Our Wisconsin Revolution Founding Convention

Date: 

Friday, June 23, 2017 (All day) to Saturday, June 24, 2017 (All day)

WHAT:    Our Wisconsin Revolution - Founding Convention
WHEN:    June 23 & June 24
WHERE:   Econo Lodge Inn & Suites, 5110 Main St, Stevens Point, WI 54481
WHAT:    We are excited to announce and invite you to Our Wisconsin
Revolution's Founding Convention! This is a people's movement, and we need
you to join us in bringing Bernie's political revolution to the state of
Wisconsin.
Over the course of a day and a half, we'll share our hard work across the
state with each other, come together for a number of free trainings &

What Choices Would You Make?

Kathleen Vinehout

By

Senator Kathleen Vinehout

 

In the next few weeks, state lawmakers are voting on how Wisconsin spends money over the next two years. The choices legislators make will affect our communities and our lives.

 

Lawmakers are working off a spending plan submitted by the Governor earlier this year. Changes have already been made to his proposal.

 

For example, the budget writing committee removed much of the new money for the University of Wisconsin System. Big spending cuts in the last budget forced, among other things, a reorganization of UW-Extension, which may leave local communities without their own Ag or 4-H agents.

 

This year, the Governor’s budget returned about one-sixth of that cut and ties the increase to new “performance” standards. However, majority party lawmakers cut that increase roughly in half and disapproved a small decrease in tuition.

AUDIT: WEDC Cannot Be Certain of Any Jobs Created or Retained

Kathleen Vinehout
By
Senator Kathleen Vinehout
 
Our state spends a great deal of money on economic development. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is responsible for overseeing much of the taxpayer money that goes to job creation.
 
A recently released audit by the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) found that “WEDC cannot be certain about the number of jobs actually created or retained as a result of any awards that ended.”
 
By law, WEDC is required to report jobs created or retained. The agency meets the requirement through reports posted on its website. However, auditors found these data inaccurate.
 
“We found that the on-line data in January of 2017 included 183 jobs created and 1,082 jobs retained by recipients that had sold their operations in Wisconsin, ceased their operations in Wisconsin, or had withdrawn from their contracts before the contractually specified completion dates.

Dana Wachs/Kathleen Vinehout Budget Town Hall

This is the town hall meeting that Kathleen Vinehout and Dana Wacs held on May 20, 2017 in Eau Claire, WI. They covered a large range of different topics, mostly concentrating on healthcare and the transportation budget. A lively discussion follows.  There were some equipment issues in the midst of recording this so it is recorded on two different cameras. I've attempted to even up the video quality and sound levels a little bit - but didn't completely succeed. Hoping to be able to afford a little bit of equipment upgrade as part of the Wis.Community project.

Wachs/Vinehout Budget Town Hall

Uppitywis will be moving at some point

Just a quick note.  It's my intention to, some time in the next few months, move Uppity Wisconsin over to be one of the communities in WIs.community .  My goal here is to have one less web site to maintain, and to help out with the growth of the Wis.community platform.  This isn't going to be quick, it's currently a fairly low-level activity for me.

First the Good News!

David Clarke

Sheriff David A Clarke is leaving Milwaukee County and Wisconsin.

Now the bad news -- he's leaving to take a position as assistant secretary of Homeland Security. 

I am at the moment trying to imagine the working relationship between Clarke and John Kelly.  The Trump administration becomes more bizarre by the moment and continues to aim toward being dysfunctional. We'd been hearing rumors of this for month but it was hard to imagine  that this would actually happen, even with President Trump.  Perhaps, though, the county's sheriff's office will start to receive proper attention, and peole will stop dying mysteriously and horribly in the jail cells. 

Rep. Sargent: WEDC Audit Reveals Continued Dereliction, Insubordination

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          

May 17, 2017

Contact: Britt Cudaback, britt.cudaback@legis.wi.gov, 308-440-2939

 

Rep. Sargent: WEDC Audit Reveals Continued Dereliction, Insubordination

Governor Walker agency continues economic discouragement and taxpayer dollar malfeasance

 

(MADISON) – Today State Representative Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) voiced her outrage regarding the results of the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau’s (LAB) biennial audit of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) (17-9), the results of which revealed Governor Walker’s taxpayer-subsidized job agency has continued to be derelict in its duties to Wisconsin taxpayers.

 

“Not surprisingly, the audit released today is eerily similar to the audit released two years ago,” said Rep. Sargent. “WEDC has proven time and again to be derelict in its duties to taxpayers and our state. There’s no increased accountability or transparency—WEDC isn’t collecting necessary information on tax credit applications, they’re allowing more loan payment defaults, and they also can’t substantiate any actual job creation numbers.

JFC restores 5 of 6 cut Elections Board positions

Scott Walker

Governor Walker's budget included a cut for the equivalent of 6 positions in the Elections Board, arguing that they could continue without those workers.  This is interesting because it has been all too apparent that the board has bare-bones staffing for the ever-increasing requirements being placed upon them.

Apparently even Republicans on the JFC have realized that and have restored 5 of the 6 cut positions.

Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, said the commission was "significantly understaffed" as it oversaw the 2016 election and presidential recount.

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