Wisconsin

100,000 strong (PHOTO)

I stitched together shots from a video One Wisconsin Now made, showing the clear public opposition to Republican Gov. Scott Walker using the government to take away the rights of workers. See the full image here.   Ok, go ahead and say it… “This is what democracy looks like!”

Remarks of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Regarding Wisconsin

Below are excerpts from U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis regarding the on-going situation in Wisconsin and the efforts to take away the rights of America’s workers: I’ve been following the developments in Wisconsin, and Ohio, and many other states across the country. We know that many states are facing tough budget decisions. We […]

Bill Killed? Walker Promised Law Prohibiting Legisition Between 10p-9a

The GOP-controlled state Assembly’s shameful and possibly illegal action in the middle of the night Thursday to ram through Gov. Scott Walker effort to use the government to take away the rights of Wisconsin workers has hit a number of hurdles — including hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who continue to rally across the state. […]

Walker’s ‘Savings’ Will Cost Taxpayers Millions for the Next 10 Years

MADISON, Wis. — In an attempt to push through his unpopular Budget Repair Bill, Gov. Scott Walker has tried to set a Friday deadline for passage by falsely claiming that lack of action will cost taxpayers money: “If we don’t pass that by this weekend, if we fail to be able to achieve those savings, […]

Two Nights in Madison’s Capitol: The Great Class War Sleepover

If Walker is as dim a bulb as recent events have revealed him to be, the FOIA request filed yesterday by One Wisconsin Now for all communications and meetings between Walker and Koch lobbyists may prove devastating. The Kochs’ answer? “We have no choice but to continue to fight.” [The Awl]

Wisconsin to Walker: ‘Just Say No’ to Koch

The nation has found out, the dirty little secret that we in Wisconsin have known for some time. That Governor Scott Walker has a serious Koch problem. But that’s the way it with Koch. Gov. Walker thought, I can handle it. I can quit anytime I want to. Only I don’t want to. So, it’s […]

Wisconsin State Budget and Worker Protests

Scot Ross talked about the ongoing legislative battle between the governor of Wisconsin and state Democrats on the budget, and he responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. Part of Governor Scott Walker’s budget includes a proposal that would end almost all collective bargaining rights… [C-SPAN]

Budget debate: 2/25

Scot Ross (far right corner), executive director of One Wisconsin Now speaks at a rally outside of the State Capital on day 11 of protests over Gov. Scott Walker’s budget-repair bill. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Research Roundup

In this brief, One Wisconsin Now details Wisconsin Gov. Walker’s track record with pushing for the privatization of public assets in recent years, and documents the excessive costs, mismanagement, high risks, job loss, lost accountability, and negative impacts on the middle class, working families, and vulnerable populations that have occurred as a result of these […] [Progressive States]

Walker’s Fiscal Agenda: Yes to Corporations, No to the Middle Class

The Executive Director of One Wisconsin Now, Scot Ross, commented that he was “handing out [millions] in special interest spending to his corporate pals and he’s going to make our children pay for it by taking loans the state was ready to pay off and borrow more money on them.” [Progressive States]

Liberal group files open records request against Walker

One Wisconsin Now, a liberal activist group, today filed an open records request for all written communications and records of scheduled meetings between Koch Industries’ top in-state lobbyist and Walker’s office, his former transition office and the Wisconsin Department of Administration. [Biz Times]

One Wisconsin Now Files Open Records Request for Walker Administration-Koch Lobbyist Communications

MADISON, Wis. — One Wisconsin Now filed an open records request today for all written communications and records of scheduled meetings between Koch Industries’ top in-state lobbyist and the office of Gov. Scott Walker, his former transition office and the Wisconsin Department of Administration. Koch Industries’ billionaire owners Charles and David Koch are the driving […]

Rev. Jesse Jackson Marches With Madison — GRITtv special

The fight against Scott Walker’s attack on working people isn’t just in Madison–and it isn’t just about a budget repair bill, say Scot Ross of One Wisconsin Now and State Assemblyman Cory Mason. Hundreds of people are protesting and attending town halls in towns across the state, sometimes towns with only a few thousand people […] [Uptake]

The Selling of Wisconsin: Enter Koch Brothers’ Bag Man Jeffrey Schoepke

Much has recently been made of the revelation that Koch Industries was Walker’s second biggest supporter, ponying up $43,000 and giving $1 million to the Republican Governor’s Association, which itself spent $65,000 on supporting Walker (and $3.4 million against his opponent). All of this was actually noted way back in September, 2010, by Scot Ross […] [The Awl]

The Complete Scott Walker-‘David Koch’ Transcript

While Gov. Scott Walker hasn’t been willing with, or even talk to, Wisconsin’s workers, he was more than willing to take a call from someone he thought was gazillionaire David Koch. Of course, Gov. Walker would take the call. Koch Industries gave Walker’s campaign $43,000 and now Koch propaganda machine, Americans for Prosperity, is spending […]

Walker Rapid Response Part 1: Government Taking Workers Rights

Walker Rhetoric: “The bill I put forward isn’t aimed at state workers. And it certainly isn’t a battle with unions. If it was, we would eliminated collective bargaining entirely.” Reality: “Public employees were reeling Friday trying to figure out what to do after Gov. Scott Walker asked the Legislature to remove nearly all collective bargaining […]

Walker Rapid Response Part 4: Working Families Compromise; Walker Refuses to Sit Down, Talk

Walker Rhetoric: “Our measure asks for a 5.8% contribution to the pension, and a 12.6% contribution for health insurance premiums.” Reality: “In fast-moving events Friday: Leaders of the state’s biggest public worker unions said they would give in to the governor’s demand for concessions on workers’ benefits if Walker would give up his bid to […]

Walker Rapid Response Part 3: Attacking Health Care Access

Walker Rhetoric: “It’s about Wisconsin families trying to make ends meet and help their children.” Reality: “Walker’s Department of Health Services could unilaterally change state laws dealing with the programs, which affect more than a million state residents from infants to the elderly and include a spectrum of BadgerCare plans, FamilyCare, and SeniorCare.” [Capital Times, […]

Walker Rapid Response Part 2: Walker Just Approved $140 Million in New Spending

Walker Rhetoric: “The legislation I put forward is about one thing: It’s about balancing our budget. Now, and in the future. Wisconsin faces a $137 million deficit for the remainder of this fiscal year. And a $3.6 billion deficit for the upcoming budget.” Reality: In less than one month, Gov. Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature […]

Battle for Wisconsin

One Wisconsin Now’s petition opposing Scott Walker’s unprecedented power grab and move to take rights away from Wisconsinite’s while refusing to negotiate with them. [The Lost Albatross]

Breitbart wrong: Wisconsinites making history

Over the last week, literally hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites have flooded our state’s capital city to show support for the rights of workers. Union, non-union, public sector, private sector, students, teachers, law enforcement, firefighters, and every middle-class Wisconsinite in between has shown up in numbers that dwarf the Koch brother-financed gatherings we encountered the […]

Is the state budget really in crisis? Depends who you ask

“Walker keeps talking about how the state is broke, yet he had no problem making $3.8 billion in campaign pledges to the wealthy to reduce the state’s tax collections,” Pocan charged, citing figures estimated by the liberal advocacy group, One Wisconsin Now. “Furthermore, he later promised an additional $1.5 billion pledge to repeal the corporate […] [Wisconsin State Journal]

US Rep. Ron Kind Urges Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to Withdraw Union-Busting Plan

“Walker keeps talking about how the state is broke, yet he had no problem making $3.8 billion in campaign pledges to the wealthy to reduce the state’s tax collections,” Pocan charged, citing figures estimated by the liberal advocacy group, One Wisconsin Now. “Furthermore, he later promised an additional $1.5 billion pledge to repeal the corporate […] [Faithful Progressive]

Why Walker Created His “Fiscal Crisis”

Up until now, Walker has been successful in spinning his fake budget crisis. However, Walker has been so careless in his pledges, that One Wisconsin Now has captured every single special-interest pledge Governor Gimmick (Walker’s new nickname) has made. You can find a citation for every single dollar of the nearly $5.3 billion in pledges […] [Mark Pocan]

Analysis: Despite budget woes, state less in crisis now than two years ago

Scot Ross of the left-leaning group One Wisconsin Now went a step further, calling the Walker plan a “handout in special interest spending to his corporate pals.” Ross was referring to $117.2 million in tax breaks approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature in January. Those items making health savings accounts tax deductible, tax deductions for businesses […] [Capital Times]

Walker Flinches on Releasing Budget in Face of Mounting Protests

MADISON, Wis. — Faced with growing protests in cities around Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker today asked for a second extension from the legislature to delay in providing the specifics of his proposed 2011-13 state budget. Walker now wants to give his speech on Tuesday, but not provide the press and the public with the details […]

What does Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker really want?

One Wisconsin Now, the progressive watchdog group that has provided the closest monitoring of Walker’s budgetary gamesmanship, explains: “Since his inauguration in early January, Walker has approved $140 million in new special-interest [Unions]

Updated: Wisconsin Senate to vote on anti-union bill.

Protesters clogged the hallways of the Wisconsin state Capitol on Thursday as the Senate prepared to pass a momentous bill that would strip government workers, including school teachers, of nearly all collective bargaining rights. [La Crosse Tribune]

Governors wise to secure prisons

Scot Ross, head of the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, said: “No Wisconsin governor has deployed the military against public employees as far back as the 1930s, showing just how radical the steps are that Gov. Walker is taking to consolidate his power.” [Wisconsin State Journal]

Walker’s Budget Scheme: Undemocratic, Unbalanced, Potentially Unconstitutional

See OWN’s full release here. Walker campaigned on cutting state spending on BadgerCare, he hired a budget director who has advocated states should opt out of the federal Medicaid program, and now he buries in the budget adjustment bill (after saying he wouldn’t put “policy” items into fiscal budget bills) a policy that would allow […]

Walker’s budget roils state politics and government

Scot Ross of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now said no governor has used the military against public employees as far back as the 1930’s. He said current events show “just how radical the steps are that Gov. Walker is taking to consolidate his power.” [RiverTowns.net]

Walker’s Budget Scheme: Undemocratic, Unbalanced, Potentially Unconstitutional

Gov. Scott Walker’s scheme to allow the government to take away the rights of Wisconsin workers is part of an unbalanced and potentially unconstitutional proposal that would add at least $30 million to the state’s credit card and allow the Governor’s health agency director to slash health care access and raise costs without the approval of the legislature.

Misconceptions spread over National Guard’s role in Walker budget proposal

“No Wisconsin Governor has deployed the military against public employees as far back as the 1930s, showing just how radical the steps are that Gov. Walker is taking to consolidate his power,” said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. [Wisconsin State Journal]

Sign the Petition Against Walker’s Government Take-Away of Our Rights

Scott Walker has done the unthinkable. Friday, Gov. Walker made the shocking announcement that he plans to use the government to strip away the rights workers in Wisconsin. And he’s willing to call out the National Guard to enforce his unprecedented power grab. Stand with workers, right now, and sign our petition demanding your legislator […]

Joel McNally: Truth-O-Meter crashes during tax cut analysis

Shrapnel from the crashing Truth-O-Meter then hit the progressive political organization, One Wisconsin Now. The group added up the cost of three Walker tax giveaways, noting the governor had added $140 million in new special interest spending to the state’s mounting budget deficit. [Capital Times]

David Prosser coddled pedophile priest

The priest, John Patrick Feeney, who is now 81, went on to abuse other children before he was sent to jail in 2004. Hell of a guy, that David Prosser. He does “work hard” and “write well.” One Wisconsin Now was on this last year. [Brew City Brawler]

Biz Beat: Walker budget plan called a ‘nuclear option’

Scot Ross of the progressive Advocacy Group One Wisconsin Now added: “You take away people’s rights and then use the National Guard to back it up. If this was happening in another country, we’d call it a Banana Republic.” [Capital Times]

Another Day, Another Bernier Broken Jobs Promise

MADISON, Wis. — After abruptly announcing her inability to “fairly represent” taxpayers and planned resignation as Chippewa County Clerk due to her election to the State Assembly, Rep. Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls) has now filed papers to run for president of the Lake Hallie Village Board. Bernier followed up this embarrassing flip-flop by breaking her […]

Right Wing’s “National Marriage Week” Failing Miserably

Early last week Wisconsin Family Action made a thrilling announcement: Republican Gov. Scott Walker had issued a National Marriage Week proclamation! While many view the week as nothing more than a thinly-veiled attack on same-sex couples and the voices in the LGBT community, the GOP often jumps at the chance to appease their ultra-conservative base […]

A Tale of Two Scotts (or Privatization Simply Doesn’t Work)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Gov. Rick Scott have a lot in common. Both are Republicans. Both put corporate interests before the interests of people. And heck, when I went to google a pic of Rick Scott, I found this: The similarities are uncanny I tell yas. But here is where they ARE different: […]