World-Shaker

revolutionizeed:

wisconsinforward:

Changes to education spending (dollars per child) from FY11 to FY12.  The chart reflects an analysis of the state budget documents for the 24 states that had the necessary data available.

Wisconsin is leading the country in slashing education funding.   

Doesn’t make me feel that great to be from Wisconsin…

Doesn’t make me feel that great to be from Ohio either…

Fake Democrats run in Wisconsin primaries for recall elections →

Primary elections in six Wisconsin Senate races Tuesday pitted fake Democrats against candidates supported by the party, with the winners advancing to take on Republican incumbents targeted for recall.

The state Republican Party orchestrated the placement of the fake Democrats on the ballot, thereby delaying the general election until Aug. 9 and giving the incumbents an additional month to campaign.

How is this not illegal?

BREAKING: Judge strikes down WI Gov's collective bargaining law →

A Dane County judge struck down Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial collective bargaining law on Thursday, ruling that a legislative committee law violated the state’s open meetings law when it hastily convened to amend the measure.

The ruling by Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi won’t end the legal fight over the law, which sharply curtails the collective bargaining rights of most public employees in Wisconsin.

zeitgeistmovement:

Scott Walker Admits Union-Busting Provision ‘Doesn’t Save Any’ Money For The State Of Wisconsin

Scott Walker Gives Donor Jerry Deschane's Son an $81,000-a-Year Job →

Don’t you hate those overpaid public employees? Why, just look at Brian Deschane. He’s racked up two drunk driving convictions, has little experience, and no college degree, yet Scott Walker’s administration is paying him $81,500 a year, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. How did he get the job? Well, it probably didn’t hurt that dad Jerry Deschane is a longtime lobbyist for the Wisconsin Builders Association, and that the group’s PAC was one of Walker’s top five campaign donors—ringing up $121,652 in donations.

But the elder Deschane says he’s sure that’s not why his son was hired. “He got the position himself,” he says. OK, he admits, he may have mentioned Brian to Walker’s chief of staff a few times. “I put in good words for every one of my children in their jobs,” he says. To be fair, the younger Deschane must be a great worker; in two months on the job he’s already earned a promotion and a 26% raise.

I’ve made a resolution to act calm for 24 hours. Would anyone else care to respond to this on my behalf?

Wisconsin Judge Declares Union Law Not In Effect →

A Wisconsin judge on Thursday did what thousands of pro-union protesters and boycotting Democratic lawmakers couldn’t, halting Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s plans – at least temporarily – to cut most public workers’ pay and strip them of most of their union rights.

Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi issued a declaration stating in no uncertain terms that the collective bargaining law that led to weeks of large protests at the state Capitol had not taken effect, contradicting Republican arguments that it had because a state office published it online. Hours later, Walker said his administration would comply, despite misgivings about the order.

View high resolution

See, this is the problem with trying to justify cutting workers’ rights and pay by saying you’re poor when you make almost $200k a year.

Wisconsin GOP Rep complains about his $174,000 salary being a "squeeze" on his family →

With video.

The Wisconsin GOP is now demanding this video be removed from the internet via a misleading copyright claim (sorry, public officials talking in public is not copyrighted work, it’s public record).

Dipity - My new favorite thing

Wisconsin Protests on Dipity.

Wisconsin GOP Abusing Open Records Law, While Ignoring It Themselves →

Just when it seemed that the political conflict and intrigue over public higher education in Wisconsin could not get any more intense or convoluted, it did. Thrust into the tangled mix of controversy over employee union policies and potential governance restructuring that roiled the University of Wisconsin System this winter came word late Thursday of a Republican operative’s perceived attack on academic freedom and on one of the university’s most visible scholars, which promises to complicate an already combustible situation.

If you want the long story short version, a member of the Wisconsin Republican Party is abusing the Freedom of Information Act to obtain emails from a University of Wisconsin professor who has been vocally critical of Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin GOP.

This at a time when the state GOP has still failed to release their own records that a court has ordered them to provide.

Interesting.

Angry Teachers Rap About Getting Unjustly Fired

Brought to you by rap group “Pedagogy For Your Head.”

Lyrics excerpt:

If the test scores drop it’s the perfect storm
To fire more teachers and call it reform

Nobody cares about a well-written essay
We’re talking test prep, all day, every day

Forget music, forget art
Your #2 pencil best be sharp

(by pedagogyforyourhead)

PS: What’s up with all the Bieber pictures they worked in?

Damn those rich teachers and their ‘93 Nissan Sentras! ::shakes fist::

Lawsuit settled: Isthmus, AP will get emails, Gov. Scott Walker must pay legal costs →

The office of Gov. Scott Walker has agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit brought by Isthmus newspaper and the Wisconsin Associated Press over access to emails sent to the governor in response to his “budget repair bill.” The settlement requires the governor to produce the emails and pay attorney fees for the plaintiffs’ costs in bringing the suit.

The settlement calls for the defendants, Gov. Scott Walker and his office, to produce a disc containing these emails next Tuesday, March 22, at or after 4 p.m. It is agreed that the governor will produce emails “in the folders in which they are stored at the time of production.”

In exchange for this access, the media requesters have agreed not to use the names of individuals who have sent emails to the governor in cases where there is reason for withholding them, as when they contain personal medical or financial information or raise a concern about retribution. The requesters also agreed not to use, publish or disclose any home addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers or Social Security numbers that may be contained in these emails.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM….

My new favorite sign from the Wisconsin protests.

via i.imgur.com