A Few Budget Details that Didn't Make the Headlines

 By Senator Kathleen Vinehout

Governors are a bit like salesmen,” I recently told a reporter. “They put good news in the headlines and bury bad news in the small print.” Governor Walker recently released his two-year state budget. Amid much fanfare, he touted providing much needed money for schools, roads, and the UW. I went digging through budget documents released by the Governor. I knew there was more to the story.  First, I must say Wisconsin has one of the most opaque budgeting processes I have ever seen. For example, there is no clear table comparing actual spending in each fiscal year to budgeted spending. We are still waiting for some details the Governor has not yet released. For example, his capital budget, which includes total proposed borrowing, is not yet available. In the next month, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) will compile an independent analysis of the budget proposal. The LFB will provide details on where money comes from and how it is spent. Until then, we have documents prepared by the Governor’s staff and those who write our bills – the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB). The small print I refer to came from the LRB, the Governor’s office, and state agencies’ requests. How much will Wisconsin spend over two years? The total budget without borrowing is $76,097,880,600. (The final budget will likely be closer to $77 billion, as road fund borrowing and other building projects are added.) This budget (without new debt) is $2.8 billion more than the last budget and is the largest in state history. Of course, EVERY new budget is larger than the previous budget. Governor Walker made a special point of reminding people his school and road spending is the “highest ever.” Maybe someone should remind him, total spending is also the “highest ever.” The budget includes money from state taxes and fees including gas taxes, as well as tuition and money from the federal government. The Governor’s structures his budget around the budget requests from each agency in state government. Governor Walker proposes spending $68 million more than the agencies themselves requested. Almost one-third of the budget goes to Health, of which ninety-percent is the Medicaid program. This is the largest and fastest growing part of spending. We often think of Medicaid as care for poorer families (BadgerCare). But, roughly two-thirds of the Medicaid budget is spent on long-term care for the elderly and disabled. Over the next few months, we will learn much more about the budget details. In the meantime, here are a few items of small print that didn’t make it in the Governor’s Budget Address. The Department of Natural Resources lost 43 positions while Circus World gained ten new positions. The new budget added almost 500 positions to the Department of Administration (DOA). All but one of these jobs listed were “Supervisory and Management.” This staff increase is almost half (47%) of the DOA workforce. Some positions are transfers to DOA from other agencies. Overall, the Governor increases net staff (some lost, some gained) by a little more than 400 full-time equivalents. Buried in the small print is the elimination of the stray voltage program. This service helps farmers deal with stray electricity that has dire effects on animals and humans. The governor claimed the problems are mostly resolved. However, constituents tell me, in western Wisconsin, many problems remain.  The budget proposes eliminating the Wisconsin Natural Resources Magazine. The last issue of this ever-popular magazine is set for winter of next year.  The budget eliminates the Educational Approval Board. This agency oversees for-profit colleges. Eliminating state oversight of for-profit colleges is foolish when some colleges closed, fraud investigations of others are continuing, and students question the value of the education. Budgets are plans to spend resources based on our priorities. The process must be an opportunity for us to discuss our ideas and concerns for our state and invest money in solutions.  Debate on our priorities for state spending will occur over the next four or five months. Please add your voice to the decision-making process. The state budget is the most important bill lawmakers will take up and it deserves the input of all Wisconsinites!

Some things in Wisconsin are very wrong right now.

           Recent news and happenings from around the state.

                                         Prosecuting rapists ignored, 
                                        commemorative coins adored.

 "It's an outrage that the misplaced priorities and reckless spending by Brad Schimel have left thousands of rape kits untested," said Analiese Eicher, program director at One Wisconsin Now. "Victims deserve honest answers from Brad Schimel immediately."  With a growing backlog of untested rape kits building up in state custody, (and preventing prosecution) Schimel ordered resources be diverted to pay for coins celebrating himself.  When pressed to answer how many total rape kits have been tested so that victims can have their day in court, Schimel reluctantly answered "a total of 9."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2017/02/02/state-has-tested-only-9-backlogged-rape-kits/97360924/ 

What plan do the Democrats have to improve this situation?  Use the full extent of the law including the possibility of jail time to force the Attorney General to do his job and spend our tax dollars on enforcing the laws of Wisconsin, rather than what Schimel has done which is ordering custom made, commemorative coins celebrating his false sense of "kick-ass"performance.

http://wbay.com/2017/01/06/wis-attorney-general-drops-10000-on-kick-ass-coins/


                                                    Gerrymandering.

"This happened in 2012 when Republicans got only 46% of the presidential vote but still won 60% of the Assembly seats.
It happened in 2014 when Republicans got just over 52% of the vote for governor but captured 63% of the Assembly seats.
And it happened last fall when Republicans and Democrats virtually split the presidential vote, but the GOP won 64% of the Assembly seats."

http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/blogs/wisconsin-voter/2017/01/28/more-evidence-skewed-gop-map-wisconsin/97184730/ 

What would the Democrats do to make redistricting fair to everyone?  Pass legislation to use the nonpartisan "Iowa model" for drawing new district maps which are incapable of favoring any given political party or candidate.

http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Gerrymandering-Not-in-Iowa-1336319.php   

The Republican Party of Wisconsin stated that there is "no end" to how much taxpayer money they will use to defend their use of illegal gerrymandering.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/midwest/ct-wisconsin-gop-redistricting-fight-20170202-story.html

http://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/02/02/editorial-turn-back-latest-secretive-power-play-legislative-leaders/97418852/ 
                   Women's March at the Capitol.
                              
Upwards of 100,000 mostly Wisconsin women and their male allies held a peaceful rally to protest inequality and laws that treat them as second class citizens which have recently been passed by the Tea Party controlled Republican Party.  They also wanted to draw attention to the very real possibility that even worse laws will be passed in Wisconsin as a result of the Trump presidency.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/21/thousands-gather-madison-womens-march/96882846/

What is the Republican response to peaceful rallies which show the unpopularity of their legislation?  Wisconsin is looking into following precedent set by five other states recently with laws which would essentially make it a felony to walk in the street during a rally.  Far worse though, is another piece of legislation which would make it legal to use a vehicle to hit, injure or kill people engaging in peaceful demonstrations.

                                            Legalized Murder???

https://theintercept.com/2017/01/19/republican-lawmakers-in-five-states-propose-bills-to-
criminalize-peaceful-protest/

"Although the bill ostensibly requires drivers to have acted “negligently” or accidentally in killing a protestor, the bill’s co-sponsor, Republican state Rep. Keith Kempenich, has said that some accidents might occur if motorists “punched the accelerator rather than the brakes,” according to the Bismarck Tribune."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/25/us/nd-protest-driver-bill-trnd/

"Legislators are supposed to honor the will of the people, not criminalize it,"


                                     Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan is of course, doing the only thing Paul Ryan has ever done in all his years in office.  Take away the retirement and medicare which you've been paying for while working your whole life.

"Medicare is being targeted by key congressional leaders for a sweeping set of changes that would dramatically increase healthcare costs for seniors and ultimately leave them paying more for their healthcare while getting less."

http://time.com/4653571/aarp-paul-ryan-medicare/ 

WI Dept. of Transportation Spending

              A important message from special guest contributor Senator Kathleen Vinehout.

   

Who Has Been Watching Spending at DOT?

"Let me see how much you spent,” my mother said when I returned from the store. As the oldest of five children, I was often sent to the store to buy groceries. When I returned home, my mother checked the grocery bag, the receipt and counted the change. I knew I could buy no more than exactly what was on her list. She knew how much everything should cost. I needed to answer for every penny I spent. Everything needed to add up. This simple accountability seems to be completely missing at our Department of transportation (DOT). My mother has now gone to live with the angels. However, she would be appalled at the findings in a recent audit released by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB). Auditors looked at spending on highways and found actual spending on individual projects much greater than the cost estimates provided to the Legislature at enumeration, which means legislative approval of the project. In some cases, actual costs for highways were four times more than the approved estimates. Auditors examined highway projects completed from January 2006 to December 2015. At enumeration, cost estimates for none of the 19 completed projects took into account the increases in inflation during the life of the project. In every completed major highway project reviewed, actual costs were more than the cost estimates provided at enumeration. Over half of the projects had actual costs that were more than DOUBLE the cost estimates at enumeration. Two projects – including I-94 to Chippewa Falls were more than FOUR TIMES the cost estimates provided at enumeration. The I-94 to Chippewa Falls project was enumerated in 1991 and the last bills were paid in 2011. Why did this information not become part of a public discussion before now? Part of the answer lies in a lack of transparency and oversight. This audit, just as prior audits, illuminated problems with missing paperwork and poor oversight. Because of prior audit findings, legislators changed the law to require DOT to report clear information on actual compared to budgeted costs. Despite the new law, DOT did not provide complete information to the oversight body - the Transportation Projects Commission, which is made up of political appointees. The law required regular reporting by DOT to the Commission. Auditors also examined current DOT highway projects and found similar problems. In every project reviewed, cost estimates in August 2016 were higher than the cost estimates at enumeration. Of the sixteen major ongoing highway projects, eight are more than double the cost estimates at enumeration, with one – Highway 10 from Marshfield to Appleton – over four times greater. Why have project cost estimates increased so much? Auditors mention two reasons: unexpected costs and inflation. DOT did not sufficiently consider the effects of inflation. They also made major errors (my words, not the auditors) in their cost estimates due to unexpected cost increases. An example may help explain these unexpected cost increases. In planning construction on I-39/90 from Madison to the Stateline, DOT used five-year-old traffic counts. They updated the project with new counts in 2012. DOT then decided to increase pavement thickness and add two more additional lanes near Janesville. DOT bought additional real estate, moved power lines they had not anticipated, increased the shoulder width and provided alternate routes to avoid delays and accidents. These changes explained about three-quarters of the nearly half a billion of the increase in the project’s cost estimate. All of these changes may appear reasonable. However, serious problems exist in the system when cost estimates increase from about $700 million to over $1.2 billion with no public accountability or legislative authority. Auditors recommend legislators and the public are kept better informed. In its report, the LAB makes 45 separate recommendations. In response to the audit, Speaker Robin Vos called on DOT to provide details related to all DOT projects and actual cost. But how is it the Department of Transportation has paid more –sometimes four times more – on projects than cost estimates provided at enumeration? There are more details in the audit, which provide insight into the current budget problems facing the state as we contemplate the next budget. I will be reporting on these details and the activities of the audit committee. This is our opportunity as thoughtful citizens to say, “Let me see how much you spent.”

Shock Events, Trump Policy and the dividing of America

From Heather Richardson, professor of History at Boston College:

"There is an important non-partisan point to make today.

What Bannon * is doing, most dramatically with last night's ban on immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries-- is creating what is known as a "shock event."

Such an event is unexpected and confusing and throws a society into chaos. People scramble to react to the event, usually along some fault line that those responsible for the event can widen by claiming that they alone know how to restore order.

When opponents speak out, the authors of the shock event call them enemies. As society reels and tempers run high, those responsible for the shock event perform a sleight of hand to achieve their real goal, a goal they know to be hugely unpopular, but from which everyone has been distracted as they fight over the initial event. There is no longer concerted opposition to the real goal; opposition divides along the partisan lines established by the shock event.

Last night's Executive Order has all the hallmarks of a shock event. It was not reviewed by any governmental agencies or lawyers before it was released, and counterterrorism experts insist they did not ask for it. People charged with enforcing it got no instructions about how to do so. Courts immediately have declared parts of it unconstitutional, but border police in some airports are refusing to stop enforcing it.

Predictably, chaos has followed and tempers are hot.

My point today is this: unless you are the person setting it up, it is in no one's interest to play the shock event game. It is designed explicitly to divide people who might otherwise come together so they cannot stand against something its authors think they won't like.

I don't know what Bannon is up to-- although I have some guesses-- but because I know Bannon's ideas well, I am positive that there is not a single person whom I consider a friend on either side of the aisle-- and my friends range pretty widely-- who will benefit from whatever it is.

If the shock event strategy works, though, many of you will blame each other, rather than Bannon, for the fallout. And the country will have been tricked into accepting their real goal.

But because shock events destabilize a society, they can also be used positively. We do not have to respond along old fault lines. We could just as easily reorganize into a different pattern that threatens the people who sparked the event.

A successful shock event depends on speed and chaos because it requires knee-jerk reactions so that people divide along established lines. This, for example, is how Confederate leaders railroaded the initial southern states out of the Union.

If people realize they are being played, though, they can reach across old lines and reorganize to challenge the leaders who are pulling the strings. This was Lincoln's strategy when he joined together Whigs, Democrats, Free-Soilers, anti-Nebraska voters, and nativists into the new Republican Party to stand against the Slave Power.

Five years before, such a coalition would have been unimaginable. Members of those groups agreed on very little other than that they wanted all Americans to have equal economic opportunity. Once they began to work together to promote a fair economic system, though, they found much common ground. They ended up rededicating the nation to a "government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Confederate leaders and Lincoln both knew about the political potential of a shock event. As we are in the midst of one, it seems worth noting that Lincoln seemed to have the better idea about how to use it."

For more information regarding "shock events" and their role in political happenings, you may wish to follow the below link:

Downloadable version of Shock Doctrine by author Naomi Klein https://archive.org/details/fp_Naomi_Klein-The_Shock_Doctrine 

Link to a story which may shed some more light on Steve Bannon's true role in the government of the United States of America: http://www.gq.com/story/donald-trump-is-just-a-puppet-steve-bannon-is-president 


* Steve Bannon is Donald Trump's choice to be his Chief of Staff as well as his appointee to the National Security Administration.  Bannon has no prior experience with holding elected office, he has no government administrative experience.  He has never served in the military he has no experience with the intelligence gathering community or agencies of the United States.  All of this makes him a extremely questionable choice to lead our national security efforts.

                                                                   Steve Bannon

Steve Bannon's resume shows that after attending university,  he worked for the Huffington Post. More recently he has worked for the Breitbart News agency.  Breitbart News along with it's former head Andrew Breitbart and Steve Bannon, all have alleged ties to, and support from, the American Nazi Party and the Domestic Knights of the Klu Klux Klan.

These organizations are often listed as hate/domestic terrorism groups dedicated to racist and xenophobic agenda's which allegedly support the overthrow of the American government.  After the general public and advertisers became aware of this information, the majority of their then advertisers, severed ties with Breitbart News.

The American Nazi Party, Bretibart News and the Klu Klux Klan all deny being hate/domestic terrorism based or affiliated organization and assert that they are not xenophobic or racist.  They describe themselves as "family values and Christian based support networks."  Breitbart News further states that "protection of the State of Israel" is the reason for it's founding.

At the time of this posting, members of the Republican National Committee are largely not endorsing Steve Bannon for any government position at any level.  Most of America's trade partners and military allies have expressed "deep and disturbing concerns" with Trump's nominee, Steve Bannon.

Statement by John McCain and Lindsey Graham, Republican Senators regarding the "Muslim Ban" created by Bannon and Trump: http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=587F2A2D-8A47-48F7-9045-CF30F0A77889

It should be noted that the "Trump Muslim Ban" as it is commonly referred to, makes exemptions for three Middle Eastern nations in which Donald Trump has business interests or countries of origin for the 911 terrorists.  People from those three nations are permitted to enter the United States freely.

February 2017 update

Hello friends and fellow supporters of democracy

We wanted to let you know first and foremost, that the next meeting of the Democratic Party of Grant County will be on Thursday, February 8th beginning at 6 p.m.  Our meeting will take place at Wisconsin Bank & Trusts's community room located on the lower west side of the bank building.  The address is 10 Keystone Parkway which is right on Bus. Hwy 151 in Platteville, right by Menards.  All who are able, are encouraged to attend.

Also we wish to inform you of an amazing tool which has been created to help people push back against the Trump administration's unhinged extremism.  People have been asking us what they can do to help preserve America and democracy in these dangerous times and many of the answers lie here: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/web

Trump set a record with the lowest approval rating of any new American President when he took office.  After just one week, his approval ratings dropped a staggering points (down from 32) meaning he immediately lost a quarter of what support he had, which was only the most conservative of citizens to begin with.  Noted and distinguished Republicans across the country are attacking Trump's flawed and disastrous ideas.  Lindsay Granham, John McCain, Paul Ryan, Jim Sensenbrenner and now even Charles Koch of the Tea Party and Americans for Prosperity are firing off shots at Trump.

http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=587F2A2D-8A47-48F7-9045-CF30F0A77889

We should also mention another important piece of news which is the striking down of the unconstitutional gerrymandering which has affected voters all across Wisconsin.  It seems likely that Wisconsin may well again have free and fair elections in the future.  This is a great article about it:  http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/blogs/wisconsin-voter/2017/01/28/more-evidence-skewed-gop-map-wisconsin/97184730/ 

We have our work cut out for us to preserve America and it's way of life.  There is much to do and we certainly encourage everyone to step up to the plate and find out what they can do to help.  People are organizing everywhere in defense of democracy, liberty and freedom.

And along those lines we should mention that the Berniecrats are still very much in the fight with us.  The first Grant County meeting of the Bernie Sanders' organization, Our Wisconsin Revolution will be held on February 19th from 5 - 7 pm at Berry Yo which is located at 305 Bus. Hwy 151 in Platteville.  There will be a large crowd there so please RSVP if you are planning to attend, you can do so by following this link: https://ourwisconsinrev.com/events/platteville

Thank you all and remain strong, working together we can create a better, brighter tomorrow.

RON KIND NEEDS YOUR HELP IN SAVING YOUR HEALTHCARE

Millions of Americans rely on the A.C.A. (Affordable Care Act) also known as Obamacare, for health insurance.  Chances are that you or people you know, rely on the A.C.A.  Congressman Ron Kind is fighting to save Wisconsinites ability to see a doctor when their health or life are threatened.  Donald Trump has vowed to remove access to healthcare for us.

Ron Kind wants to hear from you regarding your A.C.A. stories.  Has access to healthcare through Obamacare saved you or someone you know life or helped with a debilitating illness or injury?  Has access to healthcare saved you or someone you know from bankruptcy or homelessness.  Ron Kind and his team are fighting to save the A.C.A. but they need to hear real information from real, local people to do that.

If you have an A.C.A. story to share, please send it in an email to dremiker@ronkind.org  Please include your name, address and a contact phone number.  You can help save your access to healthcare and perhaps save the lives of others.

Did you know that medical costs are the leading cause of bankruptcy and homelessness in America?

Did you know that 19% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans don't know that A.C.A. and "Obamacare" are the same thing? Obamacare is the common nickname for the A.C.A.

Women's March on Madison information

Chartered bus service from Grant County to Madison for the Women's Rally at the Capitol, will not be available. We are encouraging all who can, to help organize ride sharing for family and friends in their communities.

In Platteville, we are encouraging those who can provide rides and those that would like a ride, to meet at the east end of the parking lot at Piggly Wiggly. We will drive into Madison from there and for the return trip, we hope to be able to drop everyone off at their homes that evening.

Thank you very much and we looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible, on the morning of Saturday January 21st at 10 a.m.

There is a big ramp located near the start of the March, it is the Lake Street/Frances Street ramp. It's a block from Library Mall. http://www.cityofmadison.com/…/garagesLots/facilities/state…

Or if you prefer to park near the Rally, I'd try to get into the State Street Garage at Johnson and Wisconsin.https://www.cityofmadison.com/…/faciliti…/StateStCapitol.cfm
There are four other public ramps off the Capitol Square as well.

The Women's March on Madison is excited to announce that we will be joined by U.S. Representative Mark Pocan at our rally at the Capitol on January 21st. 

U.S. Rep Pocan is a lifelong advocate for progressive causes and one of only a handful of openly gay members of Congress. 

We are thrilled to have U.S. Rep Pocan join our fantastic group is speakers and performers. 
https://m.facebook.com/repmarkpocan.

Local information for Marchers!

PARKING:​ Street parking is possible but please pay attention to alternate side of the street parking regulations during winter: https://www.cityofmadison.com/…/Pa…/alternateSideParking.cfm
Parking Meters are enforced from 8am – 6pm on Saturdays.

There are many Parking Garages: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parkingUtility/garagesLots/
Accessible Parking: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parkingUtility/accessible/
Bus parking: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parking…/documents/tourBus.pdf.
Park and Ride: https://www.cityofmadison.com/…/planyourtrip/parkAndRide.cfm

METRO TRANSIT:​ Reliable, cheap, and frequent but check the schedule often for route changes:
​​​http://www.cityofmadison.com/metro/
They have a fantastic app “MAD Next Bus” available for free download.

TAXI:​ Green Cab of Madison: https://www.greencabofmadison.com/
​​​Badger Cab: http://badgercab.com/index.php
​​​Union Cab: http://unioncab.com/
​​
LODGING AND FOOD:​Google is your best bet as the hotels/motels and food options are too numerous to list.
OTHER RESOURCES:​Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce: http://greatermadisonchamber.com/
​​​ISTHMUS: http://isthmus.com/
​​​MADISON365: http://madison365.com/
​​​DOWTOWN: https://visitdowntownmadison.com/
Library Mall: approximately 725 State Street/Madison
The Mall to the Capitol, via State Street, is about a ten minute walk.
Thank you!