Given that we have a budget crisis here, why not cut aid to human rights abusers?read more

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is getting a political promotion from his party as he was just appointed to the executive committee of the Republican Governors Association.read more

For the first time, paychecks for state workers reflect the cuts rammed through the legislature earlier this year. “Now, people are saying they may have to drop their health insurance in order to feed their kids,” says one union leader.read more

Don’t get too excited about this new bipartisanship. Plale, along with former Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, voted against renewing contracts with state employee unions during a December lame-duck legislative session.read more

Now that the GOP’s majority in the Wisconsin state senate has shrunk to 17-16 after the summer recall elections, there’s lots of speculation about how the fall legislation session will proceed.
Governor Scott Walker now talks about bipartisanship. State representative Mark Pocan, for one, isn’t buying it.read more

This week, Wisconsin state workers will feel the pinch of Govern Scott Walker’s extreme agenda. For the first time, their August 25 paychecks will contain the big increases in employee contributions for retirement and healthcare benefits due to Walker’s budget.read more

It was a long night at the Sheraton Hotel in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, where Representative Sandy Pasch was holding her election night party. It was meant to be a victory celebration.read more

It was a long night at the Sheraton Hotel in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, where Representative Sandy Pasch was holding her election night party. It was meant to be a victory celebration.read more

Protesters greeted Governor Scott Walker at the opening ceremonies of the Wisconsin State Fair. The crowd booed during Walker’s short speech and drowned him out.read more

Protesters greeted Governor Scott Walker at the opening ceremonies of the Wisconsin State Fair. The crowd booed during Walker’s short speech at the We Energies Energy Park.
Anti-Walker protesters dressed mainly in red Ts (one of the main colors of the protesters throughout 2011) while the governor’s supporters wore green T-shirts that said, “Scott Walker, My Hero” on the front and “He’s got nads!” on the back.read more

At the summer meeting of the National Governors Association, Scott Walker says he miscalculated earlier this year—but he’s not admitting he was wrong to go after collective bargaining.
“We didn’t do enough of a job making the case for what we were doing and why it was needed,” Walker told The Washington Post on July 16.read more

“It’s tough,” Walker says about the GOP’s prospects for keeping control of the Wisconsin state senate. “If the election were January 9th rather than August 9th, I’d feel a lot better.”read more

Wisconsin State Senator Luther Olsen is one of the six Republicans facing a recall election this summer. After Tuesday’s Democratic primary, he will now face Representative Fred Clark in the August 9 general election.
Republicans ran “protest” candidates in the primaries in order to drag out the electoral process. All six “fake Democrats” lost.
Delaying the general election allowed the incumbents more time to campaign—and to get more campaign contributions. Millions of dollars are pouring into Wisconsin, some coming from groups outside the state.read more

“Unfortunately, outside money will have a big influence on this election,” says GOP State Senator Luther Olsen. “Is the goal to buy this election?”read more

Last week I wrote about the GOP plans to redistrict the state. Typically this happens in the fall, but this is no typical year in Wisconsin.
Mike McCabe from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign told me that the Republicans could very well unveil the secret plans this week and try to ram it down the state’s throat while they still have a majority. (The recalls could change that.)read more