Paul Soglin: Waxing America

Where Does WMC, Where Does WMC Watch, Go From Here?

When I posted Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Downsizes for Elections and Image noting that the reduced presence of WMC in this fall's elections could be the result of a number of factors, Xoff pointed out that:

WMC, with its image taking a battering, decides to run a token amount of positive advertising and quietly give its big bucks to one of the other right-wing groups that's running untruthful negative ads against Dems all across the state. No requirement to report it, since it's not PAC money, and WMC lets someone else take the heat. Can I prove it? No. But it's plausible, given how much money WMC was raising and how little it appears to have spent directly.

Absolutely correct.

My guess is that WMC and WMC-sourced funds are down significantly this year. However, even if the they did not  redirect political funds into groups like the Club for Growth in this election cycle, the extreme right wing forces will do so in the spring 2009 Supreme Court race.

There are a number of scenarios:

• Money will continue to pour into WMC from US Chamber of Commerce backed sources and WMC will buy the ads.
• Money will pour into WMC from US Chamber sources and WMC will pass the money on to the Club for Growth, and other fronts.
• Money will pour into the Club for Growth and its clones directly from the US Chamber of Commerce, completely by-passing WMC.

All of these scenarios can have different outcomes in that some will be less effective than others.

All of these scenarios are designed to do the same thing - advance a right wing agenda utilizing a Willie Horton media campaign, for the purpose of undermining public education and eliminating reasonable government regulation that protects consumers and the environment.

The studies due after next Tuesday that look at the purchase of television time by these reactionary groups may give us some clue as to which tactic they are pursuing.

In any case, WMC Watch has much to do. Not only will we continue to monitor WMC's election activities, but we willl continue to expose its anti-environmental record, its anti-education record, its distortions about the nature of taxation in Wisconsin, and its plans for the 2010 gubernatorial election.

Masks in China. The Olympic Committe is A Joke. Nothing Has Changed

The hoopla, pageantry, silliness, nastiness and profiteering of the Olympics has not changed in over fifty years. If there is any question in your mind, run out and get Dave Maraniss' insightful  Rome 1960. The Olympics that Changed the World. 

Soviet Communism and the Cold War ended,  but the organizers and operators of the games are still far more important than the athletes. While the achievements of the competitors is often compelling and poignant, on the world stage the manipulations of governments, businesses, and  street level ticket scalpers is far more important when measuring the impact on the world's peoples.

Start with this story, and follow what unravels over the next few weeks. US cyclists apologize for wearing masks.

BEIJING (AP)—A group of American cyclists has apologized to Beijing Olympic organizers after arriving in China’s capital wearing face masks.

Jim Scherr, the U.S. Olympic Committee’s chief executive officer, said his organization didn’t ask the cyclists to apologize.

“Those athletes regret that action and have written an apology to BOCOG on their own behalf,” Scherr said. “They now realize and understand how their actions were perceived by the host nation and by the organizing committee.”

The China Olympics are a joke. A failure before they start.

For starters, the International Olympic Committee had this silly notion that by awarding the Olympics to China, it would induce that government to halt repression and recognize basic human rights. That was Joke 1.

Not content with destroying the jobs of American industrial workers with wages unfit for any dignified person, the Chinese spent most of this past year trying to murder our dogs and cats with poisoned pet food. Joke 2.

Finally there is the effort to contain the pollution. As though the soiled land, the contaminated waters, and the fouled air disappear by banning half the cars in Beijing on alternate days and temporarily closing industrial plants. Joke 3.

You cannot possibly insult the Chinese government by wearing face masks when eleven months of the year half of China tries to keep the pollution out of their lungs.

"I am sorry my voice sounds muffled, but if I remove my mask, the air pollution will burn my lungs like dry twigs in a campfire."

Those voices are muzzled for reasons other than the pollution. Those faces are hidden for reasons other than the pollution.

Weekend Bicycling Report July 27, 2008

For the first time all summer I was able to do successive weekend back to back rides. I rode Saturday and Sunday last and this weekend.

It's about the back. With three discs fused, it looks like another one is going.

A combination of physical therapy and an epidural a week ago Friday had me back in the saddle though hills are still tough. The ache in the back combined with weakened legs from inactivity made for some very tough rides.

I resumed body pump and added more stretching. If things hold together, pilates is next.

I did a circuitous ride south and east of Madison yesterday with a finale of coming around Lake Monona and home through the Isthmus. Today's ride was a classic shot out to Paoli.

The weather was great both days, especially with the cloud cover today.

Maybe it was random chance but it appears that safety was on most rider's minds. Only a family of three and two other bikers rode sans helmet.

What I did find curious was people biking and smoking at the same time. I doubt that the benefit of one displaces the damage of the other.

I am now convinced that the Fitchburg re-pavement policy needs re-examination.

In an effort to save money and to recycle, Fitchburg is resurfacing its roads with a substance that is made from recycled materials but also has a high coefficient of friction. It obviously slows down all vehicles including bicycles. For bicyclists it means more work to maintain a decent speed. For automobiles, it means burning more fuel.

Why Does The Right Hate Rail and All Public Transit?

For years, advocates in the metro Milwaukee and the metro Madison areas pushed for commuter rail. While there may be some disagreements between the advocates over routes, light versus heavy rail, and the frequency of the service, the message is clear: rail is cheaper, more efficient, and greener than passenger automobiles.

There are enough commentaries by Madison's Dick Wagner, Milwaukee's Jim Rowen, and others that it is not necessary to repeat all of the arguments.

Even though it is well documented that public subsidies for public transportation are far less than the subsidies for automobiles and trucks, the right continues to wail about the 'outrageous cost' associated with public transit systems.

I looked for logical connections in their arguments. There are two consistent themes I see in their opposition to public transit, public airports, public roads, public water systems, public parks, and public everything:

• A public operation prevents someone in the private sector from making money. The hell with the fact that it means the public may get ripped off by privatizing everything from wars to water systems by the businesses that get the contracts, often no-bid. 
• A public operation means there will be public employee unions and that means more union influence in the political process.

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce: Not Your Daddy's WMC

Moderate state business leaders from the 1980's and 1990's do not recognize today's WMC. Organized by Paul Hassett when he merged the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association in the 1970's, WMC was then the voice of thoughtful business.

Certainly a conservative group, WMC was bi-partisan and tempered in its approach to public policy in Wisconsin. While it clearly leaned towards the Republican Party, it was careful to maintain a balance that allowed it to work both sides of the aisle.

Taken over by the political right in the late 1990's, WMC did not let the dogs out until Governor Tommy Thompson went to Washington on 2001. Since then, WMC, led by a hardcore of true believers, maintains a "take no prisoners" approach to public policy issues in Wisconsin.

Perhaps as many as half of the present board of directors of WMC would not be disturbed if the present leadership of WMC were to drop the attack ads orchestrated by its Issues Committee every election.

All of this leaves moderate Republican business leaders as the new disenfranchised cadre in Wisconsin.  Unhappy with the Democratic leadership in the State Senate, they are just as uncomfortable with the Republican leadership in the Assembly.  That discomfort extends to the politics of WMC, especially when it comes to the hard-line approach on TABOR, or supporting public education from kindergarten to the universities.

This is not to say they wield no influence in state government. When it comes to their own industries, financial services, insurance, utilities, or manufacturing, they still carry weight.

But moderate Republicans are now isolated when it comes to the larger, important issues that require mature, thoughtful, and dedicated leadership: affordable quality healthcare, educating a viable Wisconsin workforce, crime, and poverty.

A Proposal: Extend "Slow/No Wake" Beyond Current Flood Conditions

The current "Slow/No Wake" Order for the Madison-area lakes has helped mitigate shoreline damage from extremely high water levels this season. The Order has also made the lakes far more pleasant for sailboaters, kayakers, canoeists, and swimmers, as well as the casual shoreline walker like myself.

Now that the lakes have begun to slightly recede from their all-time high levels, power boaters will start to pressure the County to lift the Order in time for the busy Fourth of July weekend. Barring a severe and sudden drop in the lakes' levels, there is no good reason to lift the Order now beyond the economic impact of fewer power boaters.

In a few weeks of normal or less than normal rainfall, however, the levels should drop a bit and pressure to lift the Order will intensify, and sometime later this summer things will return to normal.  Boats will line up and wait for an hour or more to go through the Tenney Park Locks so they can navigate from one large lake to the other and back to see if, indeed, the algae is greener on the other side.

Here's a proposal that will draw fire from power boaters of all stripes: water skiers, raft-up partiers, and fisherpersons: how about extending the Slow/No Wake Order on a one day per week basis for the rest of the year?  Rotate the No Wake day through the week so that it's a weekend day two weeks of every seven and a weekday for five weeks. That would be fair to all, and help the shoreline property owners, the non-fossil fuel boaters, the environment, and the quality of the lakes.  Any County Board members ready to commit political suicide and take up this proposal?

- Barry Orton

Park Volunteers Apply Polish to Madison Gems

On a recent walk, I came across someone doing something for free that she wouldn't do for money. She was sitting on the ground weeding the gravel of the Lake Mendota jetty near the Tenney Park locks.  Her advanced age and the close presence of her dog told me she wasn't a park employee, as well as the hand-weeding she was doing in an era of limited budgets and limited mowing.

Sure enough, a friendly conversation yielded the fact that she was a regular volunteer who lives near Tenney Park and tends several of its garden features, as well as the wonderful plantings around the Gates of Heaven synagogue in James Madison Park. A retired Madison high school teacher, "Gigi" said that she weeds the jetty an hour at a time, and if she didn't, "the weeds would be up to your shoulder by the fall."

It turns out that many of the Madison parks have volunteer labor behind their beauty: unsung people whose gardening skills are put to use for the benefit of the public. A great example is Period Garden Park on East Gorham Street, a downtown neighborhood gem which is almost entirely maintained by volunteers.

The People for Parks program organizes many such efforts, and coordinates volunteer opportunities and donations. This Saturday morning, June 28, for example, you can help at a garlic mustard pulling event at Edna Taylor Park.

Like many other public institutions, our parks depend not only on our taxes, but also on many donations of money and time of which we often are unaware.

- Barry Orton

Tattoos Cause Firestorm in Los Angeles

When I served as mayor of Madison, if there was an issue as dreaded as endless debates over liquor licenses, it was personnel matters that related to appearance and grooming.

The Los Angeles Fire Department  (LAFD) is caught in a tattoo controversy. According to Sandy Banks in the Los Angeles Times on Saturday, Los Angeles Fire Department tattoo coverup muddles real mission:

At issue is a policy the department announced this spring, requiring firefighters with tattoos to cover their body art whenever they are on duty.

I am not a big favorite of tattoos, especially the massive works which hides, not enhance the human body, but as Banks points out, the LAFD has more important issues to fry than tattoos. Painted or not, in a crisis the citizenry want the firefighter who arrives to be comfortable and ready to perform.

The LAFD has numerous administrative problems that make the inked arms and necks pale in comparison. Frankly, if I was chief, I would do everything imaginable to discourage the men and women of the department from getting tattoos.

This is all reminiscent of thirty years ago when police and fire departments went through the long hair controversy. Then the issue was also grooming, with the added safety issue. Police officers, it was feared, would be vulnerable to assailants pulling their longer locks. Firefighters' tresses could catch on fire.

Most police departments figured out reasonable hair lengths.

The fire departments realized that so long as the hair was covered and protected by the uniform, it was not vulnerable to fire.  The uniform protected their hair just as it protected the skin.

The tattoos might seem unflattering and distasteful to the likes of me, but so long as my firefighter is devoted, professional and prepared to serve, I can live with the ink.

Looking Inside Mark Belling's Head. We regret to inform you...

Mark Belling's post from June 18, 2008 is probably more informative as to how the brain of the right wing radio entertainer works rather than the content. For this who missed it, Forget mass transit  is one of the more curious rants of the year demonstrating that Belling will not be content until he marches the Republican Party to the edge of a cliff and...over it.

To prove that motor vehicles operating on highways are essential to our daily life, Belling makes the point that the recent closures of Interstate 94 caused disruption and chaos.  He ignores the fact that the interruption of bus and commuter passenger rail can be just as disruptive though I suppose he attributes that to the weakness of the systems.

Surely Belling is probably ignorant of the studies and conclusions of the Partnership for New York City, a pro business lobby that sees Manhattan paralyzed and endangered by the automobile.  They have called for congestion pricing saying that the cost of automobile congestion costs the city $4 billion a year and that does not include the environmental impacts.

No doubt Belling would lump this IBM-AT&T-Verizon-American Airlines driven group as a cabal of left-wing conspirators as he sees the business community move to his dark side.

Not satisfied to malign transit riders, "Unless you’re one of the fringe that actually rides the bus, transit just isn’t that important," and ignorant of all of the studies that prove that subsidized transit rides cost the public less than automobile subsidization, Belling shares these keen insights about Milwaukee's business community:

• The fake "crisis" has been promoted for years by The Business Journal and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
•  The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) is becoming increasingly left-wing.
• As a consequence, the MMAC, a once influential business group, is becoming the King of the Taxers.
• As for the "Business" Journal, it joins the Small Business Times as choosing to represent the interests of those who are taxing small businesses to death.

With that, I need no clever conclusion or retort.

The Empire Strikes Back: WMC and Pals at WPRI Take the Offensive

It was about a year ago that we started focusing on Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce  (WMC) and their ultra right-wing cronies in deception. Since then the powerful business lobby has not been the same.

Highly visible members quit. Key companies will not serve on the WMC board. Others have demanded reform despite the WMC success in defeating judicial candidates Linda Clifford and Justice Louis Butler along with Attorney General candidate Kathleen Falk.

Despite these victories the cost is exorbitant. WMC is racked with internal dissent, the most recent board meeting a case in point.

Many of the key businesses realize that the unfavorable publicity and backlash from the despicable ads is not worth losing sales and distressing shareholders.

Waxing America, dozens of other bloggers, One Wisconsin Now, (with their own WMC Watch) and individual citizens have incessantly pounded not only at WMC, but at the businesses that hide behind the WMC logo.

The right has decided to fight back. It is not a coincidence that last week the  Wisconsin Policy Research Institute  (WPRI) posted two of its most recent 'commentaries' on Wisopinion.com.

Deb Jordahl contributed Wisconsin State Bar History is Repeating Itself.  For those who care to wade through the 2300 word attack on the mandatory bar, an issue worth discussing, will find that the real focus is the Wisconsin Judicial Integrity Committee which was created,  "allegedly to monitor the activity of candidates and other organizations during the April 2008 State Supreme Court election."

Jordahl was accompanied to the Internet by George Lighbourn with his The New WEAC , a treacherous (to the reader) 3,500 word tome that explains that the Wisconsin Education Association Council, while changed over the past 20 years, is as dangerous as ever. While I call such transformations 'putting lipstick on the pig,'  Ligtbourn likens WEAC to the Rottweiler masquerading as a Poodle, but still a vicious junkyard dog. A communist dog at that:

As with the aftermath of the Soviet Union, the rise of the new WEAC could possibly change the face of Wisconsin politics and government in ways that no one can predict. A perceptive yard sign for today might read: Fear the Poodle.

The ultra right-wing perceives lawyers and teachers to be the villians on the left that stand between them and accomplishing the Grover Norquist goal of "shrinking government down to the size when it can be drowned in a bathtub."

Expect more from WMC and WPRI in the coming months as the fall elections approach as they attack lawyers, teachers, social workers, union members, environmentalists, and grandparents.

Expect even more from us as we stand up for America and Wisconsin.