 17, 2015
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-bob-schieffer-destroys-tom-cotton-with-one-question/
Schieffer destroys Cotton
“Are you planning to contact any other of our adversaries?” Schieffer asked. “Do you plan to check with the North Koreans to make sure they know any deal has to be approved by the Congress?”
Cotton smiled nervously and changed the subject in desperation: “Right now I and most every other senator is focused on stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.”
Nice try, Cotton.
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/watch-bob-schieffer-destroys-tom-cotton-with-one-question/
March 15, 2015
Tom Cotton Seems Confused About The Basic Geography Of Iran
Source: THINKPROGRESS
But when asked by Face the Nation’s Bob Schieffer what better outcome Cotton expects if a White House-led deal falls through, Cotton seemed to make a key geographic mistake, suggesting that Tehran, the capital of Iran, might be controlled by anyone other than Iranian leaders:
Schieffer: What do you want to happen here? What is your alternative here? Let’s say that the deal falls through, then what?
Cotton: Well as Prime Minister Netanyahu said, the alternative to a bad deal is a better deal. The Iranians frequently bluff to walk away from the table. if they bluff this week, call their bluff. The Congress stands ready to impose much more severe sanctions. Moreover we have to stand up to Iran’s attempts to drive for regional dominance. They already control Tehran increasingly they control Damascus and Beirut and Baghdad and now Sana’a as well. They do all that without a nuclear weapon. imagine what they would do with a nuclear weapon.
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/world/2015/03/15/3633912/tom-cotton-alarmed-capital-iran-controlled-iran/
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Member since: Thu Dec 23, 2004, 12:30 PMNumber of posts: 4,949
