Journal Sentinel

Gov. Jobs? More like governor jobbing Wisconsin

October 4, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

To boldly go....Gov. Scott Walker's job-creation fervor so far has been mostly all tax cuts for corporations ... and hot air. The state's employment shortfall actually has worsened in Walker's first year but the one thing he wants us to believe is that "job creators" -- that would be businesses which, in the main, are creating virtually no jobs while shedding scads of others -- are "uncertain" about the future and thus need more hand-holding and palm-greasing from the state Capitol.

And look at this: Walker's antics have come at the cost of the state's highest budget in history, significant cuts in wages and benefits for state employees and more spending on loyalist hacks. He's replaced scads of civil servants with political appointees answerable to him, paying some of them tens of thousands of dollars more annually than the veteran professionals they have replaced, despite their lesser experience.

All I know is what I read in the papers

October 2, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

I thought this PolitiFact item may be the first time the Journal Sentinel has ever mentioned Fighting Bob Fest, even though thousands of progressives have been attending the annual event for 10 years.

But a search of jsonline turns up one other, a six-line blog item in August.

But this appears to be the first time it actually has appeared in print. The newspaper has never covered the event or reported on its speakers, although many are nationally prominent and crowds are 5 to 10 times the biggest Tea Party rally Wisconsin has ever seen.

Can't tell players in mining battle without a scorecard; Who has Big Mo?

September 29, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Scott Fitzgerald blinked, or caved, or whatever you want to call it.

But he has backed off and appointed the three Democrats nominated by Minority Leader Mark Miller to a special State Senate committee on mining.

Fitzgerald had rejected Miller's choices of Tim Carpenter and Jon Erpenbach, but now has named both to the committee, along with Bob Jauch.

Fitzgerald had tried to break long-standing Senate tradition of allowing each party to name its own members, hoping to get a committee that is more pro-mining. But with Republicans holding a 4-3 majority on the committee, it's a pretty safe bet the mining companies will get most if not all of what they want.   Here's the announcement.

Meanwhile, a pro-mining group re-forms, and the Journal Sentinel continues to cover the issue like a sports event and writes about which side has the momentum.