This morning on my way to work, I listened to a discussion about the possibility of toll roads coming to Wisconsin. I'm not a fan of toll roads in general, in part due to their monetary inconvenience, and in part because the whole reason I'm on an expressway is to avoid unnecessary stops. My wife and I have had the pleasure of driving through nearly every state in the lower 48. I can tell you from experience that toll roads are no better (and are sometimes worse) than a plain-old interstate highway system.
The frustrating thing about this morning's conversation? Both guests were of the general opinion that we need toll roads now. It was upsetting that no one was there to argue the case for an option that has long been the status quo for many states all over the country. The only difference was that the right-wing guest didn't want elected officials setting the toll prices. That's right - no "Government Politician"ought to be controlling your tolls! In other words, let's make our roads private from now on, and let the "free market" decide how much you get to use the interstate.
It's been a long-running joke that Tea Party advocates complain about socialism while driving on socialized highways and protesting in public parks. Apparently this is the new solution - take even more property away from the public, and put it in private hands. I wonder how much money I would need in order to buy an interstate highway in Wisconsin and charge a toll for it. It sounds like it's going to be pretty cheap for someone in the near future.
In return, users of the road will get a longer commute, an extra chunk removed from their wallets on a per-use basis, the same old tax bill they always had at tax time, and, just my hunch, probably a poorly managed road with more potholes than we started with. Why fix a pothole if you're only accountable to the random poor shlubs driving to work every day? At least now, in theory, the taxpayers have a say, and there are engineers working on behalf of the state DOT to resolve issues. What the right appeared to espouse this morning was a completely private, unaccountable highway system.
Thankfully(?) the right wing commentator spent most of his time arguing against teacher pensions anyway. I'm not sure he got a lot of points across. But at this point, I'm not sure it matters all that much. UNLESS...
....Unless we can recall Scott Walker. That's right! Rumblings are all over the place inside the meeting rooms and on conference calls between recall groups. The recall is coming, folks. Right now we're just talking about timing, funding, and coordination. We did it this spring and we're going to do it again! I'm excited to see what happens. It's going to be a great 60 days. We're going to see our friends organized like they've never been before. Hundreds of thousands of signatures will not be an easy task. We're going to do it, ladies and gents. Scott Walker will be on the bread lines next to the rest of us in a few short months. Wisconsin will be ours!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
5 for 9 - Not Too Shabby!
The people in districts 12 and 22 came through for Wisconsin last night. Good work, folks! We're well on our way.
If it's one thing we've learned so far, it's that sticking together matters. It not only matters on a personal level, but it works wonders in the political process. We can beat back this destruction together. We've walked in the cold gathering signatures, marched in summer parades, canvassed in strange neighborhoods, and spoken with friends and family about these issues. We changed the makeup of the Senate this summer. We've altered Wisconsin politics forever.
We've also learned a lot about the electoral makeup of this state. We know where the pockets of conservatism are. We know the tough candidates out there. We know the lay of the land. We've visited corners of conservative Wisconsin that no liberal has explored for years. Sure, some of it was hostile territory, but we've learned that, for the most part, our neighbors are willing to have a conversation, even if we end up disagreeing with each other at the end of the day.
If you'll pardon my gender-centric tone for a second, we've also grown a pair. Gone are the days that progressives sit back and take heat from our angry conservative friends. We've learned, politically, to take the fight to the enemy. We didn't win every battle this summer, but taking five out of nine is a pretty good start. Recalls are difficult. We know that especially well now. I would argue that the hardships of this process are still going to be a deterrent to all but the utmost adamant parts of the electorate going forward.
Unfortunately for Scott Walker, I think a lot of us are still pretty angry at the way things are headed. I'm not really a fan of selling off my water quality, mortgaging our kids' education, privatizing our prisons, eliminating credit bureaus, and destroying our precious microbreweries. I'm not happy with the way working people have been treated - the repeal of the Earned Income Credit tax deduction will be a punch to the guy for a lot of people who thought Scott Walker didn't raise taxes. And of course, what started it all - the desire to kill organized labor on behalf of organized capital - is reprehensible. This is a fight I'll be engaged in the rest of my life (or until I own a few dozen factories).
While there may be some folks who are tired of recalls, my guess is those folks were already sleeping anyway. Maybe a knock on their door woke them up once and they're still upset about it. Those of us who have been awake and alive through this nonsense will be out on the streets as soon as it's politically feasible. I hope to see you all at the local recall office. I can't wait to hit my neighborhood with a clipboard and a pen. My guess is we'll be in hats and mittens when we do it. So here's my promise: hot cocoa at my house after we're done - everyone's invited! Wisconsin will be ours!
If it's one thing we've learned so far, it's that sticking together matters. It not only matters on a personal level, but it works wonders in the political process. We can beat back this destruction together. We've walked in the cold gathering signatures, marched in summer parades, canvassed in strange neighborhoods, and spoken with friends and family about these issues. We changed the makeup of the Senate this summer. We've altered Wisconsin politics forever.
We've also learned a lot about the electoral makeup of this state. We know where the pockets of conservatism are. We know the tough candidates out there. We know the lay of the land. We've visited corners of conservative Wisconsin that no liberal has explored for years. Sure, some of it was hostile territory, but we've learned that, for the most part, our neighbors are willing to have a conversation, even if we end up disagreeing with each other at the end of the day.
If you'll pardon my gender-centric tone for a second, we've also grown a pair. Gone are the days that progressives sit back and take heat from our angry conservative friends. We've learned, politically, to take the fight to the enemy. We didn't win every battle this summer, but taking five out of nine is a pretty good start. Recalls are difficult. We know that especially well now. I would argue that the hardships of this process are still going to be a deterrent to all but the utmost adamant parts of the electorate going forward.
Unfortunately for Scott Walker, I think a lot of us are still pretty angry at the way things are headed. I'm not really a fan of selling off my water quality, mortgaging our kids' education, privatizing our prisons, eliminating credit bureaus, and destroying our precious microbreweries. I'm not happy with the way working people have been treated - the repeal of the Earned Income Credit tax deduction will be a punch to the guy for a lot of people who thought Scott Walker didn't raise taxes. And of course, what started it all - the desire to kill organized labor on behalf of organized capital - is reprehensible. This is a fight I'll be engaged in the rest of my life (or until I own a few dozen factories).
While there may be some folks who are tired of recalls, my guess is those folks were already sleeping anyway. Maybe a knock on their door woke them up once and they're still upset about it. Those of us who have been awake and alive through this nonsense will be out on the streets as soon as it's politically feasible. I hope to see you all at the local recall office. I can't wait to hit my neighborhood with a clipboard and a pen. My guess is we'll be in hats and mittens when we do it. So here's my promise: hot cocoa at my house after we're done - everyone's invited! Wisconsin will be ours!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Keep Fighting, Wisconsin!
It's been a great ride since this spring. I can't believe that a mere 8 months ago, most of us were sitting around, watching football, and not even thinking about political activism. Yes, many of us were interested in politics. Maybe we read the news every day, and we cared about our local communities. But we weren't on the streets, and we weren't talking about progressive causes, or seeking out candidates for election.
This year, all that has changed.
While we didn't get three Senate seats, we got a lot more than most people will recognize. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Here's what I see today, as a result of our efforts:
At the same time it's become clearer to me now that progressive values don't start and stop at the ballot box. We make our communities what we want them to be. Eau Claire is a perfect example of a community that has built itself up as a model for happy, small-town life. We've got artists, lawyers, doctors, farmers, and business owners all coming together to make this place better. The council and county board here change as we change - they follow, and we lead. Our city isn't perfect, but it's definitely a sign of hope.
I've met so many people that are simply committed to making this place better, and I've only grown more optimistic this summer. We've got some great future leaders on our hands.
I'll be looking forward to seeing you all again as we ramp up the recall efforts on Governor Walker. My hope is that we bring even more people into the fold along the way. We need to recognize that we're not alone.
Everyone who requires a paycheck to live is in the same predicament today. Tea Partiers have to suffer along with the rest of us when politicians cut Badgercare, slash school budgets, and raise our taxes in order to pay for corporate tax breaks. They are only our enemy because they have declared it. They are swimming in the same shark-infested waters that we inhabit. Together we can pull out of this mess. Sure, we're not going to convince everyone that carries around a don't-tread-on-me flag. But we can continue to push the state forward if we stick together like this.
We've got two more recall elections to win next week. Let's keep our foot on the gas and win those elections. Holperin and Wirch both need your help. Take the drive to their district and pitch in if you can! Or head down to your local Democratic office and offer to canvass.
Last night was a far cry from perfect. I feel a little like I did after Bush won the election in 2004 - it's unbelievable to me that anyone would vote for a candidate that had done so much damage to our state in so little time. But I'm happy today for a united left in Wisconsin, powerful and noteworthy. If we can keep up this unity, we're going to go very far, my friends. Wisconsin will be ours!
This year, all that has changed.
While we didn't get three Senate seats, we got a lot more than most people will recognize. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Here's what I see today, as a result of our efforts:
- An energized, fun group of political change agents, connected all over the state.
- Great future candidates for school boards, city councils, assembly seats, and national offices
- Two seats in a Senate that actually has one Republican willing to compromise (we might actually get some balance now)
- Competitive races in previously unopposed Republican districts
At the same time it's become clearer to me now that progressive values don't start and stop at the ballot box. We make our communities what we want them to be. Eau Claire is a perfect example of a community that has built itself up as a model for happy, small-town life. We've got artists, lawyers, doctors, farmers, and business owners all coming together to make this place better. The council and county board here change as we change - they follow, and we lead. Our city isn't perfect, but it's definitely a sign of hope.
I've met so many people that are simply committed to making this place better, and I've only grown more optimistic this summer. We've got some great future leaders on our hands.
I'll be looking forward to seeing you all again as we ramp up the recall efforts on Governor Walker. My hope is that we bring even more people into the fold along the way. We need to recognize that we're not alone.
Everyone who requires a paycheck to live is in the same predicament today. Tea Partiers have to suffer along with the rest of us when politicians cut Badgercare, slash school budgets, and raise our taxes in order to pay for corporate tax breaks. They are only our enemy because they have declared it. They are swimming in the same shark-infested waters that we inhabit. Together we can pull out of this mess. Sure, we're not going to convince everyone that carries around a don't-tread-on-me flag. But we can continue to push the state forward if we stick together like this.
We've got two more recall elections to win next week. Let's keep our foot on the gas and win those elections. Holperin and Wirch both need your help. Take the drive to their district and pitch in if you can! Or head down to your local Democratic office and offer to canvass.
Last night was a far cry from perfect. I feel a little like I did after Bush won the election in 2004 - it's unbelievable to me that anyone would vote for a candidate that had done so much damage to our state in so little time. But I'm happy today for a united left in Wisconsin, powerful and noteworthy. If we can keep up this unity, we're going to go very far, my friends. Wisconsin will be ours!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Good News and Shameless Self Promotion
Good News:
All six of the democrats won quite handily last night. This is a cause for celebration. Seriously. As Republicans want to say these candidates were fake, they've been trying. Hard. They seriously wanted to defeat the Democrats on the ballot. The candidates that we put up all defeated them quite easily. There is absolutely NO reason for us to believe that we can't do the same thing in August. Today we can celebrate. Tomorrow we need to get back on the train and start working toward an August 9th victory. We can do it! Wisconsin will be ours!
Shameless Self Promotion:
My band Yam Cannon is having our CD release party on August 13th, at the Mousetrap in Eau Claire.
We play all original music, and this is our second album. We're irreverent, non-nonsensical*, and fun. Our new album, titled "The Beards of the Sun," features work written over the course of the past three years we've spent playing bars, festivals, barnyards, and backyards all over the upper midwest. Come on the 13th, and let us be your soundtrack for the evening. The party starts at 9, and the music starts at 10.
*I sort of like this typo :)
All six of the democrats won quite handily last night. This is a cause for celebration. Seriously. As Republicans want to say these candidates were fake, they've been trying. Hard. They seriously wanted to defeat the Democrats on the ballot. The candidates that we put up all defeated them quite easily. There is absolutely NO reason for us to believe that we can't do the same thing in August. Today we can celebrate. Tomorrow we need to get back on the train and start working toward an August 9th victory. We can do it! Wisconsin will be ours!
Shameless Self Promotion:
My band Yam Cannon is having our CD release party on August 13th, at the Mousetrap in Eau Claire.
We play all original music, and this is our second album. We're irreverent, non-nonsensical*, and fun. Our new album, titled "The Beards of the Sun," features work written over the course of the past three years we've spent playing bars, festivals, barnyards, and backyards all over the upper midwest. Come on the 13th, and let us be your soundtrack for the evening. The party starts at 9, and the music starts at 10.
*I sort of like this typo :)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
..And Then They Came for our Beer
From New Glarus Brewing Company's Facebook page this morning:
Governor Walker and the Republicans in this state just signed a budget perfectly designed to invite big, out-of-state money to come in and plunder us. No one is exempt. Our schools, our drinking water, our workers, our forests, and now our beer - all of Wisconsin is under threat of conglomeration, outsourcing, and increased privatization.
The Wisconsin Brewers' Guild wrote an open letter to Governor Walker last week:
When the governor says Wisconsin is open for business, apparently this means creating a climate where:
Recall primary dates approach fast. It's July 12th in some districts, and July 19th in others. Keep fighting. Don't let the bastards get you down. We will take this state back. Stick to your guns. Quit drinking that piss that Miller puts out - buy yourself a sixer of Spotted Cow and be proud of your state. We will take the Senate back this summer, and we will take the governor's office back this fall. Wisconsin will be ours!
I love New Glarus Brewing Company. They make the venerated Spotted Cow, a great wheat beer that has just the right touch of sweetness and goes down easy. They also make a great stout, several good ales, and a wonderful IPA. I would suggest a brewery tour to anyone. New Glarus is a perfect example of Wisconsin's fine tradition of craft brewery, going all the way back to our founding days in the lumber camps.
Governor Walker and the Republicans in this state just signed a budget perfectly designed to invite big, out-of-state money to come in and plunder us. No one is exempt. Our schools, our drinking water, our workers, our forests, and now our beer - all of Wisconsin is under threat of conglomeration, outsourcing, and increased privatization.
The Wisconsin Brewers' Guild wrote an open letter to Governor Walker last week:
In spite of this plea from local businesses, the budget was passed, and the governor signed it without so much as an acknowledgment of the existence of the Wisconsin Brewers' Guild.
Nearly 600,000 guests visit our packaging brewery members’ facilities a year which represents 2.8 people for every barrel brewed. An additional 1.3 million people are entertained by our brewpub members. Since the beer sold by WI craft breweries is still only about 5% of the beer purchased in Wisconsin, it is easy to see how many visitors we could bring in if our collective market share would climb to our goal of 30+%.
Today there are over 50 small breweries and brewpubs operating in Wisconsin, employing more than 1000 state citizens. This doesn’t include the auxiliary industries that support these small breweries such as maltsters, glass manufacturers, paper manufacturers, chemical manufacturers, and brewing equipment manufacturers.
Once again, if we reach our goals, we will be employing over 6000 people directly by our members, and hundreds more would need to be added by our suppliers. Collectively, these businesses have been steadily adding jobs to our state for the last 25 years, including through most recent economic downturn. Craft brewing is one of the fastest growing industries nationwide.
Small brewers are also responsible for starting a renaissance in brewery related agriculture in Wisconsin, with barley, wheat, and hops now being grown to supply the state’s craft brewing industry.
....
Besides stifling future growth these changes also de-value existing businesses by removing valuable, portable, assets from their portfolios.
Interestingly, the principals promoting these radical modifications to the business models have been steadily reducing Wisconsin jobs. The Wisconsin Beer Distributors Association is a shrinking organization. In 1994, there were 92 wholesalers in the state. In 2007, there were 67. Today there are 42. Each of these closures or mergers results in loss of jobs. Miller-Coors has been steadily reducing workforce in the state for years, including the recent move of their corporate headquarters to Illinois.
Much of this reduction is due to a nationwide push for “distributor consolidation” driven by mergers of the world’s largest brewers. It is well publicized that Miller-Coors is seeking to have all of their brands with the same distributor. In Wisconsin, the consolidation has been completed in Milwaukee, Madison, and the southwestern quadrant of the state. The northern half of the state still has independent Miller and Coors wholesalers. The only portion of this legislation that is fiscal in nature creates a new state bureaucracy funded by new “wholesaler permits” with a cap fee of $2500. When the Miller-Coors consolidation process is complete in the north, there will be insufficient funding for this new position. This seems to run counter to your policies.
We believe that changes can be made to our distribution laws in a way that NO Wisconsin businesses are losers. The process should include input from all affected parties.
Please veto all of motion 414 in its entirety.
When the governor says Wisconsin is open for business, apparently this means creating a climate where:
- Workers' rights are set aside
- Medicaid can be drastically altered without public hearings
- Family planning services are cut
- Unemployment is harder to obtain
- Taxes on the working poor are raised
Recall primary dates approach fast. It's July 12th in some districts, and July 19th in others. Keep fighting. Don't let the bastards get you down. We will take this state back. Stick to your guns. Quit drinking that piss that Miller puts out - buy yourself a sixer of Spotted Cow and be proud of your state. We will take the Senate back this summer, and we will take the governor's office back this fall. Wisconsin will be ours!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Promising Signs in Ohio and at Home!
For fathers' day, Sara and I took her dad up to Frederic to march in a parade for Shelly Moore. Shelly is the next state senator in Wisconsin's district ten. There's a primary against a fake candidate (Republicans are running false Democrats to stall us) on July 12th. Then Shelly goes on to face a general election against Sheila Harsdorf on August 9th. Me and around 50 other people were there to march alongside Shelly Moore. It was great fun throwing out candy and spending time with fellow Wisconsinites.
We had praise and smiles from most people, aside from one old, fat guy who gave us the thumbs down. There was a Harsdorf float about ten spots back from us with about a ten people in her blue shirts. Maybe the fat guy liked them better. To be fair, our chants were loud, we were having fun, and I suppose it looks a bit odd for a political group to actually have a good time together. It's strange - fighting back as with so many friends brings a smile to my face like I've never thought possible.
In other, otherwisconsinly news, it looks like they're fighting back strong in Ohio!
Ohio doesn't have the same recall powers as Wisconsin, but they do have a citizen's referendum. The referendum allows citizens to put adopted legislation up for a vote before it can be enacted. Petitioners had 90 days to collect 232,000 signatures.
On Thursday, [the reporter] visited the "We Are Ohio" booth in the Netroots Nation exhibition hall. I was told to come back tomorrow as they'd be making a big announcement in conjunction with a rally in Columbus. One doesn't call for a public rally to admit failure, so it was fairly easy to guess they'd collected the needed signatures. I returned on Friday shortly after a sign had been hung under the "We Are Ohio" banner. The sign read 714,137: Well above the threshold necessary to protect the petition from challenges to the signatures.
Ohio will now very likely face a referendum on the same collective bargaining issue we face in Wisconsin. Kudos to our brothers and sisters for making this happen. Now they need to get to the polls and take their rights back. It's not over, but this is a great step toward victory, and we should be cheering in solidarity with the folks in Ohio today. They did it there - we can do it here!
We've got work to do. We have recall elections to win this summer. We WILL take our state back, slowly but surely. Democracy takes time. Volunteer when you can, as often as you can, or donate, if you're one of the few people left in the middle class with an extra ten bucks. We need all hands on deck. On July 12th, and August 9th, and the Walker recall, and Governor Feingold come around, I'd like to give the folks in Ohio something something to congratulate us about. Keep fighting - Wisconsin will be ours!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Our Laws Do Not Apply In Wisconsin
Today, in Wisconsin, our conservative supreme court, bought and paid for by international businessmen, reached the conclusion that open meeting laws only apply to the legislature when it suits some other need. First of all, please, please take fifteen minutes, and read the full decision here:
The real nuggets are in the dissent in this case. The dissenting judges say more about the case specifics than I could possibly say as a part-time blogger. But I will say this, to those of you who oppose the right of teachers to get together and talk about their classroom conditions: You won a case tonight through a hasty, poorly thought-out decision. This decision denies the right of the judicial branch to review legislative process. It says that the legislature is not bound by any rules. According to the dissent, the majority's decision undermines years of precedent, going back to the 1890s. It wildly misrepresents previous cases. Supporting this decision undermines a system of checks and balances that we consider a hallmark of our society, and it makes a farce of our judicial system.
Here's a snippet of the dissent:
In our haste, we overlooked years of precedent, in order for us to do...what? Make sure Wisconsin is "open for business?" How many more of our laws will we throw to the side, through legislative or judicial fiat, in order for us to become "open for business?" If previous history, constitutional requirements, and judicial review no longer apply, why do we even bother going to the polls? If our legislators fail to respond to us, fail to live up to their own rules, and disregard any dissenting information as "union thuggery," why even bother with the political process? Why don't we just sign away the deeds to our property now, and let Exxon, GE, and Koch industries take over the place. Maybe they'll give us nice jobs and allow us to stay on their land for awhile.
I want to find a way out of this madness. I'd like to say that winning the recall elections this summer is important. It is. I'd love for that to be the end of everything - just one more election, and we're home free. But tonight I realize that this is not the case. It's so far from being the case, that I must say, I'm a bit overwhelmed. We can't win the recall elections and then sit on our hands in 2012. We need to recall our governor. We need to recall the rest of our state senators. We need to go beyond that, though. We need to organize, and we need to do it on a level that hasn't been done in decades. I'm tired just thinking about it. We need to develop platforms every bit as coherent as ALEC and the Heritage Foundation. Every elected position, from alderman to the White House, needs to be seriously scrutinized by US. We simply cannot let politicians continue to slip past into what is apparently now unchecked power. Even in tough districts, we need to fight and win, year after year.
I want so badly to have a metaphor tonight that captures what I feel. But sometimes a metaphor distracts from the real situation. Tonight it's plain to me that the people are not in power here. There are a handful of rich people calling the shots. A staggering percentage of the electorate in our state want to give this handful of rich people control over our schools, highways, parks, and everything else, on the blind faith that their stockholders will manage it better than we can. Right now Governor Walker has an 87% approval rating among Republicans in Wisconsin. He's not unpopular.
Thankfully, the beauty of our system is in our continual progress as a nation. The beauty of human nature is our continuing progress as a species. We can dig our way out of problems. We can organize when we need to organize. We can win victories over the powerful. In fact, what we fail to realize is that they are scaling back the victories we've already won. And though Governor Walker may be popular, remember that even the most successful actions on behalf of organized labor have been notoriously unpopular, despite the benefit they provide.
So how did we win these battles? Was it easy? Did every fight result in a victory? Certainly not. Our grandfathers and grandmothers were beaten, harassed, blacklisted, and put out on the street for the battles on behalf of working men and women. And they still won. We WILL prevail. Small losses like tonight are fuel for our fire. This court decision lays bare their absolute derision of our system of governance. They don't want a check on their power. They want absolute authority. They don't want anyone to stand in their way, even if it means undermining the democracy our grandfathers died to protect. Cheering this victory is cheering the downfall of everything that makes this nation great.
Thankfully we are now together. This spring has energized me and hundreds of thousands of others in Wisconsin. I love seeing our brothers and sisters stepping forward to work for a better future. I think of Tony Schultz and his passion on behalf of farmers in this state. I think of Virginia Welle and her passion for educating students. I think of the unnamed snowplow driver I met in Madison who worked double shifts in the winter to clear our streets. We're ordinary people; unpaid shills working toward the common cause of a better middle class for Wisconsin. We work against billion dollar industries that see our solidarity as a cost to be eliminated.
Our ranks will grow as they continue to disaffect the others in our midst. We will fight together. We will provide others with an outlet for their frustrations. We will put leaders forward that listen to us. We will win hearts and minds first, and elections will follow. I hope you're with me this summer. It's going to be a battle. But it's also going to be great fun, standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters as we take our state back. Tonight, more than ever, we need to stand together and sing. Wisconsin will be ours!
The real nuggets are in the dissent in this case. The dissenting judges say more about the case specifics than I could possibly say as a part-time blogger. But I will say this, to those of you who oppose the right of teachers to get together and talk about their classroom conditions: You won a case tonight through a hasty, poorly thought-out decision. This decision denies the right of the judicial branch to review legislative process. It says that the legislature is not bound by any rules. According to the dissent, the majority's decision undermines years of precedent, going back to the 1890s. It wildly misrepresents previous cases. Supporting this decision undermines a system of checks and balances that we consider a hallmark of our society, and it makes a farce of our judicial system.
Here's a snippet of the dissent:
¶119 First, the order misrepresents Milwaukee Journal Sentinel v. Wisconsin Department of Administration, 2009 WI 79, 319 Wis. 2d 439, 768 N.W.2d 700, as not involving the legislature's compliance with a statute. In the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel case, the court declared that it had jurisdiction to determine whether the legislature complied with Wis. Stat. § 111.92(1)(a), a statute governing legislative procedure, because that statute furthered the constitutional directives found in Article IV, Section 17(2) of the Wisconsin Constitution.
¶120 Second, the order fails to acknowledge that the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel case explained that a court will interpret and apply a procedural statute to determine whether the legislative action complies "with constitutional directives":
[W]e need not decide whether Wis. Stat. § 111.92(1)(a) is a rule of legislative proceeding because a statute's terms must be interpreted to comply with constitutional directives. Accordingly, even if the statute might otherwise be characterized as a legislative rule of proceeding, we may interpret the statute and apply it to the legislative action to determine whether that action complies with the relevant constitutional mandates. Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803); [State ex rel. La Follette v.] Stitt, 114 Wis. 2d [358, at] 367, [338 N.W.2d 684 (1983)]; McDonald v. State, 80 Wis. 407, 411-12, 50 N.W. 185 (1891).
Therefore, because both Wis. Stat. § 111.92(1)(a) and Article IV, Section 17(2) require the legislature to take additional actions to amend existing law or to create new law, and we have jurisdiction to interpret the Wisconsin Constitution and the Wisconsin Statutes, we have the authority to evaluate legislative compliance with § 111.92(1)(a). Stitt, 114 Wis. 2d at 367, 338 N.W.2d 684. Accordingly, we reject WSEU's argument in this respect, and proceed to determine whether the legislature complied with § 111.92(1)(a) in light of the Wisconsin Constitution.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 319 Wis. 2d 439, ¶¶19, 20 (footnote omitted).
¶121 Justice Prosser fails to mention the case.
¶122 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel case was based on at least three earlier cases, all concluding that a court may require the legislature to comply with a legislative procedural rule or statute if the procedural rule or statute furthers a constitutional directive.[13]
¶123 The order and Justice Prosser's concurrence put in jeopardy Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and prior case law that declares that a court may determine whether legislative action in enactment of a law complies with a relevant constitutional directive.
¶124 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (and its precursors) correctly state the applicable principles of judicial review, the doctrine of separation of powers, and the functions of the legislature and judiciary.
In our haste, we overlooked years of precedent, in order for us to do...what? Make sure Wisconsin is "open for business?" How many more of our laws will we throw to the side, through legislative or judicial fiat, in order for us to become "open for business?" If previous history, constitutional requirements, and judicial review no longer apply, why do we even bother going to the polls? If our legislators fail to respond to us, fail to live up to their own rules, and disregard any dissenting information as "union thuggery," why even bother with the political process? Why don't we just sign away the deeds to our property now, and let Exxon, GE, and Koch industries take over the place. Maybe they'll give us nice jobs and allow us to stay on their land for awhile.
I want to find a way out of this madness. I'd like to say that winning the recall elections this summer is important. It is. I'd love for that to be the end of everything - just one more election, and we're home free. But tonight I realize that this is not the case. It's so far from being the case, that I must say, I'm a bit overwhelmed. We can't win the recall elections and then sit on our hands in 2012. We need to recall our governor. We need to recall the rest of our state senators. We need to go beyond that, though. We need to organize, and we need to do it on a level that hasn't been done in decades. I'm tired just thinking about it. We need to develop platforms every bit as coherent as ALEC and the Heritage Foundation. Every elected position, from alderman to the White House, needs to be seriously scrutinized by US. We simply cannot let politicians continue to slip past into what is apparently now unchecked power. Even in tough districts, we need to fight and win, year after year.
I want so badly to have a metaphor tonight that captures what I feel. But sometimes a metaphor distracts from the real situation. Tonight it's plain to me that the people are not in power here. There are a handful of rich people calling the shots. A staggering percentage of the electorate in our state want to give this handful of rich people control over our schools, highways, parks, and everything else, on the blind faith that their stockholders will manage it better than we can. Right now Governor Walker has an 87% approval rating among Republicans in Wisconsin. He's not unpopular.
Thankfully, the beauty of our system is in our continual progress as a nation. The beauty of human nature is our continuing progress as a species. We can dig our way out of problems. We can organize when we need to organize. We can win victories over the powerful. In fact, what we fail to realize is that they are scaling back the victories we've already won. And though Governor Walker may be popular, remember that even the most successful actions on behalf of organized labor have been notoriously unpopular, despite the benefit they provide.
So how did we win these battles? Was it easy? Did every fight result in a victory? Certainly not. Our grandfathers and grandmothers were beaten, harassed, blacklisted, and put out on the street for the battles on behalf of working men and women. And they still won. We WILL prevail. Small losses like tonight are fuel for our fire. This court decision lays bare their absolute derision of our system of governance. They don't want a check on their power. They want absolute authority. They don't want anyone to stand in their way, even if it means undermining the democracy our grandfathers died to protect. Cheering this victory is cheering the downfall of everything that makes this nation great.
Thankfully we are now together. This spring has energized me and hundreds of thousands of others in Wisconsin. I love seeing our brothers and sisters stepping forward to work for a better future. I think of Tony Schultz and his passion on behalf of farmers in this state. I think of Virginia Welle and her passion for educating students. I think of the unnamed snowplow driver I met in Madison who worked double shifts in the winter to clear our streets. We're ordinary people; unpaid shills working toward the common cause of a better middle class for Wisconsin. We work against billion dollar industries that see our solidarity as a cost to be eliminated.
Our ranks will grow as they continue to disaffect the others in our midst. We will fight together. We will provide others with an outlet for their frustrations. We will put leaders forward that listen to us. We will win hearts and minds first, and elections will follow. I hope you're with me this summer. It's going to be a battle. But it's also going to be great fun, standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters as we take our state back. Tonight, more than ever, we need to stand together and sing. Wisconsin will be ours!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)