20 days past the budget deadline, and we’re nowhere closer to having a budget passed. Republican leaders are too busy arguing behind closed doors.

MADISON – Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) offers the Democratic Weekly Radio Address on the ongoing budget fight between Republican leaders:

"While Democrats call for solutions, Republican lawmakers haven’t even called a budget committee meeting for a month leaving our kids shortchanged once again," Rep. Shankland said. "A budget is about priorities, and right now, it sure seems like Wisconsin Republicans have the same priorities as D.C. Republicans—chaos and inaction. It’s past time to roll up our sleeves and pass a budget together."

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here, and the video can be found here or below.

Democratic Weekly Radio Address - "Democrats Want Solutions, Not Inaction"

A written transcript of the address is below:

"Hi, I’m Representative Katrina Shankland with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

"It’s 20 days past the budget deadline, and we’re nowhere closer to having a budget passed. Why? Republican leaders are too busy arguing behind closed doors. Now, if most people missed a critical deadline by weeks at their job, they’d be fired. Yet Governor Walker and Republican legislators continue to enjoy government paychecks and benefits while failing to deliver a budget that will actually help Wisconsin families.

"It’s time to bring Democrats to the table so we can invest in our families, schools and roads. Democrats have a plan to restore the harmful cuts Republicans have made to public education. Our education plan would lower property taxes, fully restore funding to our public schools and make new investments in special education programs and our rural districts. Our kids deserve this investment in their future and nothing less.

"While Democrats call for solutions, Republican lawmakers haven’t even called a budget committee meeting for a month leaving our kids shortchanged once again. In fact, some Republican legislators are actually at an ALEC conference right now taking orders from out-of-state special interests. That’s no way to govern.

"After all, a budget is about priorities, and right now, it sure seems like Wisconsin Republicans have the same priorities as D.C. Republicans—chaos and inaction. It’s past time to roll up our sleeves and pass a budget together."

Most costly budget in history still short changes our public schools and transportation funding crisis.

MADISON - This state budget will spend over $76 billion dollars, more than any other state budget. The money is there to support our schools and our roads; Republicans just have to make that their priority. Our schools have faced over $1.1 billion in cuts in the Governor Walker Republican era in Madison and anything short of fully restoring those funds is shortchanging our communities and our children. Without strong educational experiences our children will not be ready to work at Foxconn or anywhere else when they graduate.

For years Democrats have been willing to work with any Republican who is interested in a long term solution to solve our transportation funding crisis. Still there seems to be not one Senate Republican willing to fix what we know is broken and have the courage to fund the infrastructure needed to improve our state’s economy. Kicking the can down the road again this budget is a nightmare for our economy. The Republican Senate “solutions” are failures for our people and it is inexcusable.

Matt Rothschild supports a bill that would bring nonpartisan redistricting to Wisconsin.

MADISON - Just last week, the Green County Board voted overwhelmingly to support a nonpartisan model for drawing our political maps in Wisconsin. It’s time to end gerrymandering in Wisconsin, and momentum is on our side!

Green County became the 14^th county this year alone to pass such a resolution, and 21 counties in total are now on board—see the full list here.

If your county is not on the list and you want to put it there, please use this handy guide from our friends at Citizen Action Organizing Cooperative:

Guide to Passing a County Resolution on Fair Maps

A good contact person is Anna Dvorak at Citizen Action of Wisconsin. Here’s her email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Another good contact person is Hans Breitenmoser, a Lincoln County supervisor who helped get the ball rolling this year: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

One other thing you could do is call your legislators and urge them to support a bill that would bring nonpartisan redistricting to Wisconsin. It’s been introduced by Sen. Dave Hansen and Rep. Don Vruwink (SB13/ AB44). You can contact your legislators by calling 1-800-362-9472. 

Thanks for joining the Fair Maps Movement (#FairMaps)!

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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Republicans in DC & Madison are failing to repeal health care or approve a state budget.

STATEWIDE - Much like Dr. Seuss’ Zaxs, GOP leaders who control all levers of power in DC & Madison are puffing their chests up with pride but failing to repeal health care or approve a state budget.

We discuss the Senate healthcare bill 2.0 that GOP leaders are hoping to pass next week without the CBO score they promised. The panel reviews the GOP stalemate in Madison over the state budget and explores the opportunity it presents progressive leaders to articulate a compelling vision ahead of 2018 elections.

We also take a sneak peek at the electoral opportunity Paul Ryan’s failed Speaker-ship is presenting Democrats, and the Congressional town hall we held without Ryan in his own district with another Congressman.

LISTEN NOW - EPISODE #302
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Special interests and the road funding plan, the Wisconsin Supreme Court copout on conflict-of-interest rules, the influence peddler of the month, and more...

MADISON - Sorry I haven’t been in touch for a bit. Between the long July 4^th weekend and my son coming home for my birthday (which was yesterday), I didn’t get around to updating you on what we’ve been posting and on some exciting redistricting reform efforts under way.

So please let me catch you up.

On the budget transportation impasse, we noted the power of the trucking industry and the big business lobby:

GOP leader tells special interests to cough up road funding plan

Then, in a story that we broke here at the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, we reported on Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson’s scorching response to the Court’s written justification for not tightening its conflict-of-interest rules:

Wisconsin Supreme Court buries recusal in “feeble” move

And, as we do every month, we anointed another special interest group with our not-so-highly-coveted Influence Peddler of the Month Award. Here’s who won it this month:

Influence peddler of the month - Wisconsin Hospital Association

On the gerrymandering issue, I have to say it’s really getting hot. About a dozen counties, just this year, have passed resolutions urging the State Legislature to draw district maps in a nonpartisan manner. Contact us if you do not see your county on the list.

And we got a record number of signatures on our petition for fair voting maps when we were tabling at the Farmers’ Market in Madison for a couple hours on July 1. And attendance at #FairMaps events all over the state are high. We encourage you to share and attend an upcoming Fair Maps Town Hall convenient to you. A complete list can be found here.

• Wednesday, July 12, at 7:00 PM, at the Germantown Library, N112W16957 Mequon Road, Germantown. Paul Geenen, OFA_WI State Lead, is the speaker. Facebook event page here.
• Sunday, July 16, at at 4:30pm - 6pm, North Shore Presbyterian Church, 4048 N Bartlett Ave, Shorewood. The Democracy Campaign is a co-sponsor. Share Facebook event page here.
• Wednesday, July 26, at 6:00 PM, at the Brewer Public Library, 325 N. Central Avenue, Richland Center. Former Senators Dale Schultz and Tim Cullen are the speakers.
• Thursday, July 27, at 6:30 PM, at the Orbiletti Center Lincoln Park, 6900 18th Avenue, Kenosha. Sachin Chheda, Fair Elections Project, is the speaker. Facebook event page here.

And there is legislation introduced by Sen. Dave Hansen and Rep. Don Vruwink (SB13/AB44) to enact nonpartisan legislative and congressional map-drawing here in Wisconsin. So please call your legislators at 1-800-362-9472 and urge them to pass this bill.

Thanks for your interest and your activism, as always.

Best,

Matt Rothschild
Executive Director
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P.S. If you like what we’re doing, please support our urgent work with a tax-deductible gift to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. It’s simple: Just click here. Thanks!

President Trump's new witch hunt for illegal voters is a waste of time. Voters are not committing fraud in elections. Politicians who pass laws rigging the maps and suppressing voter turnout are the real problem.

MADISON - Regardless of what happens in court or the with the “call back” from President Trump, the Wisconsin Elections Commission will follow Wisconsin law and grant a request to release limited information about our voters as they must under our open records law. Information like name and address of voters as well and when and where they voted will be given to President Trump’s commission if they pay for the records. But the secret ballot, party preference, social security number and date of birth is rightly protected by our laws. There is no other choice because our law on open records is clear.

However violating our voter’s rights in search of fraud is a waste of time and a violation of privacy because the Republican claim of voter fraud has been proven false more than once. This national ploy will show nothing different.

Voters are not the ones committing fraud in elections. Politicians who pass laws rigging the maps so only they can win is the true voter fraud. This fraud is so great a panel of three Federal judges overturned it and demanded new maps be drawn. This fraud is so valid that the US Supreme Court now will hear how fraudulent our maps are, how dirty Wisconsin elections have become under this one party rule.

This should make no one proud. The voter fraud of rigged maps is what needs attention. Taking away the right to one person one vote, without political interference, is the crime.

Voters in this state work hard to access the ballot and that is not something that has been made easier with the elimination of special registration deputies and additional identification at every single election, not just when you register to vote. But these barriers and intimidation will not break the Wisconsin voter spirit. We have fortitude, we have strength, we are stubborn and we won’t let Republican voter intimidation take away our right to vote.

Coming off an election where the party I belong did not perform well this optimism and faith in voters may seem misplaced. But the reality is I believe in the value of the right to vote. Even if people don’t vote for me. The process of clean elections and the value of the right to vote is bigger than any politician, bigger than any party.

***

If you would like additional information on voter’s rights and the violation of those rights with the current one party rule in Wisconsin, contact my office at 608-266-6670 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/wisconsin-koch-industries-s5.jpgWisconsin needs to do an about-face and fundamentally change its approach to economic development, paying far less attention to WMC and its backward thinking.

Rep. Gordon Hintz talks about the ongoing budget fight between Republicans in Madison.

MADISON – Today, Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) offered the Democratic Weekly Radio Address on the ongoing budget fight between Republican leaders:

"They’ve also had four months to write the new state budget that was due July 1. That deadline has come and gone, but Republicans are no closer to finding a solution that works," Rep. Hintz said. "The budget delay reflects the inability or unwillingness, to make the investments necessary to ensure every child as an equal opportunity education and that Wisconsin has quality highways and roads to support economic growth."

The audio file of this week’s address can be found here, and the video can be found here or below.

A written transcript of the address is below:

"Hi, I’m Rep. Gordon Hintz with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.

"A budget is all about priorities and the Wisconsin State Budget is no different. If you ask people across the state what the state should fund, most will tell you that we should fund our schools, our roads and essential services that keep us safe.

"So why don’t Republican legislators in Madison get that?

"They’ve had six years of complete control at the Capitol to get the job done. Instead, they keep failing. They’ve also had four months to write the new state budget that was due July 1. That deadline has come and gone, but Republicans are no closer to finding a solution that works.

"The budget delay reflects the inability or unwillingness, to make the investments necessary to ensure every child as an equal opportunity education and that Wisconsin has quality highways and roads to support economic growth.

"The budget delay also reflects a lack of leadership. We elect a Governor and Legislature to make important decisions and investments in our state. If education and infrastructure are the biggest budget priorities, there should be no disagreement.

"Thank you."

Robert Kraig and Sen. Chris Larson discuss the health care impasse in Washington, the innovative Democratic BadgerCare proposal, the state budget impasse, and why Wisconsin conservatives seem unable to govern.

STATEWIDE - This week Robert Kraig and special guest State Senator Chris Larson discuss the health care impasse in Washington and the innovative state bill announced this week by Legislative Democracts to open BadgerCare to everyone in Wisconsin as a public option.

They also discuss the bizarre Republican maneuver in the State Assembly on a bill to outlaw health insurance lifetime and annual limits. Does it show that health care be a big electoral issue for progressives?

Then we dig into the state budget impasse, and the reasons why the conservatives who dominate Wisconsin government seem unable to govern. Finally we speculate on the rumor about the infamous sweat shop company that makes iphones coming to Wisconsin. What kind of deal is Trump, Walker, and Robin Vos trying to cut and will it benefit Wisconsin workers?

GOP failure this week to pass their draconian healthcare bill, Citizen Action Organizing Cooperatives, and more...

MILWAUKEE - We review the failed Senate Republican effort this week to hold a vote on their draconian healthcare bill. President Trump was optimistic saying, “healthcare is working along very well. We could have a big surprise with great a healthcare package... A great, great surprise.” Jorna highlights

Sen. Johnson’s disturbing comment comparing people with preexisting conditions to someone who has crashed their car and wants to buy auto insurance. We welcome Citizen Action Organizing Cooperative members, Lindsay Dorff (Green Bay) and Hans Breitenmoser (Merrill), to discuss their leadership in organizing citizen support for fair election maps and end to our current gerrymandered districts.

Jeff Smith, organizer for the Western Wisconsin Organizing Cooperative, joins us to talk about their fight against Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs.)  We also look at the new Marquette Poll which appears on the surface to show Gov. Walker gaining in popularity.