The Higher Ed, Lower Debt bill was something substantive that dealt with student loan debt from a long-term perspective, and Republicans killed it without even a second glance. [Badger Herald]
According to an amicus brief filed by One Wisconsin Institute, 257,000 voting-age Wisconsinites don’t have a car in their household. Moreover, only thirty-three of Wisconsin’s ninety-two DMVs are open full-time during business hours. [The Nation]
A lawsuit accusing the Madison School Board of engaging in illegal collective bargaining to the detriment of children and taxpayers was filed by a Milwaukee-based conservative legal group that is a “front” for Gov. Scott Walker, says the director of a Madison progressive advocacy group. [Capital Times]
One Wisconsin Intern Miles Brown, an African American who is now a senior at UW-Madison says he grew up in poverty, in a family where no one had a 4-year-degree. [WKOW-TV]
One Wisconsin Now is blasting Walker because he hiked tuition, flat-lined financial aid, and let legislation that would have helped current student borrowers refinance their loans die. [WEAU-TV]
Gov. Walker has refused responsibility for his actions or to be held accountable for his bad decisions. [MSNBC]
Mayor Tom Barrett will discuss the impact of student loan debt on the City of Milwaukee and student loan debt reform advocate Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin. [WDJT-TV]
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett was also on hand for Monday's discussions along with student loan debt reform advocate Scot Ross, Executive Director of One Wisconsin. [WDJT-TV]
Could the country's more than 40 million student loan borrowers become a voting bloc with a voice? One Wisconsin Now, the liberal advocacy group headquartered in Madison, says yes. [Capital Times]
Common sense would tell you that when crucial educational programs are cut, people are going to make a lot of noise. But under the noise, Gov. Scott Walker was able to swiftly yet quietly eliminate a program that this state’s students are in dire need of — the Wisconsin Covenant Scholars program. [La Crosse Tribune]
“Gov. Walker is so committed to outsourcing that’s he’s even outsourcing stock footage jobs overseas,” said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. [Capital Times]
Brad Schimel, the lone Republican candidate for state attorney general, ignited a firestorm with his response to a letter alleging pay-to-play politics… One Wisconsin Now called Schimel’s response, which it received in January and made public in June, “shocking and disappointing.” Schimel’s remarks were also blasted by the three Democrats vying in the Aug. 12 primary for […] [Isthmus]
One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said there is one simple question Gov. Walker must answer as his 2014 and beyond campaigns heats up: "Are you still doing it?" [MSNBC]
“Basically what happened was is that they got caught and they are trying to use any and all legal arguments to try and get the case thrown out so they can save their bacon. It’s very simple,” said Scot Ross. [WLUK-TV]
We need elected officials willing to fight for us. Instead, Johnson has shown us exactly who he is: an embarrassment to Wisconsin. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
[WMTV-TV]
DA Schimel seems to think he’s there to serve the interest of donors — and he’s come flat out and said it. The essence of representative government is people buying and selling legislation? [WITI-TV]
As a report by One Wisconsin Now detailed last month, 60 percent of WEDC economic development funds went to only 30 percent of businesses receiving assistance. [Julie Lassa]
A Republican prosecutor running for attorney general suggested it’s not unusual for legislators to work with campaign donors on legislation, calling the collaboration the “essence” of government, an email a liberal group released Wednesday shows. One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross said Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel’s remarks indicate he believes lawmakers can […] [Associated Press]
“Why can’t a legislator press for legislation that benefits a person who has contributed to their campaign?” Schimel asked in an email to the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. “Isn’t that the essence of representative government?” Schimel, a Republican running for attorney general, went on to say politicians should not solicit donations “in exchange for […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross, who has become a national leader on student loan debt issues, decried Walker’s “stunning lack of leadership.” “Wisconsin’s student loan debtors had a pathway to real tax relief, but Governor Walker is only interested in tax breaks for corporations and the rich,” said Ross. “Drastic cuts to the […] [Capital Times]
Research conducted by the liberal advocacy group, One Wisconsin Institute, found Wisconsin residents with student loan debt were paying nearly $500 a month for more than 20 years. [Capital Times]
Liberal group One Wisconsin Now handed out “100 Grand” candy bars to symbolize the debt many college graduates now carry and stickers that read, “I am a Student Loan Debt Voter.” [Capital Times]
One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross makes his regular appearance on UNSPUN. [WMTV-TV]
A liberal advocacy group is leveling heavy criticism at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, claiming the quasi-private agency championed by Gov. Scott Walker is delivering financial assistance to campaign donors. [Capital Times]
Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, isn’t buying Walker’s answer. “There’s something there,” said Ross. “All this discussion about a settlement comes after there’s been discussion about the records being made public from the investigation and I think that’s what he fears the most.” [WKOW-TV]
“Seeing what was revealed in just a fraction of the documents from the first John Doe criminal probe of Gov. Walker and his associates, it’s no wonder he’s desperate to keep more of the paper trail of his record of cronyism, corruption and incompetence away from the media and the public,” said Ross. [WMTV-TV]
“There is no question that Gov. Walker is driven by political ambition for higher office and his next election. And he is clearly, and rightly, concerned about what additional document dumps from the criminal investigations of his administration and campaign will do to his 2014 election prospects and 2016 presidential ambitions. What remains to be […] [WQOW-TV]
Last year, a report from the liberal group One Wisconsin Now noted that executives at companies receiving subsidies from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation had contributed $429,060 to Gov. Scott Walker. [Capital Times]
Burke put state Democrats’ popular measure to refinance student debt in her jobs plan, pointing out the toll college loan debt takes on Wisconsin’s economy and on its struggling middle class. This issue resonates strongly with Wisconsin’s 800,000 student debtors, who rank debt relief among their top political concerns. And they receive a monthly reminder of […] [The Progressive]
A report released today by One Wisconsin Now analyzing state funds distributed by the quasi-private WEDC, created by Gov. Scott Walker, raises serious questions about who is really benefitting. [WLUK-TV]
One Wisconsin Now has filed a complaint with the FEC alleging Sen. Ron Johnson has improperly failed to disclose any incurred obligations and expenditures associated with his lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act. [WJFW-TV]
The liberal group One Wisconsin Now is asking for federal election observers to monitor the state’s November elections, citing concerns over voter intimidation. Scot Ross, the group’s executive director, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Tuesday, noting that federal observers had monitored elections in 2012 — and saying that recent Republican policies […] [Wisconsin State Journal]
“This report shows Gov. Walker continues to keep secret from the people of Wisconsin both the details of how much he personally enriched himself for his lucrative pre-presidential campaign book deal, as well as who financed his criminal defense fund,” said Scot Ross, director of the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now. “Given the corruption, […] [Associated Press]
On the One Wisconsin Now blog, Scot Ross writes that the bill pending in Congress to address the student loan debt crisis is a help, but far from being a solution to the now $1.2 trillion problem. [Capital Times]
The trillion dollar student loan debt is not just a crisis for students. It is literally standing between college graduates and their share of the American dream and a more robust economic recovery both nationally and, as shown by our research, in Wisconsin. [Capital Times]
One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross, citing unnamed industry sources, said the RGA has reserved $770,000 in Milwaukee, $620,000 in La Crosse and Eau Claire, $230,000 in Green Bay and $340,000 in Wausau and Rhinelander. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported similar figures Thursday. [Wisconsin State Journal]
Now a freshman at the University at the Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Boggs said he knows that the cost of higher education is a major factor for students. On Tuesday, he took part in a town hall meeting on student debt on the UWSP campus. The meeting was hosted by state Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point, state […] [Stevens Point Journal]
The One Wisconsin survey found that the average monthly loan payment for respondents of all educational attainment — some college but no degree through graduate degree — was $388 a month. The institute also reports that average length of repayment for those with a bachelor’s degree was 18.7 years. “The data is indisputable,” says Ross. “The […] [Capital Times]
The One Wisconsin [Institute] survey found that the average monthly loan payment for respondents of all educational attainment was $388 a month. [Capital Times]
One Wisconsin Now sent the court a letter saying two groups involved in the investigation — Wisconsin Club for Growth and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s chamber of commerce — helped get the court’s four conservative-leaning justices elected. The two groups have spent a combined $7.3 million to support Annette Ziegler, David Prosser, Michael […] [Associated Press]
A liberal group on Monday asked the state Supreme Court to refuse to take a case related to a secret investigation of fundraising and spending in Wisconsin’s recent recall elections. Scot Ross, the executive director of One Wisconsin Now, argued in a letter to the court that the four conservatives on the seven-justice court should have […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Citing numbers from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, OWN executive director Scot Ross noted the four-member conservative majority on the court had benefited from millions of dollars in outside spending by the groups targeted by the investigation. “The parties that Gov. Walker’s legal appeal would protect from investigation have spent millions to put a right-wing majority on […] [Wisconsin State Journal]
If Gov. Scott Walker really wants to help Wisconsin families with higher education expenses, he should support reforms on student loan debt instead of grabbing headlines about another tuition freeze at the University of Wisconsin, says progressive advocate Scot Ross. [Capital Times]
Mike Browne, Deputy Director of One Wisconsin Now and the Institute sat down with Al Jazeera to discuss Gov. Scott Walker’s and the GOP’s attacks on the right to vote in Wisconsin. [Al Jazeera]
Joy Reid and One Wisconsin Now's Scot Ross look at how the Supreme Court obliterated post-Watergate campaign finance protections against "big money" trying to buy American elections. [MSNBC]
The liberal group One Wisconsin Now, Mayor Tom Barrett, elected officials and community activists gathered at City Hall Thursday to urge Gov. Scott Walker to veto a bill that would limit early voting. Scot Ross, executive director of One Wisconsin Now, urged Walker to veto the measure, saying Wisconsin citizens want to have high and […] [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
Rep. Ryan has held a series of in-district town halls but has remained studiously silent on the latest, racist attacks on voting in Wisconsin. [MSNBC]
In reviewing publicly available voting records, the progressive group One Wisconsin Now found a big surprise: Fifteen of the 17 state Senators who supported legislation to restrict early voting hours in Wisconsin have themselves voted early. In a press statement, One Wisconsin Now executive director Scot Ross slammed the senators for what he called “hypocrisy.” “That these […] [Wisconsin Gazette]
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is in a close race with his Democratic challenger Mary Burke. Yet his primary concern seems to be on voter ID requirements in the state. One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross joins the Melissa Harris-Perry panel to discuss why. [MSNBC]