Journal Sentinel

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.

So...Republicans Acknowledge Government CAN Create Jobs

September 29, 2011 by The Political E...

The headline and lede to the story say it all.

Walker calls special session on jobs bills

By jstein [at] journalsentinel [dot] com (Jason Stein) of the Journal Sentinel

Sept. 28, 2011 

Sun Prairie - With the state and national economy still struggling, Gov. Scott Walker announced Wednesday a second special session on jobs legislation.

The Wisconsin Government (Unaccountability for Scott Walker) Board

September 27, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Corruption in government occurs when politicians and those who influence them seek to undermine the spirit and literal intent of the laws in order to benefit their own narrow interests -- ethics be damned.

By which definition, Scott Walker is fast making himself one of the most damnable and corrupt governors in Wisconsin history, and in only a matter of a few months. Those of us Milwaukee County residents who watched his ethical failings while he was county executive saw this coming, but couldn't fully anticipate just how brazen and power drunk he would become once assuming the state's top elective office.

Worried that Walker might indeed actually face a recall petition drive from angry voters, the Wisconsin Republican Party is now apparently moving to give their maximum leader ultimate power over the rules created by the non-partisan Government Accountability Board (GAB). The board oversees elections, including recalls, and -- although this power already has been largely gutted by other partisan attacks -- oversight of campaign spending and reporting.

Conservatives, Like Scott Jensen, Could Change The Death Penalty Debate

September 26, 2011 by The Political E...

The Washington Post's E. J. Dionne has an interesting commentary about how pro-life conservatives could make a compelling case against the death penalty.

When I wrote a series about capital punishment for the Journal Sentinel, I remember that then-State Rep. and Assembly leader Scott Jensen was one of those opponents.

Here's   - - I can't copy and paste the text, as it's a basically a page photo - - to the jump page that contained his remarks. That installment ran in the middle of an eight-day series.

I have no idea what the former Town of Brookfield Republican representative thinks about the issue now.