Campaign Reform

The money problem

By Bill Kraus

State Senator Pat Kreitlow, who chairs the committee that deals with campaign legislation and who is solidly in the camp of those of us who wonder why spending limits, full disclosure of contributions, and other admirable ideas are stuck in neutral, gave the Common Cause board of directors a reminder recently that the main barrier to campaign finance reform is money.

We know that, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s myopic 1976 dictum, it is not possible to put limits on campaign spending until and unless public money is introduced into the process.

We know that it is going to take an infusion of public money to put an end to campaigns being hijacked by interest groups with money and causes of varying worthiness.

See the complete article HERE
 

Activists Support Taking Private Money Out Of Wis. Supreme Court Race

MILWAUKEE -- Stripping private money from politics and taking immediate action to create this change in the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election was a focal point during "Money in Politics and the Clean and Fair Elections Movement" discussion, featuring speakers Ed Garvey and Jack Lohman at UW-Milwaukee last week.

See the complete article HERE

Politicians

Kathy Carpenter runs a blog in Kenosha County, and is running for alderman for the 5th district. She is conservative and lists her profession as a Buyer. As a buyer and potential politician, I do hope she reads my recent blog entry. But she does need to hear from her voters about their concerns for healthcare. You can see her blog HERE.

Note that I am not taking a position for or against her candidacy. She may or may not be a lot better than the current alderman. But she does need a better understanding of the massive waste in a privatized health care system, and understand that there can be no competition in the health care system. See my article on health care competition HERE.

Senate panel OKs reining in gov's veto

In a setback for Gov. Jim Doyle, a proposed constitutional amendment to kill the so-called "Frankenstein veto" cleared a major hurdle today.

On a bipartisan 4-0 vote, the Senate Ethics Reform and Government Operations Committee approved the proposed constitutional amendment, clearing the way for Senate approval of the measure. If the full Senate approves it, the proposal would go to voters for final approval next year.

The proposal would prohibit Wisconsin's governor -- who currently can veto words and numbers in any spending bill -- from vetoing words in a sentence and stitching together the remaining words to make new sentences that the Legislature never approved.

Republicans began pushing for the measure after Doyle, a Democrat, used his veto pen two years ago to rewrite the state budget bill to transfer more than $400 million from the transportation fund to public schools. Republicans had cut the school money to force Doyle into either raising taxes or cutting state support for education.

See the complete article HERE

Sounds like the Republicans putting politics ahead of the public interests again, but it was reversed by a veto. Nonetheless, the Frankenstein veto must go.

House Passes Workplace Discrimination Bill

On Wednesday the House voted 235-184 to pass H.R. 3685, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2007, sponsored by Representative Barney Frank. The bill prevents employers from discriminating against workers on the basis of sexual orientation. A previous piece of similar legislation had been set aside because it included protection on the basis of "gender identity", which was believed to be too big an obstacle to passage.

House Passes Mortgage Reform Bill

On Thursday, by a vote of 291-127, the House passed H.R. 3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007, sponsored by Representative Brad Miller. The bill would enact standards on mortgage brokers, lenders, and Wall Street companies. Brokers and lenders would be responsible for guaranteeing that borrowers will be able to repay "adjustable rate" mortgages that will reset to higher payments in the future. They would also have to show that refinancing is to the borrower's advantage. Mortgage brokers and loan officers would have to be licensed and registered with the government.

Supporters of the bill say that it will help homeowners and protect the economy, with some predicting that over 2 million families could lose their homes from now until 2008 due to mortgage resets. Opponents argue that the bill does nothing to help homeowners currently in trouble and restricts the ability of future borrowers to receive home loans.

And of course the Republicans voted against the housing reforms. After all, they likely have theirs paid for (and they get a lot of cash from the mortgage companies).

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has unveiled “The Swine Line,” a new blog with up-to-the-minute information on the wasteful spending going on in our nation’s capital. 

Dipping doubly on the state dime

Some claim per diem when campaign pays

Madison - Lawmakers have tapped their campaign accounts to pay for meals and hotels on days they also received payments from taxpayers for the same purposes.

Fifteen lawmakers took their per diem - typically $88 a day intended to cover living expenses while working in Madison - on days they had also used campaign funds to pay some of those same expenses, a Journal Sentinel investigation found.

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem) took a per diem on six days he had also used his campaign account for hotel rooms in Madison. After the Journal Sentinel asked about them, he said he would reimburse the state $528.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar), Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser (D-Kenosha) and Senate Republican Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) each spent hundreds of dollars on campaign meals over two years on the same days they claimed per diems.

See the complete article HERE

Find Your Candidate for the 2008 Election HERE

Opinion

See the complete article HERE 

More on Rep. Leah Vukmir and her Burlington tirade

Tidbits

Give me a Break!

Motivational Posters 

News Room Antics

Just neat pictures

Oldies but Goodies

Bored at work?
 

Take a minute and watch this....makes your heart feel good! Watch the faces of the judges as this guy walks out on the stage. You can almost see what they are thinking as they pre-judge this guy based on his looks and the fact that he is a cell phone salesman.

Are you honest ?


This test only has one question, but it's a very important one.

     By giving an honest answer, you will discover where you stand morally.  The test features an unlikely, completely fictional situation in which you will have to make a decision.  Remember that your answer needs to be honest, yet spontaneous.

     Please scroll down slowly and give due consideration to each line.

     THE SITUATION:

     You are in Miami , Florida to be specific.  There is chaos all around you caused by a hurricane with severe flooding.  This is a flood of biblical proportions.  You are a photojournalist working for a major newspaper, and you're caught in the middle of this epic disaster. The situation is nearly hopeless

     You're trying to shoot career-making photos  There are houses and people swirling around you, some disappearing under the water. Nature is unleashing all of its destructive furor.

     THE TEST:

     Suddenly you see a woman in the water.  She is fighting for her life, trying not to be taken down with the debris.  You move closer. Somehow the woman looks familiar. You suddenly realize who it is.   It's Hillary Clinton!   At the same time you notice that the raging waters are about to take her under forever.

     You have two options:

     You can save the life of Hillary Clinton or you can shoot a dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning photo, documenting the death of one of the country's most powerful women.

     THE QUESTION:

     Here's the question, and please give an honest answer ...




     Would you select high contrast color film, or would you go with the classic simplicity of black and white? 

Book Recommendations

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