A lot of folks — perhaps too many — are spouting off about the John Doe probe launched by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office into the campaign of Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and more than two dozen conservative groups, among others.
Category: Money & Politics Column
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The Legislature’s unfinished business
So far this legislative session, nearly 1,000 bills have been introduced in the GOP-controlled state Assembly and Senate, including some identical bills in both houses. As the first year of the two-year session draws to a close, about 100 bills have passed. Just over half of these have been signed into law; the rest await Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s approval or veto.
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State rehab breaks could prove costly
Areas of broad agreement in the Wisconsin Legislature are hard to find. One exception: a bill to expand state tax credits for restoring old buildings.
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Public wants action on redistricting
Recently the Wisconsin State Journal asked Dennis Dresang, political science professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, about state Republicans’ push to bar local governments from regulating everything from the sale of large sugary drinks to the use of explosives by sand mining companies. Negative reaction to these curbs on local control, mused the veteran political observer, might hurt Gov. Scott Walker at the polls. But he doubted the GOP would lose seats in the Legislature, given how voter boundaries have been redrawn to the party’s advantage.
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Walker’s book is bluntly revealing
Gov. Scott Walker’s new book, “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge,” has been faulted for what it omits. Attention is also due to what it delivers: a vast portal into the mindset of Wisconsin’s most controversial politician.
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New rules sought on asbestos suits
In April, Renee Simpson told a state legislative committee about her father, who was diagnosed last fall with mesothelioma, a virulent form of cancer associated with asbestos. While he was too weak to travel, she said, he considered the legislation she had come to testify against “unconscionable.”
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What sets Reid Ribble apart
Reid Ribble knows he’s not like some other members of Congress. But he’s careful to not peg himself as wiser or more virtuous. Just differently oriented.
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Cash is key to Burke’s bid
Burke’s slick three-minute video announcing her candidacy never mentions Walker, her school board position, or the fact that she’s running as a Democrat.
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Is state too open to hunting with dogs?
“I’m sure most people don’t know this goes on in Wisconsin,” McConnell says. “I think most people would be horrified.”
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Opposition to Obamacare has its limits
Rep. James Sensenbrenner has called the Affordable Care Act “abominable.” So what does Sensenbrenner’s office do when constituents seek its assistance getting in on this abomination? Why, assist them, of course.
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Elections need army of poll workers
Bills now before the state Legislature would let municipalities use poll workers from anywhere within their counties and tinker with rules that allow political parties to nominate poll workers.
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Group takes aim at low-wage jobs
Wisconsin Jobs Now! has in recent months been targeting fast food franchises and other stores in Milwaukee, Madison and Wausau as part of a national campaign. Participants want a wage of $15 an hour and the right to unionize.