Republican-Controlled State Budget Committee Poised to Blow Hole in Budget, Sink Hopes for Reforms
Stripping proposals from Tony Evers' budget plan does more harm than just blowing an estimated $1.4 billion hole in the budget.
Budget
Gov. Walker’s Budget Plan for Fewer Protections for Students From Predatory For-Profit College Industry Up for Joint Finance Consideration
That Gov. Walker would propose gutting state oversight of the predatory practices all too common in this industry suggests he either doesn’t understand the problem or just doesn’t care.
Third Time Not a Charm as Nonpartisan Analysis Finds Gov. Walker Breaks Campaign Pledge to Keep Policy Out of State Budget, Again
Gov. Scott Walker has produced a third straight state budget larded with policy which has no fiscal impact, despite as a candidate vowing to halt the practice.
Arena plan prompts different reactions from area groups
Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, a liberal group, said his organization had "serious questions about the priorities of Gov. Walker." [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Scott Walker budget would remove oversight of for-profit colleges
"The for-profit college industry has engaged in the kinds of tactics and activities that should earn them more, not less, scrutiny," said Analiese Eicher, program director for the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. [Capital Times]
Gov. Walker Explanations of ‘Drafting Error’ Laughable, Impact of Proposed Budget Cuts to University System and Unlimited Tuition Increases No Joke
While Gov. Walker attempts to explain away either an intentional attack on the Wisconsin Idea, he is standing by egregious cuts that will hurt current and prospective UW students and explode student loan debt.
Gov. Walker Sticks Middle Class, Schools and Students With Tab for His Fiscal Mismanagement
Walker’s higher education budget is a recipe for more even more student loan debt for a nation that already has 40 million Americans who worked hard for their education or job training.
Take it to the Bank: Gov. Walker’s Budget Plan Will Explode Student Loan Debt In Wisconsin
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s recently-unveiled higher education budget plans will only exacerbate the burgeoning student loan debt crisis.
2015 Wisconsin State Budget Preview: $70 Billion-Plus Scott Walker 2016 Campaign Ad
Based on the comments and actions of the yet-to-be-inaugurated for a new term Wisconsin Governor, the two-year $70 billion plus taxing and spending plan will serve as a glorified 2016 campaign ad.
Worst. Anniversary. Ever.
It is past time for all of our leaders to lead on addressing student loan debt. They have over one trillion reasons to do so.
State of the State: Missed Opportunity
If we don't act we risk higher education at a university or job training at a technical college become nothing more than a multi-decade debt sentence instead of the path to the middle class.
Walker Slashes BadgerCare
Walker's proposal will have detrimental impacts for Wisconsin's children, pregnant women, families, and for individuals. At what cost will Walker continue to take away help from those in need?
Vossa the Hutt
With Robin Vos and ALEC leading the charge, it’s easy to see why corruption doesn’t bother those in charge.
School Choice Will Destroy Wisconsin Education
A well-rounded education is not a business, it's a right. Let’s keep government funding in Wisconsin’s public school system.
See How the Bradley Foundation Influences the Right-Wing Infrastructure
From Michael Grebe and Scott Walker to Paul Ryan and the Tea Party, see how the Bradley Foundation funds the right wing infrastructure.
Turning Back the Clock on Voter Rights
The desire to return to the “way things were” can be a sweet sentiment. What can be wrong with a return to better, simpler times? Nostalgia in politics normally means longing for a better time for certain groups only; namely white men. Legislators try to do this in a litany of ways. Pushes for abortion […]
Budget Cuts Inhibit the Right to Choose
Today, choice is a popular buzzword in the debate over women’s health. Women argue they should be able to choose independently about health… Do I want to have children? Where do I want to give birth? Do I want to use oral contraceptives? Gender equality will only be a reality if women can freely choose […]
Scott Walker 2013: Past is Prologue?
As Gov. Walker pursues national political ambitions, he is poised to inflict even more of his poisonous agenda on the people of Wisconsin.
Will Millennials Use Our Power on November 6?
From skyrocketing student loan debt, to the gender wage-gap, the incentive for the under 30-years-old, or so-called Millennials to vote is there.
Anti-public school props pays off for Gudex campaign
Spending more state taxpayer dollars on private school vouchers in Milwaukee while hitting K-12 public schools with record budget cuts isn’t paying off for public school children. But, according to One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross, supporting these policies is paying off for Rick Gudex’s political campaign. “Rick Gudex has publicly said he supports […]
OWN Sunday Breakfast Hash: “Worst. Sequel. Ever.”
With few exceptions, sequels always pale when compared with the original. There are usually more car chases, faster edits and the awkward repackaging of the same jokes from the original. So as we watch the debate over who will serve as the leader of the free world, it is abundantly clear Mitt Romney and the […]
Walker remains relentless in his “War on Women”
Gov. Scott Walker announced his refusal to implement any provisions of Obama's Affordable Care Act in Wisconsin, putting women's health at risk yet again
Rep. Vos entangled in yet another ethics scandal
Via the Cap Times: Rep. Robin Vos is fast developing a reputation as the most scandal-plagued member of the Legislature.
Tuition increase will place a heavy burden on Wisconsin families
A consequence of Walker's millions in state funding cuts, the UW Board of Regents recently approved a 5.5% hike in tuition rates for UW-System schools.
What would you do with $27,000?
Today, student loan debt in the U.S. is estimated to hit the $1 TRILLION mark – far surpassing auto-loan and credit card debt. It’s a huge drag on our economy that not only places a heavy burden on the backs of recent graduates, but also poses a risk to our future economic prosperity. In Wisconsin, […]
Why Are Republicans Gutting MATC Board? Power, Money, Control – Take Your Pick
Why do Wisconsin’s legislative Republicans and Governor Walker do what they do? Looking at their track record it is clear that they’re motivated by campaign cash and political power. If legislation privatizes public assets to help donors, prevents the public from holding them accountable, or places their hand-picked cronies in positions of power, you’ll find […]
Let’s #OccupyWalker
Scott Walker and Wall Street share a common agenda: destroy the middle class while protecting the interests of big corporations and the rich. But we’re fighting back. On Monday November 14, One Wisconsin Now will launch #OccupyWalker — an online movement to publicize the disastrous policies of the pro-corporate, anti-middle class Scott Walker administration. #OccupyWalker […]
Wisconsin schools reported huge losses in the aftermath of Walker, GOP budget
This map shows Wisconsin school districts that reported a net loss of teachers in the aftermath of the new state budget, according to results of a new study. [MJS]
One Wis. Now Supporters Back to Skies Against Walker at Badger Game
With University of Wisconsin Badgers’ football returning to Camp Randall Saturday after a several week road trip, One Wisconsin Now supporters will also be returning to the skies above with a message about the failure of Gov. Scott Walker and its impact on students. This week’s banner that will fly overhead for the two hours preceding […]
Koch group selling Walker agenda ahead of recall
Koch Industries and its front group Americans for Prosperity spent roughly a million dollars helping to put Scott Walker in the governor’s mansion and another half a million dollars protecting his recalled state senators. Now, Koch’s AFP and their sister organization the MacIver Institute are teaming up to help Scott Walker yet again. Just in time […]
Wisconsin From A-Zia: Walker Cuts to UW System Top $300 Million
Cuts are happening right and left in the state of Wisconsin, and the UW system is getting hit especially hard. Between 2011-2013 Walker will force the UW system to cut $65.8 million, and this does not include the $250 million base budget reduction. Overall, there will be about $300 million worth of cuts to the […]
WI From A-Zia: How to avoid keeping campaign promises, a lesson from Gov. Scott Walker
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any Wisconsinite that Governor Scott Walker has issues fulfilling his campaign promises. One of Scott Walker’s many campaign promises was that he and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch would pay their state pensions in full immediately upon taking office: “As governor, I’ll pay my share toward my retirement […]
Legislature to Debate Vouchers: A Cornerstone of Walker’s Strategy to Privatize Schools
A Committee of the WI State Senate will meet Wednesday Oct 5 to discuss a proposal which would prohibit further expansion of school vouchers. The move is a response by a bi-partisan group of Senators to stem the advance of the school voucher program. The existing Milwaukee school voucher program was expanded from Milwaukee to Racine […]
Big biz finally ADMITS use of extreme tax-avoidance techniques
From the Institute for Wisconsin’s Future “Who Does Not Pay Taxes”: It took awhile, but SC Johnson (SCJ) eventually fessed up to its tax-avoidance schemes. It started when the last issue of this publication disclosed that SCJ paid no state income tax in 2000-2008. This prompted an SCJ insider to release a secret tax-avoidance report […]
Republican Rep. Ribble hasn’t voted in WI since his election
It’s bad enough Republican Reid Ribble doesn’t even live in the district he represents, now we’re finding out he doesn’t even vote. But Rep. Ribble makes it unclear as to whether it’s DC’s fault or his staffers’ fault: Ribble blamed the April 5 voting oversight on his “hectic lifestyle” in Washington, where he sits on the […]
Homegrown’ Tommy! Ad Busted By Fake ‘Teacher’
Tommy! Thompson. Homegrown. Wisconsin. Whatever Tommy! is going to do in the U.S. Senate race, he’s now launched out some slickly-produced interwebs ad. It’s chock full of claims, quick edits and the latest technology to make the near-septuagenarian the voice of the future. What we also noticed in the video at 28 seconds and 1:15, […]
FLASHBACK: Darling couldn’t name one job created in her district
The unemployment crisis in our state needs no introduction. The fact that Wisconsin has lost nearly 14,000 jobs over the last two months and unemployment has risen from 7.4% to 7.9% is very well known. The dismal economic situation of the state is not lost on anyone; however, some of our states leadership seems to […]
Back to the Failure: Thompson is running… sort of… pt.XXV
Tommy Thompson is back… again. Sort of. That Tommy Thompson filed papers to fundraise for a potential U.S. Sentate run is sure to excite nobody except perhaps those who have for the past 8 years written ad nauseum about the perpetual prospect of a Tommy run. But what should be written about Tommy is not […]
Walker First, Wisconsin Second
Most Wisconsinites remember when Governor Walker promised to create 250,000 jobs and 10,000 businesses during his term in office. Walker issued this promised shortly after being elected last fall and used it to justify his austere budget cutting measures last winter. Budget items that cut education, public health, environmental regulation, and stripped away over 50 […]
Scott Walker didn’t need an education…
Six months after the budget bill protests of 2011 summer is ending and students are finally returning back to school. Students, that is, but not their teachers. The loss of collective bargaining and pay cuts has driven droves of accomplished and able teachers into retirement at a rate 2-3 times the yearly average. Couple this […]
Paul Ryan’s Costly Medicare Proposal, Office Mailing
It looks like Representative Paul Ryan’s expensive taste in wine extends to his expensive taste in constituent mailings. This time though, it’s on the taxpayer’s dime. Rep. Ryan has recently released a four-page brochure to his constituents entitled “The Facts about Preserving Medicare,” that he has filled with untruths and pictures of a number of […]
Did Scott Walker Win Votes In Favor of Budget Repair Bill Through Coercion Tactics?
This morning The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a story that raised a very interesting question: Was State Senator Robert Cowles threatened into voting for the Budget Repair Bill?
Walker closes public to budget signing ceremony
With his approval rating tanking after signing a series of extremely anti-middle class policies, Republican Gov. Scott Walker made the obvious decision this year to close off the budget signing ceremony to the public. Walker and the GOP majority appear to be running from the public after they voted to destroy Wisconsin’s strong tradition of quality education, […]
Will Walker Attend Koch Fest This Weekend?
Twice a year, the Koch brothers plan a secretive, high profile meeting between the most conservative of political actors and sympathetic non-profit organizations, and wealthy donors willing to further their cause. This wonderful time of year is upon us again. Charles and David Koch are organizing a political “seminar” for this weekend in Vail, Colorado. […]
Divided They Sit
While a recall would not be able to change the composition of the Supreme Court, it would help to prevent anything similar to the collective bargaining legislation passing in the Legislature in the future.
Walker: “Nothing good happens after midnight… The people of Wisconsin deserve to know what their elected leaders are voting on.”
“I have two teenagers and I tell them that nothing good happens after midnight. That’s even more true in politics,” [Walker] said in a statement. “The people of Wisconsin deserve to know what their elected leaders are voting on.” [Associated Press, 4/25/2010] That was Walker a little over a year ago when he was campaigning […]
Scott Walker gets high marks from WMC, millionaire CEO campaign donors
Gov. Scott Walker and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), our state’s largest pro-corporate lobbying group, simultaneously announced today that the CEOs and the board members of WMC gave high marks to Gov. Walker for his anti-worker, anti-middle class agenda. Surprise, surprise. Big Payoff It’s no small secret that WMC was instrumental in getting Gov. Walker […]
GOP admits GOP Senators can’t run on their records alone
With the public so overwhelmingly against taking away workers’ rights while handing out huge tax breaks to corporations, the Republican state senators in Wisconsin that voted for Scott Walker’s plan to do just that are facing recall. So how does a Republican Senator overcome such huge opposition? Dirty tricks, of course: In letters obtained by No […]
GOP ‘Corporate Tax Giveaway Day’ Raises Taxes on 270,000 Working Families to Pay for Tax Breaks for 400 Companies
The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted to raise taxes on as many as 270,000 working Wisconsinites through changes in the Earned Income Tax Credit, while handing out more than $84 million in corporate tax breaks. So far, budget committee Republicans have voted in favor of raising taxes on as many as 500,000 Wisconsin families. The […]
WISTAX Says $1B Education Cut, 70K Off BadgerCare Is ‘Fiscally Mature’
It’s the same old story with Todd Berry and the conservative, pro-corporate Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. Their biased view says there’s only money available in the treasury for corporate tax cuts - everything else is second-tier.