[Update 2Xs] Washing Austerity Cookies Down With $9/gal. Milk

Reports that leadership of the Senate and House Agriculture committees have a deal on to extend the 2008 farm bill by a year, avoiding a surge in market prices for milk and other commodities are premature.  There is no vote scheduled to enact the temporary extension that has been proposed.

The 2008 farm bill expired at the end of September and tonight, failure to have a law in place would have its biggest impact on the agricultural sector next year beginning with milk -- prices for whole milk are expected to at least double -- perhaps as high as $9 per gallon.

Brought to you by obstructionist republicans, this would be a disaster for Wisconsin's dairy industry.

Zero Dark Thirty: Stories Based on Lies Don't Inform, They Mislead

To many, what is most disturbing about the new film Zero Dark Thirty is the way its director, "Kathryn Bigelow" misrepresents it as "almost a journalistic approach to film." Given the massive media failure we have seen in Wisconsin and across America, perhaps their is a grain of truth in what she boastfully proclaims, but only if by "journalistic approach" she means the lie of objective journalism, balancing truth with lies, narrowing everything down to false dichotomies which then get distilled to mean "but both sides do it", so why care?

WEDC Lies, Media Is Complicit With This Economic Trainwreck

Wisconsin's economy is among the most stagnant in the nation.  It is projected to have the second-worst job-growth in America through 2016.  Scott Walker's signature quasi-public agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, is not only in shambles, but is at the center of Walker's dysfunctional economic policies.  Three lies, which the media is complicit with, have enabled this economic train wreck.  Here's the truth:

1. Wisconsin tried privatizing economic development years ago, and this experiment was not successful.  Walker's WEDC is not "new" nor "bold" -- it takes us back to failed policies.
2. Quasi-public agencies remove accountability and transparency from public policies and investments -- misuse of taxpayer funds in common, perhaps inherent, in these deals.
3. Creation of economic development agencies composed of governors and the powerful business interests behind them does not make economic development policies more effective.  It does the opposite, PPP economic development agencies represent a huge power grabs that create partisan agencies hidden from public scrutiny that rewards politically-connected corporate interests

No one should be surprised that Scott Walker's WEDC is a failure. No only are millions of dollars unaccounted for, but even Scott Walker's Department of Administration has had to step in to administer federal block grants which WEDC gave out without legal authority to do so.

[Update] WTF: Walker Limit Campaign Fundraising? No Word on Criminal Defense Funds

Proving the lie of objective journalism is alive and well, Bill Lueders, Money & Politics Project director for Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, successfully grabbed headlines by uncritically giving Gov. Scott Walker a platform to spew nonsense.

MEMO TO:  WISCONSIN CENTER FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM

Propping up disingenuous statements and repeating them as factual, especially when they come from sources that can be demonstratively shown to regularly make dishonest statement, is not "investigative journalism".  It is disseminating propaganda.

Lueders repeats Walker's self-serving proclamations despite the fact that Scott Walker has a track record of misleading and nothing he tells the media as fact, and certainly to an "investigative journalist",  should be accepted on its face.  Walker's public statements need to be handled carefully for they usually serve another purpose.

More Divisiveness: Walker on Gerrymandering Electoral College

No one should be surprised that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, one week after proclaiming and widely being quoted in the press that he would avoid "divisive" issues, is now literally talking about dividing the state -- gerrymandering the way Wisconsin allocates Electoral College votes for the President of the United States along republican gerrymandered congressional districts!

Walker, John Doe, & Criminal Defense Fund

While removing any politician that achieved their political power via a series of criminality is a good thing for our democracy, Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker will be entirely at the mercy of those contributing to his legal defense fund as this investigation heats up next year.  Does this have anyone else concerned what we will see when the republican-controlled legislature, executive branch, and Supreme court get back to work in 2013?

Walker, With Help, Doubles Down On Propaganda

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has a criminal investigation closing in on him and the Badger State's economy is in the toilet even though most of America is experience some degree of economic recovery.  While held up as a "rock star" by the media, we now see Walker's  signature campaign promise of "jobs, jobs, jobs" is also going to fail which will undermine Wisconsin tax revenue and inflict even more damage on a sputtering economy.

What's Walker gonna do?  Evidently, with the help key state agencies he now controls and the media that promoted him in the first place, there's going to be a lot of propaganda and this will demand more "divide and conquer" just like Walker promised his largest in-state donor, a woman that gave Walker at least $500,000 while paying no state income tax.

[Update] Embezzlement Investigation at Sheriff Clarke's Office Ongoing? Is it John Doe Related?

Last spring, VOICES reported on a curious Friday news dump on June 8, 2012.  Milwaukee County Sheriff, had one of his "rising star" top staff,  (personally selected by him despite minimal to non-existing qualifications) suspended with pay while authorities investigate allegations of misappropriations of taxpayer dollars in the department.  VOICES, via open records requests, determined that Major Nancy Evans was still on paid leave as of October 3. 2012 because of Internal Affairs Case No. 12-213 (.pdf) (Order 2580).

We confirmed that the paid leave was still in effect on October 22, 2012.  On December 12, 2012, VOICES observed that Sheriff Clarke was suing to keep the troubled jail Scott Walker gave him because the Milwaukee County Board decided to shift control of the Franklin facility to a superintendent appointed by County Executive Chris Abele.  This is the very facility at the heart of an embezzlement investigation.  This is a complex story -- more after the jump.

Paul Ryan Telling Whoppers Again

Paul Ryan is back to his usual tricks, spewing rhetoric that diverges wildly from reality.  Has our media finally noticed that Paul Ryan is not a "policy wonk" nor "numbers guy"? (more HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE).

He's telling lies.  This is the man that proclaimed to be a world-class marathon runner and a mountain climber of preposterous proportion.  This is a man that barged into a soup kitchen without permission after the meal was served, shamelessly picked up clean pots and pans, and pretended to wash them for a political photo-op.

Paul Ryan can be demonstratively be proven to be a habitual liar.  He is up to his old tricks again.

Move Over Fitzwalkerstan, Here Comes Michiganistan

What is it about "divide and conquer" governors and their anti-democratic tendency to "drop the bomb", launching divide attacks on the citizens they have taken an oath to serve -- implementing policies that voters were never told of and never approved?

The media in Wisconsin is now trying to fraudulently promote Scott Walker as a great "uniter", but the Koch brothers have nothing to fear, Michigan's Gov. Rick Snyder has launched a civil war against workers there.

Scott Walker's Corporate Welfare State Doesn't Create Jobs

Some shocking figures:  On average, each Wisconsin's 5,700,000 residents gives $268 dollars to subsidize business -- corporate welfare.  Ten cents of every dollar in the state budget subsidizes business -- 10 percent of Wisconsin's budget is corporate welfare.

Scott Walker's Wisconsin leads America in corporate welfare and yet is behind the rest of America in job-growth.  In other words, Badger State subsidies to business and corporate interests represents the most unproductive corporate welfare system in America.

AP Spreads More Walker Propaganda On Job Growth

From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, Associated Press is now uncritically repeating some incoherent Walker doublespeak without even attempting to understand, much less communicate with readers, Scott Walker's rational for misrepresenting under 25,000 jobs created during his tenure as "nearly 100,000".

Even by AP standards, which are very low, the nonsense they are publishing not only doesn't pass the smell test, but it makes absolutely no sense and appears to be solely designed to misinform and undermine the reporting of others.  In other words, it is pure disinformation and propaganda.

Walker Misleads Again: Calls for Unity, Ignoring His "Divide & Conquer"

No one should be surprised that Scott Walker is misleading again -- this can be objectively demonstrated to be his style.  From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, even though Scott Walker told his largest in-state donor in 2010 that his agenda, once elected, was to use "divide and conquer" to flip to a "red" Right to Work state, he is preaching "unity" in La Crosse now, flushing his divisive leadership down the memory hole, and pretending to be on the high-road while the Wisconsin economy and Walker's flagship economic development agency crater.

VOICES TV Exclusive: Rep. Barca Knows the Score at WEDC

When the idea of a new economic development agency emerged in Wisconsin, Rep. Peter Barca (D-64th District) saw advantages in trying a quasi-private approach that would give the private sector a role in promoting Wisconsin's economy.   On Monday, December 17, 2012, a Senate oversight committee heard testimony on what was increasing becoming clear -- Scott Walker's flagship organization is failing.  Barca is a WEDC board member.

Remarkably, and to his credit, one-hour before the first of 2 audits of WEDC was released, Rep. Barca not only had a firm grasp on what the issues were, understood  the larger picture before anyone else either knew or was willing to talk about.  After the jump, we will share a video from oversight committee hearing featuring interim director Reed Hall talking about shortcoming he sees in WEDC and then some of Barca's perceptions -- observations that were confirmed as accurate later that afternoon and then the next day at the WEDC board meeting in Eau Claire.

More Walker Disinformation: Missing $19 Million Earns Praise

From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, Scott Walker is following in his cousin George W. Bush's footsteps and talking a page out of the Karl Rove playbook.  Have a crisis on your hand?

No problem, just congratulate the folks responsible for it.  Early today, we posted a story about how Walker's WEDC and the media are misleading the public by saying more having more than 1/3 of this year's loans uncollectible is just a "boo-boo" that couldn't have been anticipated and that it's the computer's fault.

Now Walker is publicly praising this fiasco!

Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money if Wisconsin Ends Same-Day Voter Registration!

Wisconsin Government Accountability Board today announced that if Wisconsin eliminates same-day voter registration, the you-know-what will hit the fan!  And this will be expensive -- with much higher costs than the $5.2 million dollar price-tag GAB has estimated -- the actual costs will be unknowable because there will be litigation.

The only reason that the State of Wisconsin does not have to comply with a federal Motor Voter Act is because Wisconsin has what has been deemed an even broader approach to getting its citizens involved in the democratic process.  The Badger State has the oldest same-day voter registration law in America and among the highest voter turnout in the Nation.

Classic Propaganda: $19+ Million OOOPS, But We'll Fix It, HONESTLY!

From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, an accounting firm has identified $19 million dollars in loans that will never be paid back, found that a quarter of all credit card purchases were not approved, and that many accounting entries have no documentation at all -- MORE than $19 million dollars GONE in a 12-month period!

And they want us to believe its all just a BOO-BOO!

Walker Lies, DOA Cries UNCLE: Block Grants Moved OUT of WEDC

Today, Scott Walker repeated his misrepresentation that problems with Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) all occurred BEFORE he created his flagship economic development agency WEDC.  Walker has a history of deceptive statements.  This latest is a whopper.

As this letter from the U.S. Department of Housing clearly states, their concerns have nothing to do with the previous state agency that handled Community Development Block Grants (.pdf).  HUD has explicitly states that problems were the responsibility of Walker's WEDC and NOT the former Wisconsin Department of Commerce.

BIG BUCKS in Next RFP for NEMT: Private CoOp Is Not The Answer

When LogistiCare announced they were terminating their contract in 90-days, effective February 17, 2013, many thought a privatization failure in Wisconsin was over.  In fact, this is a ploy to reopen a contract and demand more money after control of brokerage of NEMT was handed over to a private contractor, LogistiCare.  The state now has no choice but to pay LogistiCare whatever it demands if a new broker for non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) is not in place after the termination date.  LogistiCare has made public statements that it believes the contract should be worth TWICE what it bid on the original RFP.

This would mean the next RFP is likely to reward at least $76 million dollars in a massive privatization scam that will directly and indirectly cost Wisconsin much more than the previous county-based system that has been destroyed.  This privatization scheme did not save federal, state or local taxpayers a dime -- it will cost them more.  Setting up a more-responsibly government-run system that corrects deficiencies in previous NEMT management is off the table.  Taxpayers are going to be soaked, and now local groups are banding together to get a piece of the action.

Brett Davis, Walkergate Target & DHS Head is "Ticklish"

VOICES has it from a reliable source that Brett Davis was seen entering a parking ramp late last week in Madison.  A source walking to the Capitol on some business saw Davis roll down his window to enter the ramp.

This person, who's identity we need to protect, called out, "Brett Davis is going to JAIL!  He's a CROOK!"

More after the jump.

Massive Walker Fail: WEDC Cannot Collect 36% Of Loans

From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, Scott Walker's flagship quasi-private economic development agency, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, will not be able to collect more than 1/3 of the loans it has recently made, according to a new audit by Schneck SC which states that internal accounting controls over the loans were not in place and that loan agreements did not always contain approved staff or performance reviews.

MJS Admits Too Many Lies in The News To Prop Up Walker With Editorials

Journal Communications, consistently a pro-Scott Walker promotional arm, (more HERE) is no longer going to publish daily editorials in its Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin.  Perhaps that is not such a bad thing, these editorials are largely used to undermine news content MJS publishs elsewhere.  For example, despite the fact that Gov. Scott Walker earns few "true" and "mostly true" ratings for his proclamations (only 11 out of 59) and MJS news division rates more than 60% of Walker's statements false to varying degrees, MJS editorial board has steadily endorsed a politician that their own newspaper regularly finds to be Wisconsin's "deceiver in chief".

Journal Communication's flagship high-powered radio station, WTMJ-AM, ran Scott Walker marathons 24/7 leading up to the June 5th recall election -- so much one-sided and deceptive programing, that a citizens watchdog group is not only in the process of taking the FCC to court to enforce broadcast rules and laws, it has also filed a petition to deny renewal of WTMJ-AM and WISN-AM's broadcast licenses to operate on the public airwaves (more HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE).

Being shameless Scott Walker promoter has been very VERY good to Journal Communications -- profits rose 24% during his recall 2012 election cycle.

Coincidence? Walkergate, Providence Service Corp, and LogistiCare

The ongoing criminal probe into crimes that underlie Scott Walker's ascent to political stardom took an odd twist in November.  Is it just coincidence that we saw a “Walkergare” felony conviction, the prosecutor started naming names, Providence Service Corporation's CEO suddenly resigned, and then LogistiCare terminated its contract?

More after the jump.

[Update] Scott Walker Doublespeak on Right to Work, Media is Complicit

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has a history of:

• Misleading statements that he publicly ran on issues that he entirely avoided during the election cycle
• Telling out-of-state multinational corporate billionaires what he intends to do while he hides it from citizens in Wisconsin (more HERE)
• "Dropping the bomb" (Walker's own words) and using divisive strategies to polarize the state.

So does anyone actually believe Walker made a meaningful statement when he proclaimed to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

If we ever had a [right-to-work] discussion like that in the future, it's something we'd have going into an election.

More after the jump.

Unflippin' Believable: Are Romney/Ryan Inflated Bills a Con or Just Incompetent?

Mitt Romney ran on business expertise, propped up by the media, and Paul Ryan has been hoisted before the public as a "policy wonk" and "numbers guy".  From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, the Romney/Ryan campaign is now billing media outlets that provided campaign coverage outrageously inflated charges for accommodations, rooms, and meals.  Is this just more flip-flam from 2 of the biggest tax-dodgers to ever run for the highest office in the land?

Or is this yet another example of republican fiscal conservatives that can't do math and can't manage money?  More after the jump.

Lee Enterprises/WSJ Propaganda: Walker's State Health Secretary Makes It Up

No one should expect pro-Walker "news" organizations in Wisconsin to tell the truth or even the basic facts that underlie, or entirely discredit, their misleading reports.  From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, not only did Lee Enterprises leave critical facts out of its report that State Health Secretary Dennis Smith told the House Energy and Commerce Committee's health subcommittee that the feds' plans to expand Medicaid could place a serious financial burden on the state -- but Smith's entire testimony is propaganda because:

1. He admits the state has not done calculations to determine if his opinions on costs are accurate.
2. Smith's agency refuses to responded to an open records request for the basis of the Walker administration's projections.

Don't expect Walker's media assets to tell you the truth about this though -- more after the jump.

Scott Walker's Massive Economic Fail: Workers & Small Businesses Pay

Governor Scott Walker didn't run on the signature legislation of his first 2-years in office, he stump-speeched his way into the gubernatorial office via vague generalities about jobs, jobs, jobs.  He didn't say how he would stimulate the economy, but Walker did proclaim he would create 250,000.

In November, we learned that job "growth" for October 2012 was actually a loss of 6,000 private sector jobs.  This means that job growth for 2012 is negative -- a net job loss of 2,400.

The census data showed that there were 27,811 jobs created in Wisconsin in 2011. Subtract from that the loss of 2,400 jobs this year, and the net is 25,411.

So now Walker is 224,589 jobs short of meeting his campaign promise.  This is more than a massive failure, a major business journal, Forbes, now states that Wisconsin is expected to have among the worst economic growth in the nation until at least 2016.  The republican "Open for Business" cries are a sick joke.

MI Governor Snyder/GOP Boo-Boo: Didn't Read Bill?

Breaking news is developing -- the Koch/ALEC Right to Work law rammed through the process of becoming law in the state of Michigan cannot be implemented!  This is what happens when out-of-state interests write legislation specifically for their own interests and without even looking at the needs, laws, and even the State Constitution where they expect their minions to enact laws and public policy.

From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department, it is now being reported that HB 4003, which Michigan Governor Snyder claimed would provide “Right to Work” type policies for public employees can not be implemented because the Michigan Constitution clearly grants clear authority to the state's Civil Service Commission for matters related to conditions of employment for the state's workforce.

So despite all headlines proclaiming Gov. Snyder and the lame-duck legislator, by law, only a vote of the Civil Service Commission could enact Right to Work policies for state workers. OOOPS!

John Doe Probe Means Walker Needs More Divide and Conquer

Scott Walker was not kidding when he told his largest in-state donor (a billionaire that paid no state income tax) that in order to flip Wisconsin "to be a completely red state and work on these unions" to "become a right-to-work [state]" he was going to "use divide and conquer".  Now Scott Walker says he won't pursue or reject right-to-work laws -- in Michigan, the bill that his major backers, the Koch brothers, created.

Walker need a major distraction -- despite his misleading statements, those of his closest associates, and disinformation in the mainstream media, Walker is at the very heart of a criminal John Doe probe (more HERE) and there are reports of at least one federal investigation as well.  The John Doe investigation is moving forward and not-at-all over.

The process of getting away with the criminality behind his ascent to power, impunity, demands that he distract and rally the state around a crisis. Looks like that is exactly what he is fixin' to do.

Glitch or Feature? Walker's "Open for Business" Fail

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has a problem being truthful, but then again, the only sitting governor in America with a criminal defense fund likely has to be careful about what he says.  Despite what Walker proclaims, the ongoing John Doe into the criminality behind his ascent to power is not over and the judge hearing the secret proceedings has taken it upon himself to swat down misrepresentations that the probe is "dead as a doornail" or wrapping up.

So the question that needs to be asked by Wisconsinites is this:  Scott Walker's "divide and conquer" politics have made Wisconsin among the most contentious, divisive states in America.  Job and economic growth is among the worst in the Nation and pro-business magazine Forbes has just proclaimed that this will be the case through 2016.

Is an economic disaster a "glitch" or a "feature"?  More after the jump.

[UPDATE] Sheriff Clarke Sues to Keep Troubled Jail Scott Walker Gave Him

In a late-breaking news story and curious move, especially since the Franklin corrections facility has been part of an ongoing embezzlement probe, Milwaukee County's controversial and tea-baggin' & fake democrat Sheriff David Clarke filed suit in Circuit Court today to keep the County Correctional Facility-South in Franklin under his control.

This is the same facility where, totally, Major Nancy Evans, in charge of the the largest Sheriff department budget, county jail and the house of correction in Franklin, was escorted from her office building on May 25, 2012, because an investigation connected her with tens of thousands of dollars that may have been embezzled.

But this story gets even weirder -- more after the jump.

From the Desk of Sen. Lena Taylor: Happy Holidays

On this Sunday at sundown, the last day of the holy Jewish holiday of Hanukkah ends.  Hannukah commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC.  I would like to sincerely wish all my Jewish constituents a Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to all!

Walker Seeking Impunity for Crimes Behind His Ascent to Power

Alfred W. McCoy, scholar and author at UW-Madison, has done some groundbreaking work which he has shared with VOICES -- the process of impunity -- how powerful people get away with serious crimes.  A careful read of his book, Torture and Impunity, identifies the media's role.  In a conversation with McCoy, he told VOICES that his 5-step process of impunity applies to a wide range of criminality commuted by leaders at all levels of government -- his work focuses on how it applies to U.S. torture.

What we are seeing in Wisconsin, with the help of a compliant media, is an attempt to flush the criminality behind Gov. Scott Walker's rise to political "stardom" down the memory hold and empower him to move forward.  It parallels the 5-step process which McCoy outlines and applies to how the United States of America has obtained impunity for torture.  We'll explain after the jump.

3 Libor Arrests: Why No US Coverage?

Agence France-Presse announced today:

British police and investigators arrested three men on Tuesday on suspicion of manipulating the interbank landing rate Libor, the Serious Fraud Office said.

“Three men, aged 33, 41 and 47, have been arrested and taken to a London police station for interview in connection with the investigation into the manipulation of Libor,” said an SFO statement.

More HERE.  And in the U.S.?

[crickets chirping]

More after the jump.

More Walker Budget Bustin' Divide and Conquer: Millions for Voter Suppression

The right wing media had a hissy-fit when a video came out of gubernatorial candidate Scott Walker telling his non-income-tax payin' largest in-state donor that he intend to flip Wisconsin to a "completely red [republican] state (video)" using "divide and conquer".  Now, since republicans admit they can't win elections if the entire electorate votes, he not only wants to exasperate the budget "crisis" that he ginned up, but he is advocating suppressing the vote which will cost more than $5 million.

One-party rule under Scott Walker?  Apparently, priceless.  More after the jump.

Walker Recall Election Anomalies Always Favor Scottie

By the end of the week of Scott Walker's June 5th recall election, VOICES published a report that expressed concerns about the results.  There were some strange occurrences:

1. Some counties were giving free touch screen machines from an outfit out of Minnesota
2. GAB rules prohibit any meaningful verification that vote tabulators accurately count ballots throughout the process.
3. The media, all day, stated that exit polling data indicated a 50/50 tie -- the media repeatedly stated it was "too close to call". 
4. This exit poll data did not match the numbers coming out of proprietary and unverifiable vote machines -- both touch screen and tabulators.  The exit poll owners, a small group of major media players, corrupted that data, misleadingly calling it an adjustment, to match unverifiable machine counts -- this corrupted data was then used to call the election for Scott Walker while people in some communities were still in line waiting to vote.

Exit polls exist to monitor elections and verify election results -- they serve no legitimate purpose if they are secretly altered to match proprietary and unverifiable machine counts.  They serve absolutely no legitimate purpose if they are altered/corrupted -- literally becoming fiction -- and then are used to project what real vote counts would be if they were actually conducted.

There are problems with that election that the media won't talk about -- we will share more after the jump.

The Lie of Objective Journalism: Massive Media Failure is the Bigger Problem

As an alternative newspaper, blog, and video-news production company, organizations like Comm-UNITY Voices exist to provide platforms to views, perspectives, authors, and news that is not being covered by traditional and mainstream media -- we are an alternative newspaper that has expanded into web technologies and multimedia.  This means that at the very heart of our existence, is an understanding of how mainstream media works and where it fails us.

So the larger picture that connects virtually everything we publish, blog about, or now report via video, is how the media marginalizes large groups of Americans and limits dialog and coverage.  Many of the stories we follow simply could not happen if more people understood the players, issues, and behind-the-scenes activities.  After the jump, we will have more -- the myth that we are taught in school, that journalism is "objective" was never true.

[Updated Regularly] Scott Walker is Wisconsin's Deceiver-in-Chief: It Ain't Polite, But It's Demonstratively True

Perhaps one of the reasons that we see Wisconsin and national politics become so divisive and extreme is because not only do we see hypocrisy and deception become integrated into the standard operating procedures of right-wing "rock stars",  but a massive media failure continually props up the deceptions and, in some cases, flat-out lies.  

Wisconsin's Scott Walker is either ignorant, uninformed, incompetent, or a bold-face-liar.  This isn't an opinion, this is what can be objectively demonstrated.  Periodically, VOICES updates a growing list of disinformation, hypocrisy, or outright lies by Wisconsin's executive -- it doesn't sound polite to call Walker our Deceiver-in-Chief, but it is true.

After the jump, please scroll down our growing sourcing and resourcing links -- more than 300 and counting!  Sadly, the evidence overwhelmingly shows that, one way or another, Gov. Scott Walker is Wisconsin's Deceiver-in-Chief; but the bigger problem is a state-wide media echo-chamber that disseminates the disinformation.

VOICES TV Exclusive: 350.org Divestment Campaign, Stephanie Kimball Speaks on It

350.org has recently launched a divestment campaign across the country at over 150 colleges and universities.  The movement is growing.  Divestment isn’t primarily an economic strategy, but a moral and political one.

After the jump, 350 Madison activist Stephanie Kimball talks about the movement, its purposes, goals, why now is the time for action.

VOICES TV Exclusive: 350 Madison -- Stephanie Kimball Speaks On It!

350 Madison is the local action group of the international organization 350.org. Started by Madison area climate activists in January 2012, they plan and participate in local, national, and international actions to raise awareness of the pressing need to address climate change.

After the jump, we will share a short video (3:12) featuring Madison Activist Stephanie Kimball explaining how you can be part of a global movement that is creating the political pressure necessary to pass international climate legislation that will effectively return our planet to a stable climate.

VOICES TV Exclusive: LogistiCare Bait-and-Switch! Wisconsin is Gonna Get ROBBED!

Reports that LogistiCare is leaving Wisconsin are not true and are based on misleading statements from LogistiCare, incomplete press releases by Scott Walker/Brett Davis' Department of Health and Human Services, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel disinformation.

We produced this video report yesterday and then a late-breaking news release told the real story here:  LogistiCare intends to stick-up Wisconsin taxpayers for perhaps another $38 million dollars and Walker's DHHS intends to rig the contract so that it is one-again skewed to be awarded to LogistiCare!

This is classic bait-and-switch.  Not only has LogistiCare engineered a massive service failure that directly or indirectly led to the untimely deaths of some of Wisconsin's most vulnerable citizens, but they may have intentionally done this to enable them to exploit the crisis they alone have created to extract tens-of-millions of dollars from Wisconsin taxpayers!  A video report, transcript, update, and sourcing links and resources after the jump.

LogistiCare Will Hijack Wisconsin for TENS OF MILLIONS!

From VOICES "You Can't Make This Crap Up" department -- Providence Service Corporation, a company that largely exists on the public teat privatizing services like mental health care and education services, has used its subsidiary, LogistiCare, to take millions of dollars out-of-state, routinely leaving non0emergency medical transportation (NEMT) clients without rides to medically necessary health care appointments while refusing to pay some transit service providers for rides that have been provided.

They have twisted the situation to deny all responsibility for massive service failures and have misrepresented the total value of payments the company has received, vastly understating the cost to taxpayers for their failed privatization.  Now LogistiCare is releasing public statements that they will need to DOUBLE the $38 million dollars service contract!

And Scott Walker's Department of Health and Human Services is proclaiming that LogistiCare's prior service failures, which have directly or indirectly lead to the untimely deaths of some of Wisconsin's most vulnerable citizens, cannot be considered in the next decision to grant LogistiCare a massive increase in public monies for brokerage service they would not responsibly provide the first time!  More after the jump.

LeftyBlogs Went Dark -- Hopes to Be Back Online

Here's a short post and quick update -- Mandate Media, in what a representative described as a "labor of love" created a beta version of a RSS feed aggregator, Lefty Blogs.  This was a tremendous source of information, organized state by state, which provided a one-stop information shop for progressive ideas, writers, and even multi-media producers.

There work was greatly appreciated -- more after the jump

Privatizing NEMT Brokerage Demands Responsible Request for Proposal

Most should agree that if the State of Wisconsin decides to privatize a public service and if the for-profit corporate interest that received a state-certified monopoly to profit off that service has to cancel its contract mid-term and abandon that contract, causing the State of Wisconsin to scramble to provide a vital service, then there was something wrong with the process.

Even if reasonable people cannot agree on the factors that contributed to a failed privatization attempt, it should be clear that any future requests for proposals (RFP) to continue privatization need to be different than what has failed. Albert Einstein said doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results, is the definition of insanity -- he was right.

After the jump, we will identify some areas that need to be addressed if the State of Wisconsin is going to responsibly meet the needs of those needing non emergency medical transportation in a manner that satisfies federal and state laws and complies with inalienable rights granted under the U.S. and Wisconsin constitutions.

VOICES TV Exlusive: Wisconsin's Right Wing Noise Machine Abusing Public Airwaves

Andrew Rogers, of the Media Action Center of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Grassroots Network, stopped by the VOICES News studio to share updates of his work and the Media Action Center's petitions and complaints that Sue Wilson has filed with the FCC.

Rogers, an activist that worked extensively on literature drops for Lori Compas' challenge to Scott Fitzgerald earlier this year, played a key role in documenting how right wing radio has commandeered Wisconsin's public airwaves and thumbs its noses at basic legal requirements to provide any balance or opposing views in the critical period leading up to important elections in direct violation of the Zapple Doctrine.

Roger's report is disturbing, because the issues he is uncovering go far beyond the abuse of 2 GOP mouthpieces.  After the jump, we will share a short video and let him explain along with a sourced and resourced summary of some issues the Media Action Center has raised.

VOICES TV Exclusive: The Assassination of Fred Hampton, Black Panther Leader, December 4, 1969

VOICES Newspaper's Editor-in-Chief, Gaddi B. Dan, stopped by the VOICES TV news studio to tell the story of Fred Hampton, an African American leader that was assassinated by the FBI and police department in Chicago in 1969.  Gaddi Dan has been involved in community newspapers for decades, was an activist in Chicago at the time, and provides us a first-hand report on what went down on December 4th, 1969.

Our short video (4:05), the first in a series of African American history, is after the jump.

Richard Charnin: 2012 Election Recorded Vote, True Vote, and Fraud Factor

Richard Charnin, a highly qualified quantitative analyst, continues to look at recorded 2012 votes, late & provisional vote totals, historical election data, returning voter preferences, demographics, and even mortality rates among returning voters.  This allows him to create a model of what the true vote would be if all votes were accurately counted on Election Day – something that does not happen in America and a fact that can be verified looking at the numbers of votes that are counted after election night.

Votes that are counted after election night are just as valid and important as those tallied promptly.

• Why does our election system marginalize these votes as if they did not impact the election? 
• Why does the corporate media (and many left-wing blogs) treat legitimate late votes as a side story that deserves little or no reporting?

More Echo-Chamber Paul Ryan Propaganda: Gannett Leads and Lee Enterprises Disseminates

Is anyone else sick of the media lies that Paul Ryan is a "policy wonk" and "numbers guy"?  This has been disinformation from day one -- after making a fool of himself on the national stage as Mitt Romney's running mate, the media had only 2 choices:

1. Admit that Ryan is no policy wonk, is not a numbers guy, and the media chorus that said otherwise was wrong.
2. Ramp up pro-Ryan propaganda

After the jump, we will share how Wisconsin media collectively decided to manufacture a Badger State version of the right wing echo chamber and promote the lie that Paul Ryan knows what he talks about.  The record clearly shows he does not.

WATCO/WSOR Frac Sand Pay-to-Play?

No one has done more to follow the initial criminality which brought the illegal activities behind Gov. Scott Walker's ascent to power into the spotlight than VOICES Newspaper.  We began our coverage last year, because some found it offensive that a business meeting the FBI's definition for a criminal enterprise was prominently featured under a state-sanctioned Christmas tree in Wisconsin's Capitol Rotunda in Madison.

The narrative is still unfolding and is almost entirely ignored by the state's news media, but VOICES has kept on this story and flushed out important details.  Have you ever seen a frac sand train?  We'll show you a 100+ car train entirely of AOKX frac sand rail cars.

After the jump, we will explain why the illegally $60,000 that Bill Gardner and WSOR propped up then County Executive Scott Walker with looks like a pay-to-play where the Koch brothers appear to be the largest benefactor.

LogistiCare Will Hijack Wisconsin for More $$$. Media Reports are Wrong. They're Not Leaving.

VOICES has continued a dialog with concerned citizens with first-hand knowledge of what is going on behind the scenes with the failed privatization scheme to broker non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT).  Wisconsin news media is not reporting this story accurately, largely merely repeating Gov. Scott Walker's administration and LogistiCare's spin.

The only way LogistiCare will leave Wisconsin is if the public demands that the current Request for Proposal (RFP) is structured to be an open, transparent, and inclusive bid system that gives Wisconsin businesses and organizations an equal-footing with a large national player with deep pockets behind it that has failed in the Badger State and undermined NEMT infrastructure.

If the same bid process is use that resulted in the LogistiCare failure, an RFP that appears to have been tailor-made for one politically-connected private contractor, not only will the massive failures of LogistiCare be rewarded and repeated, but this boondoggle will cost the State of Wisconsin many more millions of dollars.   This privatization scam did not save taxpayers a single dime and actually cost more while services to qualified members that represent some of Wisconsin's most needy citizens are being denied and transportation providers that have provided NEMT are not being paid.

We will explain how LogistiCare is going to exploit the problems it created to stick-up the state up for more money after the jump.

FCC Policy Division Media Bureau: Incompetent or Corrupt?

VOICES has been following Sue Wilson and the Media Action Center (MAC) requests to the FCC to enforce the Zapple Doctrine.  WISN-AM and WTMJ-AM in Milwaukee aired 24/7 pro-Scott Walker programming and, despite requests to give opponent Tom Barrett’s supporters some equitable air time, refused.

Mark Berlin, at FCC’s Campaign Law office in Washington DC has been telling different stories to different people when asked about a complaint MAC filed in May, 2012 (.pdf), and then a petition to deny renewal of broadcast licenses based on violations of the Zapple Doctrine. 

Amy Dean: Help Obama Find His Shoes

Progressives need to pressure Obama 

to stick up for workers as promised.
by Amy Dean

President Barack Obama’s re-election is a huge relief—we dodged the Romney/Ryan bullet.

However, that’s not the same as winning a better future. If Obama’s first term is a prologue to the second, we should not expect to see much progress in strengthening the rights or bargaining ability of workers. Therefore, in Obama’s second term, we need to be:

Smarter about the policies we advocate.

• Selective about the candidates we endorse.
• More disciplined about building a strong social movement.
• Progressives need to recognize where the real fight is happening.