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Wisconsin PSC Opts For Document Secrecy. Why?

October 19, 2011 by The Political E...

This decision by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission certainly raises a lot of questions about open government, public access to records and the free flow of information:

NOTICE TO ALL WISCONSIN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION ELECTRONIC REGULATORY FILING USERS

Effective immediately, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission is changing the handling of confidential filings.  As you may recall, past practice was to have confidential status expire automatically after 4 years unless a party requests an extension of that status.  Because the retention for the vast majority of our documents is greater than 4 years, this resulted in numerous and repeated requests for extensions of confidential status.  This was becoming burdensome and inefficient.  To reduce waste, improve efficiency, and to better align the Commission’s practice on the handling of confidential materials with the Commission’s document retention practices, the Commission has decided to abolish the 4 year automatic expiration period.  Instead, please be advised that Commission practice, until further notice, is to maintain the confidential status of the document throughout the life cycle of the document.

Fresh Cuts To State, UW Reminiscent Of Walker's Sham County Budgets

October 19, 2011 by The Political E...

Suddenly, Wisconsin state officials discover there is a need for major state agency budget cuts, especially at the UW, even though the current state budget is just a few months old.

Milwaukee County residents and courthouse observers will recognize this "oops" budgeting.

As a former county supervisor Jim McGuigan wrote in 2004:

Bad Actors, Lax Gun Laws and Loopholes

October 19, 2011 by Eye On WIsconsin

We are unfortunately well aware of the lobbying efforts of groups like the National Rifle Association. They have a clear history of lobbying for some of the most extreme policies related to guns. Part of their legislative agenda includes a free pass repeatedly given to even the most problematic gun dealers. There probably isn’t a better local example of this than Badger Guns located in

Federal Funds to Help Madison Metro

October 19, 2011 by Waxing America

It’s not every day that you learn the federal government is going to help purchase new buses, replace fare boxes and add 25 new bus stop shelters, but that was the case this week in Madison. While in Washington D.C. this week I was very happy to learn that Madison is receiving $5 million as part of $920 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reports that the funding will repair, rebuild and modernize...

Scott Walker Has Easy-Pass To Road-Builders Money

October 19, 2011 by The Political E...

In a post earlier Wednesday about the politics of road-building in SE Wisconsin - - expansion in the face of continuing cuts to transit and purported fiscal shortfalls - -   I made this observation:

The threats to transit are taking place while billions in new highway construction roar forward unrestrained.

Walker fast-tracked the Zoo Interchange project (in a slightly reduced footprint, but still at an unaffordable cost of at least $1.7 billion) to appease the road-builders and Walker's base constituency in Waukesha County.

But these days, cars are running more efficiently, and the depressed economy has eliminated some driving, leaving road budgets planned without restraints short of money because most of the needed revenue to build them comes from gasoline taxes.

So is the highway budget taking the sort of cut you'd expect in our broke state?

Are you kidding?