Wisconsin Orders Voter Purge Due To 200,000 People Who Had Moved

No mention of the foreclosures....

According to Wisconsin Patch:

In 2017, lenders started the foreclosure process on 383,701 properties and 8,446 of those properties were in Wisconsin, according to the report. Milwaukee, Kenosha, Waukesha, Brown and Rock counties had the highest number of properties where the foreclosure process had started, according to the report. Nationally, 318,165 properties were scheduled for foreclosure auction in 2017 and just 4,609 of those properties were in Wisconsin.

If you do not live there, you cannot vote there.

Gerrymandering at its finest.

Wisconsin Elections Officials Held in Contempt for Refusing to Purge Voters

A conservative group says removing names is merely following existing rules. Liberals say the move is aimed at dropping Democrats before the 2020 election.

Judge Paul V. Malloy of Ozaukee County Circuit Court ordered a daily fine against three Wisconsin election commissioners who haven’t implemented his previous ruling.

A Wisconsin judge held three state election commissioners in contempt on Monday and ordered them to proceed immediately with purging more than 200,000 people from the state’s voter rolls.

The ruling by Judge Paul V. Malloy of Ozaukee County Circuit Court doubled down on his finding last month that thousands of voters who are believed to have moved should have their registrations canceled in Wisconsin, a narrowly divided state that has become a focal point of the 2020 presidential battle.

The debate over whether voters should be purged from the rolls has become a proxy for the state’s tense partisan divide, and the purge itself has yet to be carried out because of a deadlock between evenly split Democratic and Republican wings of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Three Republicans on the appointed six-member commission want to remove the voters, while the three Democrats wanted to wait for an appellate court to weigh in.

“We’re deadlocked, time is running and time is clearly of the essence,” Judge Malloy said.

Hours later, on Monday evening, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling that cleared the way for Judge Malloy’s decision that the rolls should be purged to stand, though the case was still being appealed.

The debate has drawn intense attention in part because it has played out in a state that could tip this year’s presidential election. President Trump, who plans to campaign in Milwaukee on Tuesday, carried Wisconsin by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016.

Conservatives said getting outdated information removed from the rolls was necessary to have clean registration lists and election integrity. Many liberals saw the effort as a blatant attempt to disqualify and confuse voters who would be likely to support Democratic candidates.

People who are removed from the rolls in error could re-register before or on Election Day.

Judge Malloy’s order, which includes a $250-per-day fine for the three commissioners who voted against the purge, could set up a dramatic meeting on Tuesday of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. The commission itself was also held in contempt and fined $50 per day. It remained unclear whether the ruling would sway any of the Democratic commissioners to vote for the purge to proceed.

Reid Magney, a spokesman for the commission, said it would be premature to comment in detail ahead of the meeting on Tuesday.

But liberal organizations said the motives behind the efforts were obvious.

“It’s no secret that this voter purge would target Wisconsin’s communities of color and young voters — the very people who are most energized to turn out in 2020 and win change for our neighborhoods,” Jennifer Berry, a Wisconsin resident who is a leader in a group pushing for a $15 minimum wage, said in a statement. “We’ll continue to fight back in the courts, in the streets, and by organizing so every Wisconsinite is ready and registered to vote.”

The conservative law group that brought the lawsuit targeting the registrations said the contempt finding was necessary after the commission failed to carry out Judge Malloy’s order.

“Court orders are not, and have never been, optional,” Rick Esenberg, the president of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, said in a statement.

When The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analyzed the list of voters that were believed to have moved, it found that about 55 percent of them lived in municipalities that Hillary Clinton carried in the 2016 election. The highest concentrations were mostly in college towns and the state’s two largest cities, Milwaukee and Madison.

Ann Jacobs, one of the commissioners who was held in contempt, said in an interview on Monday night that she was disappointed in the ruling and continued to believe her interpretation of the law was correct.

But would the contempt finding change her vote on Tuesday?

“I can’t say for certain, because obviously I’m always interested in hearing what my fellow commissioners have to say,” Ms. Jacobs said shortly before the Supreme Court ruling was announced. But she said she had “been reviewing the pleadings, and I have not seen anything recently that would make me think that the position we have taken is incorrect in any fashion.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Privatization Of Human Capital

Privatization of human capital is evolving in national policymaking.

This is an initiative out of Wisconson to privatize public water utilities through a scheme to allow out of state contractors to come in and circumvent state level regulation.

Since there is a push to deregulate the EPA and its water oversight, more than likely their budgets are going to be cut again, making any type of enforcement a far fetched pipedream.

Wisconsin did it incrementally.

Michigan went along the route of the emergency manager.

Unfortunately, the Flint water fiasco kinda threw a monkey wrench into the water privatization scheme, but let's watch to see what this new state task force and congressional hearings turn up.

Bills Would Make It Easier to Privatize Public Water Utilities

Two bills are moving through the legislature that would make it harder for Wisconsin residents to have a say about whether their publicly owned drinking water supplies should be controlled by private corporations.

The measures, Assembly Bill 554 and Senate Bill 432, change the process for selling or leasing municipal water and sewer utilities. AB554 has been approved by the Assembly and sent to the Senate, and SB432 has received a committee hearing. The Republican-controlled legislature, which hopes to wrap up its work for the current session by March, seems likely to act on at least one of the bills before it adjourns.

Under current law, a municipality that wants to sell or lease its water utility must pass an ordinance that authorizes the sale, and then get the proposal approved by state Public Service Commission (PSC), which also sets the terms and price of the sale. The final proposal with terms and sale must then be approved by local voters in a referendum.

Under AB554, adoption of an ordinance for the sale would still be required, but a referendum would only be held if a petition with signatures equal to at least 10 percent of the votes cast in the municipality in the last governor’s election is submitted within 60 days of the ordinance’s adoption. If there is no referendum, or the referendum is approved, the PSC would then be required to give final approval and set the terms and price of the sale.

Among the bills’ backers are the construction industry; AquaAmerica, a private water and wastewater treatment utility that serves three million people in eight states; and the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, which represents nearly 600 of the state’s cities and villages.

The bills are opposed by numerous environmental groups, like the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, a handful of municipal utility groups, and AFSCME.

The League of Conservation Voters and AFSCME contributed about $95,000 between January 2010 and June 2015 mostly to Democratic candidates for statewide office and the legislature.

Construction interests, which support the bills, contributed nearly $8.1 million between January 2010 and June 2015 mostly to Republican candidates for statewide office and the legislature.

AquaAmerica employees did not make campaign contributions, but the company spent $36,500 on lobbying in 2015 when the bills were being developed.

The eight sponsors of the bills received just over $53,000 in construction industry contributions between January 2010 and June 2015. The sponsors and their construction industry contributions were:

Republican Sen. Frank Lasee, of De Pere, $17,957
Republican Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, of New Berlin, $8,758
Republican Rep. Joel Kleefisch, of Oconomowoc, $8,075
Republican Rep. Dave Murphy, of Greenville, $5,112
Republican Rep. Dan Knodl, of Germantown, $4,610
Republican Re. Tyler August, of Lake Geneva, $3,685
Republican Rep. Ken Skowronski, of Franklin, $3,675
Democratic Rep. Josh Zepnick, of Milwaukee, $1,299

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Justice Department to Monitor Election in Wisconsin

Justice Department to Monitor Election in Wisconsin

The Justice Department announced today that the Civil Rights Division will monitor the election on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, in Milwaukee.   The monitoring will ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.   The Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color or membership in a minority language group.   In addition, the act requires certain covered jurisdictions to provide language assistance during the election process.   The city of Milwaukee is required to provide assistance in Spanish.

Justice Department personnel will monitor polling place activities in Milwaukee.   Civil Rights Division attorneys will coordinate federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials.

Each year, the Justice Department deploys hundreds of federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, as well as departmental staff, to monitor elections across the country.   To file complaints about discriminatory voting practices, including acts of harassment or intimidation, voters may call the Voting Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.

Visit www.justice.gov/crt/voting/index.php for more information about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

If Wisconsin passes a law to classify single parenthood as child abuse, that would mean the child would go to foster care.  Guess who gets to pay for it?  You do!  And it is really expensive.  This is not fiscally conservative.

Wisconsin Lawmaker Introduces Law To Classify Single Parenthood As Child Abuse

Photo via Grothman's website.

Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) has introduced a bill demonizing single parents by classifying them as child abusers.

Senate Bill 507 specifically requires "the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board to emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect."

A third of Wisconsin parents are single parents, but this law affects even more than that. The way the law refers to "nonmarital parenthood" also makes this applicable to non-married couples, including same-sex couples. S.B. 507 reads:

Section 1. 48.982 (2) (g) 2. of the statutes is amended to read: 48.982 (2) (g) 2. Promote statewide educational and public awareness campaigns and materials for the purpose of developing public awareness of the problems of child abuse and neglect. In promoting those campaigns and materials, the board shall emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.

Section 2. 48.982 (2) (g) 4. of the statutes is amended to read: 48.982 (2) (g) 4. Disseminate information about the problems of and methods of preventing child abuse and neglect to the public and to organizations concerned with those problems. In disseminating that information, the board shall emphasize nonmarital parenthood as a contributing factor to child abuse and neglect.

Grothman isn't just some fringe nut-job. He's the assistant majority leader and a staunch ally of Gov. Scott Walker. Unlike Walker, Grothman is not up for recall because activists were unable to get enough signatures.State Rep. Donald Pridemore (R-Hartford) co-sponsored the bill. (He is not up for recall either.)

Grothman is not a fan of welfare policies. In a flyer detailing his family policies (embedded at the bottom of this post), he says, "The Left and the social welfare establishment want children born out of wedlock because they are far more likely to be dependent on the government." He touched on those issues after introducing SB507 last week. The Cap Times writes:

"I guess as long as this state is going to fund a group called the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, at least that group could use the money that they have to publicize something that's politically incorrect, but I think has to be said in our society," Grothman said at a public hearing on the bill last week.

Noting that 41 percent of children born in the U.S. last year were born to single parents, Grothman said: "It's a very politically difficult thing to deal with because over time you're having more and more families that are not old-fashioned families. There are even people who make fun of old-fashioned families."

State Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) said this bill is an assault on women. "What this bill does is call out and chastise women who have babies and are unmarried," she told The Cap Times. Human Development and Family Studies Professor Dave Riley told The Badger Herald that family type has far less impact than the family process and that research shows that "leaving a conflictual marriage actually improves parent-child relationships."

SB507 is now with the Senate Public Health committee, and The Cap Times says it's not likely to get a committee vote, since the committee chair Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) is facing a close recall election.

And here is Grothman's stance on families, wherein he explains "How The United States and the State of Wisconsin are Working to Encourage Single-Motherhood and Discouraging Children in 2-Parent Families."

WI State Sen. Glenn Grothman on Families

Wisconsin gets funds in drug firm settlements

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said Monday that the state will receive nearly $700,000 from Elan Corp. and Eisai Inc. for allegedly marketing the anti-epileptic drug Zonegran for unapproved purposes.

Wisconsin joined the federal government and other states to reach an agreement in principle with Elan, a publicly traded company based in Ireland, to resolve claims that the company and its North American subsidiary, Elan Pharmaceuticals Inc. improperly marketed Zonegran. The company allegedly promoted Zonegran for the treatment of neuropathic pain, obesity, headaches and a variety of psychiatric conditions.

Elan also pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge under the United States Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and will pay a criminal fine of $102 million to the federal government for misbranding Zonegran through improper promotional activities.

In a related action, the states and federal government recovered $11 million from Eisai Inc., for allegedly continuing to promote Zonegran for unapproved uses after it acquired the interests in Zonegran in 2004.

Wisconsin will receive $586,054 under the settlement with Elan and $106,343 under the settlement with Eisai, which is based in New Jersey. The money will go to Wisconsin Medicaid, along with a total of $1.5 million paid to the federal government that will be attributed to the state Medicaid program.

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said Monday that the state will receive nearly $700,000 from Elan Corp. and Eisai Inc. for allegedly marketing the anti-epileptic drug Zonegran for unapproved purposes.

Wisconsin joined the federal government and other states to reach an agreement in principle with Elan, a publicly traded company based in Ireland, to resolve claims that the company and its North American subsidiary, Elan Pharmaceuticals Inc. improperly marketed Zonegran. The company allegedly promoted Zonegran for the treatment of neuropathic pain, obesity, headaches and a variety of psychiatric conditions.

Elan also pleaded guilty to a federal misdemeanor charge under the United States Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and will pay a criminal fine of $102 million to the federal government for misbranding Zonegran through improper promotional activities.

In a related action, the states and federal government recovered $11 million from Eisai Inc., for allegedly continuing to promote Zonegran for unapproved uses after it acquired the interests in Zonegran in 2004.

Wisconsin will receive $586,054 under the settlement with Elan and $106,343 under the settlement with Eisai, which is based in New Jersey. The money will go to Wisconsin Medicaid, along with a total of $1.5 million paid to the federal government that will be attributed to the state Medicaid program.

Read more: Wisconsin gets funds in drug firm settlements | The Business Journal 

Barbara Knox Fights Against Child Welfare Reform

GoAnimate.com: Barbara Knox Fights Child Welfare Reform by beverlytran

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Most Medicaid Children in Nine States Are Not Receiving All Required Preventive Screening 2010

Dept. of Children and Families: Expands anti-fraud team to increase fraud investigations

Dept. of Children and Families: Expands anti-fraud team to increase fraud investigations
10/13/2010 

Contacts: Erika Monroe-Kane, Department of Children and Families, (608) 266-9000 

Reggie Bicha, Secretary of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), today announced that the Department will continue to expand its crackdown on Wisconsin Shares fraud and abuse. Over the past two years, DCF has launched sweeping reforms of the child care subsidy program resulting in 201 suspended providers and 13 criminal charges. The Department now estimates a savings of $115 million in taxpayer funds over the next two years. 

“We know that as we shut one door, criminals try to create a new way to steal from Wisconsin Shares,” stated Secretary Bicha. “We are doubling our efforts to ensure that every tax dollar in the Wisconsin Shares program is used only for the care of children and to help parents work to support their families.” 

While DCF’s efforts have led to a dramatic decrease in fraud of the Wisconsin Shares program, the Department is intensifying efforts to track down those stealing from Wisconsin’s taxpayers. The Department is adding 31 additional staff, for limited time, to the Fraud Detection and Investigation Unit. These new investigators will follow-up on reports of fraud and build cases against providers suspected of scamming the program. 

“Our anti-fraud efforts have achieved great results. By taking what we have learned and expanding our efforts, we can even better protect tax dollars, shut down criminal providers and improve the quality of care children receive. The people and children of Wisconsin deserve nothing less.” 

DCF continues other successful strategies to stop fraud including Child Care Fraud Task Forces in Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties and a child care fraud hotline. In addition to eliminating fraud, DCF is improving the safety of child care and improving the quality of care through the YoungStar child care rating and improvement initiative.

Wisconsin Shares Fraud Recovery

If child care fraud was going on to the tune of $45 million, just think about the amounts of fraud that are going on in foster care and adoption.



$100 billion dollars in fraud, in the last few years seems about right.

Dept. of Children and Families: Secretary Reggie Bicha’s statement on Wisconsin Shares Savings
5/21/2010

Contact: Erika Monroe-Kane, Department of Children and Families, 608-266-9000

Today, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) announced $45 million savings in the Wisconsin Shares program. DCF Secretary Reggie Bicha issued the following statement:

We are excited to announce a $45 million savings in the Wisconsin Shares program. This savings is primarily a result of the Department’s work to find and stop fraud.

In addition to making child care safer for children, DCF is saving taxpayer dollars by preventing and stopping fraud.

Using just a quarter of these savings, DCF will improve the quality of care Wisconsin children receive by launching YoungStar, a child care rating and improvement system.

Background

The projected savings of $45 million in Wisconsin Shares payments is in the fiscal year 2010 of the biennial state budget.

The savings are primarily a result of DCF work to recover funds from fraudulent providers, from payments being stopped to providers suspected of fraud, and due to a deterrent effect of the DCF crack down on fraud.

The Department of Children and Families has rebuilt the foundation of child care in Wisconsin and is now building on this to improve the quality of child care. $10 million of the savings in Wisconsin Shares will be reinvested to improve quality, through the YoungStar program.

Wisconsin Settles TANF Discrimination With HHS

For some reason, the HHS press release has disappeared. I normally can hunt them down when this happens, but I find the document.

Discrimination charges were filed against the Wisconsin Department of Children and Family Services. Families were denied assistance, leading to minority child removals to foster care. More details are found in the agreement.

Voluntary Compliance Agreement between HHS and Wisconson

Naturally, none of this information will be included in any research or studies as to the overrepresentation of minorities in foster care.