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keycocker



Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598

PostPosted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

More than 80% of those on welfare are children or disabled or elderly.
The almost imaginary able bodied welfare guy is less than tenth of a percent
It would be better for his self esteem to get a job, and every lib I know would kick him off welfare.

Once these two facts become part of every discussion, we can do something about welfare reform.
Like Clinton did.

Until then a large group of folks are marching along in a fairy tale about welfare. When they are so deeply misinformed they can not be a part of the solution. The only group we can look to for welfare reform are the Dems. or a new version of the Teas not owned by lobbyist money and led by adults.
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MalibuGuru



Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9288

PostPosted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Trying to make Mandela disappear
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mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 5:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Time to bring this one back. You righties seem to love the ethically challenged guys like Scott Walker:

Quote:
Madison — Prosecutors allege Gov. Scott Walker was at the center of an effort to illegally coordinate fundraising among conservative groups to help his campaign and those of Republican state senators facing recall elections during 2011 and 2012, according to documents unsealed Thursday.

In the documents, prosecutors laid out what they call an extensive "criminal scheme" to bypass state election laws by Walker, his campaign and two top Republican political operatives — R.J. Johnson and Deborah Jordahl. No one has been charged, but this marks the prosecutors' most detailed account of the investigation yet.

The governor and his close confidants helped raise money and control spending through 12 conservative groups during the recall election campaigns, according to the prosecutors' filings.

The documents include an excerpt from an email in which Walker tells Karl Rove, former top adviser to President George W. Bush, that Johnson would lead the coordination campaign. Johnson also is Walker's longtime campaign strategist and the chief adviser to Wisconsin Club for Growth, a prominent conservative group.

"Bottom-line: R.J. helps keep in place a team that is wildly successful in Wisconsin. We are running 9 recall elections and it will be like 9 congressional markets in every market in the state (and Twin Cities)," Walker wrote to Rove on May 4, 2011. Rove runs American Crossroads, which backs Republican congressional and presidential candidates.

Beginning in March 2011, there were "open and express discussions" of the need to coordinate the activities of entities like Americans for Prosperity, Wisconsin Club for Growth, the Republican Party of Wisconsin, the Republican State Leadership Committee and the Republican Governors Association, special prosecutor Francis Schmitz wrote. Conference calls were held between the Walker campaign, the governors association and the business lobbying group Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, he wrote.

The scope of the criminal scheme under investigation "is expansive," Schmitz wrote. "It includes criminal violations of multiple elections laws, including violations of Filing a False Campaign Report or Statement and Conspiracy to File a False Campaign Report or Statement."

Walker, who is running for re-election and is considered a possible 2016 presidential candidate, responded Thursday by criticizing the case that prosecutors were trying to build.

"You've got two judges, both a state judge and a federal judge, who said that they didn't buy into the argument that has been presented at this point," Walker said, speaking to reporters after presenting awards at the Water Council's summit in Milwaukee. "I think their words speak pretty strongly both at the federal and state level."

Walker said he hadn't seen the material and couldn't comment directly on his email to Rove. Walker indicated Johnson, his chief strategist, will remain with the campaign for the fall election.

"We've used him in the past," Walker said. "I don't see that changing in the future."

Later Thursday, Walker released a statement attacking Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. "The accusation of any wrongdoing written in the complaint by the office of a partisan Democrat district attorney by me or by my campaign is categorically false," he said in the statement.

The statement continued: "This is nothing more than a partisan investigation with no basis in state law. It's time for the prosecutors to acknowledge both judges' orders to end this investigation. Now my Democratic opponents will use these false accusations to distract from the issues important to the voters of Wisconsin."

'Witch hunt'

Federal Appeals Judge Frank Easterbrook unsealed the court documents Thursday as he reviews a lawsuit attempting to end the John Doe probe. Two unnamed individuals this week tried to intervene in the case to prevent the release of the records, but Easterbrook rebuffed their request.

Also Thursday, another federal judge ruled a host of other documents would mostly remain secret, though he allowed some could become public later.

The lawsuit was brought by Wisconsin Club for Growth and one of its directors, Eric O'Keefe. They allege the probe has violated their First Amendment rights to free expression. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Randa ruled last month to halt the investigation for now.

Wisconsin Club for Growth has alleged Chisholm and other prosecutors are on a "witch hunt" against conservatives, and a lawyer for the organization contended other documents released Thursday provided evidence of that.

"The materials released today are all ones that we asked the district court to unseal because the public has a right to know about the John Doe prosecutors' abuse of government power," club attorney Andrew Grossman said in a written statement.

Among the documents made public in their entirety is O'Keefe's original complaint asking Randa to halt the investigation.

The complaint says former Kenosha County Circuit Judge Barbara Kluka, the judge who originally presided over the investigation, authorized as many as 100 subpoenas "of breathtaking scope" and ordered raids "related to at least 29 organizations."

O'Keefe's complaint also describes the early-morning raids at the homes of several targets on Oct. 3, 2013.

"School-age children were home in at least two residences and school buses passed their houses during the course of the raids, which lasted over two and a half hours," O'Keefe's complaint said. "The searches were conducted by six armed sheriff's deputies with flak vests, bright lights were aimed at the houses, and multiple vehicles were parked on the lots, police lights ablaze."

The complaint says investigators took all family members' computers and cellphones, and that no one was permitted to call their attorneys.

In the suit, O'Keefe claimed prosecutors, either directly or indirectly, supplied information to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Daniel Bice for two articles — a 2010 story that broke for the first time an earlier John Doe probe; and an Oct. 21, 2013, article that revealed a second John Doe investigation had been launched.

O'Keefe charged "information from the article was leaked directly or indirectly from the DA's Office with the purpose of influencing the 2014 campaign cycle and legislative session and chilling conservative activism."

Leaks by John Doe prosecutors would violate the secrecy order imposed in such cases.

The Journal Sentinel has denied the accusation.

"Neither the tips nor the information in Dan's columns came from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office or from any prosecutor in the case," Martin Kaiser, editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, said Thursday.

Coordination alleged

Prosecutors allege Johnson and Jordahl acted as a "hub" to coordinate activities among Walker's campaign and a host of conservative groups to help Walker and other Republicans in the recall elections. Those recalls were sparked by the GOP move in 2011 to sharply limit collective bargaining for most public employees.

Outside groups are allowed to work together on campaign activity, but there are limits on their ability to work with candidates. Generally, they are supposed to remain independent and not allowed to strategize with candidates.

Wisconsin Club for Growth maintains that prohibition does not apply to them and other conservative groups because they did not run ads explicitly telling people how to vote. Their efforts praised Walker and criticized his Democratic opponent, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, but did not use the phrases "vote for" or "vote against," they argue.

Randa and the second state judge overseeing the probe, state Reserve Judge Gregory Peterson, have sided with conservatives on that point. Prosecutors are seeking to overturn those rulings in state and federal court.

The prosecutors say the work amounts to illegal campaign contributions. They contend Wisconsin Club for Growth doled out money to other groups, who then used it to help Walker or other Republicans.

For example, the organization gave $2.5 million to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, which in turn placed ads supporting Walker and Republicans, and criticizing their foes.

The club gave $4.6 million to Citizens for a Strong America — a sum that represented 99.9% of its revenue. The group then passed on some of the money to other groups — $1.2 million to Wisconsin Family Action, nearly $350,000 to Wisconsin Right to Life, and $245,000 to United Sportsmen of Wisconsin. In addition, Schmitz alleged, Citizens for a Strong America was the creation of Jordahl and Johnson. Johnson's wife, Valerie, was the treasurer and a signatory on the bank account, the brief alleges.

Johnson directly controlled Wisconsin Club for Growth, and Jordahl was a signatory on the club's bank account, the brief states.

"We own CFG," Johnson has stated, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Walker raised money for both his campaign and the club. Keith Gilkes — Walker's chief of staff in 2011 and campaign manager in 2010 and 2012 — also raised money for both Walker's campaign and the club, the documents allege. Similarly, GOP fundraisers Mary Stitt, Kelly Rindfleisch and Kate Doner also raised money for both Walker's campaign and the club, according to prosecutors.

As part of the earlier John Doe probe, Rindfleisch was convicted in 2012 for doing campaign work on government time while she served as Walker's deputy chief of staff when he was county executive. She is now caught up in the investigation into campaign coordination.

Based on the prosecutors' arguments, Kluka authorized sweeping subpoenas for a number of individuals, including O'Keefe. O'Keefe was ordered to turn over scores of documents dating back to 2009, the new documents show.

But Peterson, who replaced Kluka on the second John Doe case, quashed the subpoenas in January and ordered the return of any property seized because he found there was no probable cause shown that they violated campaign finance laws.

"I am persuaded the statutes only prohibit coordination by candidates and independent organizations for a political purpose, and political purpose, with one minor exception not relevant here ... requires express advocacy," Peterson wrote in an order included in documents released Thursday. "There is no evidence of express advocacy."

Unlike typical cases, large sections of documents in the club's lawsuit have been blacked out because the underlying investigation was supposed to be secret. Media groups have intervened to try to unseal the entire case file, but unnamed targets have asked to keep it closed.

In an order Thursday, Randa declined to make public any records, saying secrecy was important to protect people and entities who have not been charged.

He gave prosecutors, the club and the unnamed people two weeks to recommend what records they each believed could be made public.

Dave Umhoefer, Meg Kissinger and Ellen Gabler of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
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pueno



Joined: 03 Mar 2007
Posts: 2807

PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mac wrote:
Time to bring this one back. You righties seem to love the ethically challenged guys like Scott Walker:

Whatever happened, it was Obama's fault.
.
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MalibuGuru



Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9288

PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 10:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just like the Nazi's used fringe laws to eliminate their enemies huh? Obama raises over a billion dollars and is as pure as the driven snow. D'nesh D'souza raises $20k through friends and he goes to prison.

Sooner or later Mac, you will see the evil in this scheme.
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mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 10:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are missing the point. I agree that raising campaign funds corrupts politics, no matter who does it. Raising campaign funds illegally, ignoring the rules, and gathering those funds from the wealthy and the corporations that want something from government is worse. That's the way Walker rolled. Take the blinders off for once.
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pueno



Joined: 03 Mar 2007
Posts: 2807

PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

stevenbard wrote:
Just like the Nazi's used fringe laws to eliminate their enemies huh? Obama raises over a billion dollars and is as pure as the driven snow. D'nesh D'souza raises $20k through friends and he goes to prison.

You have a very interesting way of seeing a situation through your own distorted optics.

Dinesh D'Souza knowingly broke the law and ADMITTED it. He plead guilty, was sentenced, and is paying for it with modest jail time.

I'm not defending him, but he did what he did and must pay the price.

What do you see that's wrong with that?

Did Obama break the law -- knowingly or not? Has he been charged? Has he had his day in court for it?

You're comparing apples and oranges and expressing fake outrage over nothing.

Mr. B is now Mr. BS.
.
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mrgybe



Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 5180

PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

More disappointing news.......

Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds 2011 Union Law
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/wisconsin-supreme-court-rule-union-law-24785430
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KGB-NP



Joined: 25 Jul 2001
Posts: 2856

PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finally!

Watch though, the union thugs will hold the public ransom via their illegal tactics.
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mac



Joined: 07 Mar 1999
Posts: 17736
Location: Berkeley, California

PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2014 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Creepy guy.

Quote:
Under pressure to raise his state’s minimum wage, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker confidently declared that there was no need to do so. Low-wage workers had filed a complaint charging that the state’s minimum wage — $7.25 — did not constitute a “living wage” as mandated by state law. But the Republican governor’s administration, after examining the issue, announced earlier this month that it found “no reasonable cause” for the complaint.

That official government finding was supposed to come from a dispassionate investigation. Yet, documents reveal that it was largely based on information provided by the state’s restaurant lobby, which represents major low-wage employers including fast-food companies.

Indeed, the Raise Wisconsin campaign, which is pushing for a higher minimum wage, requested all documents on which the state based the “living wage” ruling. And the only economic study that the administration released in response was an anti-minimum-wage analysis from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association — a group that lobbies against minimum-wage increases.

Of course, there are plenty of ways to see that the minimum wage is not a living wage. For instance, there is data showing that nearly half of all restaurant workers live at or near the poverty level. Alternately, some low-wage employers have acknowledged that people who work for them can scarcely make ends meet. Last year, McDonald’s corporate documents effectively admitted that its low-wage jobs do not provide enough income on which to survive.

In light of those realities, Democrats have made GOP opposition to a higher minimum wage central to their 2014 election campaign. They were bolstered a few months ago when the Associated Press reported that “the 13 U.S. states that raised their minimum wages at the beginning of this year are adding jobs at a faster pace than those that did not.”

Some Republicans have responded by embracing a higher minimum wage, but not Walker, who is locked in a tight re-election battle and is seen as a prospective 2016 presidential candidate. With various localities in his state voting on minimum-wage referendums in 2014, he has drawn withering criticism for saying, “I don’t think [the minimum wage] serves a purpose.”

Then came the back and forth over his state’s living wage law. With Walker’s Democratic challenger, Mary Burke, surging in the polls, his administration was forced to respond to the low-wage workers’ complaint, which argued that the current minimum wage violates state statutes requiring “every wage paid” in the state to be a “living wage.”

As the complaint showed, Wisconsin’s current minimum wage provides an annual income well below the federal poverty line for a two-person household. According to data compiled by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Amy Glasmeier, a single parent with one child would need to earn more than double the state’s existing minimum wage to cover essential expenses such as housing, food and health care.

Despite those facts, Walker’s administration issued a ruling rejecting the complaint. Thanks to the documents released from the investigation, we know it did so based on a restaurant industry study declaring that that raising the minimum wage could “do more harm than good.”

In evaluating the living-wage question, why did Walker rely primarily on the less-than-disinterested restaurant industry? It is hard to know for sure, but following the money reveals an important fact: Before the ruling was issued, Walker’s campaigns had taken in more than $200,000 from donors in the restaurant industry, according to data from the National Institute on Money in State Politics.

That’s a lot more cash than Wisconsin’s low-wage workers can probably muster — especially when the state’s minimum wage remains at $7.25 an hour.

David Sirota is a senior writer at the International Business Times and the best-selling author of the books Hostile Takeover, The Uprising and Back to Our Future. Email him at ds@davidsirota.com, follow him on Twitter @davidsirota or visit his website at www.davidsirota.com.
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