SWWAP

President Obama on Right-To-Work for less Legislation You only have to look to Michigan -- where workers were instrumental in reviving the auto industry -- to see how unions have helped build not just a stronger middle class but a stronger America. (Applause.) So folks from our state’s capital, all the way to the nation’s capital, they should be focused on the same thing. They should be working to make sure companies like this manufacturer is able to make more great products. That's what they should be focused on. (Applause.) We don't want a race to the bottom. We want a race to the top. (Applause.) America is not going to compete based on low-skill, low-wage, no workers’ rights. That's not our competitive advantage. There’s always going to be some other country that can treat its workers even worse. Right? AUDIENCE: Right! THE PRESIDENT: What’s going to make us succeed is we got the best workers -- well trained, reliable, productive, low turnover, healthy. That's what makes us strong. And it also is what allows our workers then to buy the products that we make because they got enough money in their pockets. (Applause.) So we’ve got to get past this whole situation where we manufacture crises because of politics. That actually leads to less certainty, more conflict, and we can't all focus on coming together to grow. AUDIENCE MEMBER: That's right!

President Obama on Right-To-Work for less. And by the way, what we shouldn’t do -- I just got to say this -- what we shouldn’t be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. (Applause.) We shouldn’t be doing that. (Applause.) These so-called “right to work” laws, they don't have to do with economics; they have everything to do with politics. (Applause.) What they're really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money. (Applause.) You only have to look to Michigan -- where workers were instrumental in reviving the auto industry -- to see how unions have helped build not just a stronger middle class but a stronger America. (Applause.) So folks from our state’s capital, all the way to the nation’s capital, they should be focused on the same thing. They should be working to make sure companies like this manufacturer is able to make more great products. That's what they should be focused on. (Applause.) We don't want a race to the bottom. We want a race to the top. (Applause.) America is not going to compete based on low-skill, low-wage, no workers’ rights. That's not our competitive advantage. There’s always going to be some other country that can treat its workers even worse. Right? AUDIENCE: Right!

Myth busters at Media Matters has done a good job of separating the myths propogated by fox news, and the facts about Right-To-Work. For the facts go to: Myth Busters - Right-To-Work Facts

http://gallery.mailchimp.com/28ea86dd7c46f5cfdcf3e4a00/files/LWVEN_logo_from_website.GIF http://gallery.mailchimp.com/653153ae841fd11de66ad181a/images/transparent.gifThe Wisconsin Government Accountability Board has estimated that implementing a proposal to end Election Day Registration would cost our state more than $5 million up-front and an additional $1.9 million per biennium after that. This is because ending same-day registration would require that our state comply with certain federal laws from which Wisconsin is currently exempt.Governor Walker has said he would not sign a bill that “costs that kind of money.” What he did not say, however, was that he would veto such a bill because it would unnecessarily prevent qualified citizens from voting for the sake of solving a problem that does not exist. The GAB noted that its cost estimate is “preliminary,” and proponents of ending same-day registration have indicated they think it might be high. We certainly hope they would not consider making such a drastic change to Wisconsin’s model election system “on the cheap.” The League placed 300 citizen election observers in the polls in cities, towns and villages across Wisconsin in the November 6 election. They found the vast majority of poll workers to be highly committed to helping people register and vote. According to law, individuals seeking to register were required to provide certain numbers and documentation to prove who they are and where they live. Like other states with Election Day Registration, Wisconsin ranks high in voter turnout in our elections. That's something to be proud of. Lawmakers should focus, as they have promised, on jobs and the economy, not on making it more difficult for people to participate in their government. We need more people working, not fewer people voting. The GAB's report: Preliminary Report on the Impacts and Costs of Eliminating Election Day Registration in Wisconsin Support the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Education Network with a year-end gift. Make a secure online contribution or download a printable form here. Find the League on Facebook!

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is a homegrown network of citizens fighting government corruption and working for fair elections, judicial integrity, media democracy, and open and transparent government. The Democracy Campaign pursues these objectives through research, citizen education, community outreach, coalition building and direct advocacy. WDC was founded in 1995 as a nonprofit, independent coalition of individuals and groups responding to the growing dominance of special interest money in the campaigns of state lawmakers.

The Money Or the Many . . . That’s the ChoiceEmail date: 12/13/12 http://www.wisdc.org/proxy.php?filename=images/email-2012-12-13.jpg You’re a foul one, Super PAC. . . . With the dawning of the age of unlimited election spending and Super PACs and dark money, not to mention the ever-expanding war on voting, the risk of democracy being stolen has never been greater in living memory. Never in our lifetimes has it been more important to shine light on the crooked political money game. Never before has it been more necessary to hold power accountable. Never has there been a greater need to speak truth to power. Following the money. That’s the Democracy Campaign’s bread and butter. Exposing corruption and blowing the whistle on wrongdoing. That’s our reason for being. Speaking out without fear or favor about what’s gone haywire in our political system and what needs to be done to set things straight. Another of our specialties. I hope you will take a look at our annual report. And I hope you agree that the work described in this report is valuable. So valuable that you will help us keep doing it. It hasn’t been easy for the Democracy Campaign to raise funds lately. As the threats to democracy get bigger, finding the funding to sustain the fight is getting substantially more challenging. As it is with all nonprofits, the holiday season is crucial to us. Nearly half of charitable donations to nonprofits nationally come in the last six to eight weeks of the year. Please consider making a generous year-end gift to help us finish 2012 in good financial shape and start the new year on the right foot. Donations to the Democracy Campaign are fully tax deductible. Thanks for your support . . . and happy holidays from all of us at the Democracy Campaign. Mike McCabe Executive Director

The Money Or the Many . . . That’s the ChoiceEmail date: 12/13/12 http://www.wisdc.org/proxy.php?filename=images/email-2012-12-13.jpg You’re a foul one, Super PAC. . . . With the dawning of the age of unlimited election spending and Super PACs and dark money, not to mention the ever-expanding war on voting, the risk of democracy being stolen has never been greater in living memory. Never in our lifetimes has it been more important to shine light on the crooked political money game. Never before has it been more necessary to hold power accountable. Never has there been a greater need to speak truth to power. Following the money. That’s the Democracy Campaign’s bread and butter. Exposing corruption and blowing the whistle on wrongdoing. That’s our reason for being. Speaking out without fear or favor about what’s gone haywire in our political system and what needs to be done to set things straight. Another of our specialties. I hope you will take a look at our annual report. And I hope you agree that the work described in this report is valuable. So valuable that you will help us keep doing it. It hasn’t been easy for the Democracy Campaign to raise funds lately. As the threats to democracy get bigger, finding the funding to sustain the fight is getting substantially more challenging. As it is with all nonprofits, the holiday season is crucial to us. Nearly half of charitable donations to nonprofits nationally come in the last six to eight weeks of the year. Please consider making a generous year-end gift to help us finish 2012 in good financial shape and start the new year on the right foot. Donations to the Democracy Campaign are fully tax deductible. Thanks for your support . . . and happy holidays from all of us at the Democracy Campaign. Mike McCabe Executive Director

Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives (SWWAP) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE LOCAL SIERRA CLUB DIRECTOR TO SPEAK IN MOUNT HOREB JAN. 14 Wisconsin Environmental laws to be XXX (Examined, Explored and Explained) “Wisconsin's water and wild places” sounds like the makings of a new theme park, but the topics are anything but child's play to Sierra Club's local chapter director Shahla M.Werner, Ph.D. She will present an update on new laws affecting water, air and wild places in Wisconsin and will also address likely environment-related bills to be tossed about inWisconsin lawmakers' next session. The talk will be held on Mon. Jan. 14, 7 PM at the Mount Horeb Community Center on 107 N. Grove St. Mount Horeb. Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives (SWWAP), a local democracy-in-action group serving the Mount Horeb area since 2004, is sponsoring the event. For further info contact Sierra Club, John Muir Chapter at 608-256-0565, email SWWAP member Tim White, tkwhites@tds.net or check SWWAP.org. The public is invited to attend.

jONline An e-newsletter from Senator Jon Erpenbach 9/23/2012 Presentation from HHS Regional Director Kenneth Munson – Senator Erpenbach invited federal Department of Health and Human Services Regional Director, Kenneth Munson, to a special public meeting on Friday. Munson gave a presentation and answered questions about implementation of the Affordable Care Act. WisEye coveragehttp://www.wiseye.org/Programming/VideoArchive/SegmentDetail.aspx?segid=8910 Senate Health Committee Discusses Health Care Exchanges – The Senate Health, Revenue, Tax Fairness and Insurance Committee, which Senator Erpenbach chairs, held a public hearing on Wisconsin’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the importance of a state health care exchange. Provisions of the Affordable Care Act currently in place and benefitting Wisconsin citizens: The next phase of the Affordable Care Act is the creation of health care exchanges. States, like Wisconsin, can choose to create their own plan or be a part of a federal plan. Exchanges allow people and businesses to shop from a pool of plans that give a tax credit to businesses and people that buy the plans. Senator Erpenbach and Representative Richards are working on a Wisconsin exchange plan – that however cannot be done without Governor Walker. The two wrote another letter to the Governor asking for a bi-partisan and citizen member committee to help Wisconsin meet the deadline for state created health care exchanges. To see the letter click here. WUWM story: http://www.wuwm.com/news/wuwm_news.php?articleid=11197 To view the hearing, use this link to Wisconsin Eye: http://www.wiseye.org/Programming/VideoArchive/EventDetail.aspx?evhdid=6668 Senate Select Committee on Mining Holds Hearings – The Senate Select Committee on Mining, which Senator Erpenbach is a member of, has held two hearings with invited speakers and will hold another this week discussing the possibility of changes to Wisconsin’s current mining laws. Members and the public heard testimony from Tom Evans, Wisconsin Geological Survey, who helped draft Wisconsin’s current mining laws on background for the laws and the who’s and why’s of current law. http://www.wisgeologicalsociety.com/ Also Rebecca Graser, Army Corps of Engineers, spoke about the federal/state partnership that is required for any mining project in Wisconsin – any project that could affect navigable waters in Wisconsin must involve the Army Corps of Engineershttp://www.usace.army.mil/ . Ann Coakley, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, also spoke with the committee regarding the DNR’s role in the current permitting process and the agencies ideas for a friendlier permitting process that still protects Wisconsin resources http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Mines/Nonmetallic.htmlAlso testifying last week: George Meyer, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Anne McCammon-Soltis, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Dave Boetcher, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, James Buchen, Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce. You can listen and watch the hearings at Wisconsin Eye:http://www.wiseye.org/Programming/VideoArchive/EventDetail.aspx?evhdid=6621

Wisconsin State SenatorJon Erpenbach, 27th District images/images-5.jpeg State CapitolP.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707-7882 Office Phone: (608) 266-6670DC Fax: (202) 225-6942Email: Sen.Erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.govHomepage: Click Here

Wisconsin State SenatorJon Erpenbach, 27th District images/images-5.jpeg State CapitolP.O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707-7882 Office Phone: (608) 266-6670DC Fax: (202) 225-6942Email: Sen.Erpenbach@legis.wisconsin.govHomepage: Click Here

Get John's current newsletter by going to: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/senate/erpenbach/PressReleases/Pages/jONline-Archive.aspx

The Value of Same Day Voter Registration by Senator Jon Erpenbach, 27th Senate District When looking for wisdom in the value of same day registration we can look to the 1976 Legislature, who created the option of registering to vote on Election Day. They said, “The vote is the single most critical act in our democratic system of government….(and) voter registration was not intended to and should not prevent voting.” Thank you to Diane Hermann-Brown from the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association for sharing that quote in a recent Wisconsin State Journal story. Legislators before the days of billion dollar campaigns had the right idea: Voting is a constitutional right and our laws should not stand in the way of that right. Legislators, unhappy with the outcome of some elections, have set their sights on limiting the rights of certain individuals to have access to vote. Elimination of same day registration would create an election system where thousands of individuals, otherwise qualified to vote, would be unable to exercise their most basic democratic constitutional right. In developing countries where democracy is young, an invisible permanent ink marks the hands of those that have voted so they cannot vote again. We have, however, set up a system of recording the verifiable personally identifiable information of those wanting to register to vote. Those that have moved since the last election and those new to voting must first register to vote. This is how we ensure the integrity of our elections. Through honesty and disclosure of accurate information given by voters and collected by our clerks and poll workers, we have a system that works for registration of our voters. If Wisconsin does not allow for same day voter registration, we will have to create a new government system to address registration of voters in order to be in compliance with Federal law. Other states deputize workers at the Department of Transportation and at the local County Health services. Wisconsin would have to create a whole new government system for allowing people to register at many government locations at taxpayer expense. Workers with different jobs would be expected to register voters, while other citizens wait in line for that to happen. Let’s take a page out of the common sense book and not fix something that isn’t broken. Same day registration is working for Wisconsin; let’s stick with it. For more information on voter registration laws please contact my office at: 608-266-6670 or 1-888-549-0027 or sen.erpenbach@legis.wi.gov

Greetings from the Wisconsin State Assembly! I would like to thank you for giving me the privilege of serving as your State Representative. During the coming legislative session, I will be using this site to inform you of what is happening in state politics. Before we dive into specific issues, I wanted to provide you with some useful links that will help you stay involved with the legislature as we near the start of the 2013-14 Session. The Wisconsin Legislature’s home page (www.legis.wi.gov) can be a wealth of information. By using the navigation pane in the upper left hand corner of the site, you can track and follow any proposal (using the Legislation header) before either house. You can also learn more about current elected officials (using the Assembly and Senate headers). There are also digital versions of the Wisconsin Statutes and Constitution (under the Wisconsin Law header and organized by subject and chapter). Since my first term in the Assembly, I have focused on timely and thorough constituent response to questions and comments. To that end, I also want to make sure you have accurate contact information for my office. I can be reached by email at Rep.Pope-Roberts@legis.wi.gov, on the web at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/assembly/pope-roberts/, and by phone at (608) 266-3520. I appreciate and encourage contact from anyone interested in state politics and am happy to use this forum as a way to discuss topics of specific importance to anyone. Thanks again for allowing me the opportunity to serve you and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Sondy Pope-Roberts State Representative 79th Assembly District

Watch this Trash to Treasure video to learn more about how Dane County Landfill produces renewable electricity. Here's the link to view it online: StoryBridge.tv/greenview/communityaction/story/TrashToTreasure

Senator Scott Fitzgerald said today he thinks the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in our state, has become a "rubber stamp" for staff proposals, which he perceives as favoring one political party. Back in 2007 Fitzgerald joined all other members of the Senate in supporting the creation of the GAB, but now he suggests that changing the appointment process to have political appointees on the board would "strike more of a balance." Currently, the GAB is made up of six former judges, who are nominated by a panel of Wisconsin Appeals Court judges, appointed by the Governor and then confirmed by the Senate. The appointment process has been praised by a national election law expert as a method "designed to promote impartiality." Meanwhile, local elections officials have joined other voting rights advocates in opposing Governor Walker's proposal to end Election Day Registration. The Appleton City Clerk noted that same-day registration not only encourages people to vote but also is "the most cost-effective model" for our elections. The League of Women Voters defended same-day registration in a recent newspaper column and on the Joy Cardin Show on Wisconsin Public Radio.

Wisconsin Grassroots Network is almost 5 years old, originating as the Dane Grassroots Network. We network more than 70 grassroots across Wisconsin, expecting to increase that number. We provide support, training and strategy sessions statewide to promote progressive values and candidates. SWWAP proudly counts itself as bein an affiliate of this organization. To Contact Wisconsin Grassroots Network go to:WisconsinGrassRoots.net

Submitted by Steve Hanson on Wed, 04/25/2012 - 9:57am, From Uppity Wisconsinhttp://uppitywis.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/Article/steve_hanson/sandminedeposits.jpgThis is a map of the silica sand deposits in Wisconsin. My farm and house are in the central part of the red blob covering the western part of the state. The photo below is of the closest sand mine to me, outside of Menomonie. Imagine this part of the state covered with these. Sand mining is suddenly a big concerin in Western Wisconsin, since proposed mines are cropping up at an alarming rate. Projections are that western Wisconsin will have over 100 frac sand mines in the next two years. Clearly some frac sand mining is going to take place in Wisconsin - but there's a strong grassroots interest in having reasonable regulations on these mines, and in the current political state of Wisconsin, environment has not been a high priority of our government. http://uppitywis.org/sites/default/files/images/menomoniesandmine.normal.jpg Menomonie Sand Mine We are going to try to be a clearing house for information on sand mining in the state, since this is a high-priority issue, and as with many of the current environmental concerns in the state, it's getting short shrift and once the damage is done it will be very hard or impossible to recover. ACTION ALERT - Contact Your Representatives

images/swwap_doufold-final2.jpg

The Wisconsin Democracy Campaign is a homegrown network of citizens fighting government corruption and working for fair elections, judicial integrity, media democracy, and open and transparent government. The Democracy Campaign pursues these objectives through research, citizen education, community outreach, coalition building and direct advocacy. WDC was founded in 1995 as a nonprofit, independent coalition of individuals and groups responding to the growing dominance of special interest money in the campaigns of state lawmakers. This webpage will highlight action alerts from the WDC. To Go To The WDC Website Follow This Link: WISDC.org

Move to Amend Wins Big at the Ballot Box: Americans Fed Up with Big Money and Undue Corporate InfluenceWednesday, November 7, 2012 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 CONTACT: Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, press@MoveToAmend.org, 707-269-0984 From Massachusetts to Oregon, Colorado to Illinois and Wisconsin, and Ohio to California, citizens throughout the country voted overwhelmingly yesterday for their legislators to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling and declare that only human beings – not corporations – are entitled to constitutional rights and that money is not speech and campaign spending can be regulated. Residents in over 150 cities had the opportunity to vote on measures calling for an end to the doctrines of corporate constitutional rights and money as free speech, and in every single town the vote was supportive. Often by an overwhelming margin. In Eau Claire, WI the vote was 71% in favor of a measure stating, "Should the US Constitution be amended to establish that regulating political contributions and spending is not equivalent to limiting freedom of speech, by stating that only human beings, not corporations, unions, or PACs, are entitled to constitutional rights?" In largely conservative Pueblo, Colorado, where the city newspaper came out against the measure, residents still voted 65% in favor of Move to Amend's resolution, placed on the ballot by County Commissioners. Move to Amend volunteers in Massachusetts collected signatures to place the constitutional amendment question before one third of the population of their state. The "MA Democracy Amendment Question" passed by 79%. Voters in Mendocino County, CA where volunteers collected signatures to become the first California county to place a Move to Amend citizen's initiative on the ballot, explicitly voted to "stand with the Move to Amend campaign" by a 73% margin. Move to Amend resolutions also passed in several towns in Illinois and Ohio and Oregon, all by similar landslide margins. Montana voters approved a state-wide resolution by 75%. Another organization -- Common Cause -- put forward several measures calling for simply overturning Citizens United and granting Congress authority to regulate campaign spending. These measures also passed by a wide margin. In the state of Colorado, the Common Cause measure passed by 64% and in San Francisco approval was 80% and 72% in Richmond, CA. The group's measure in Chicago passed by 74%. Common Cause was also an active member of the MA Democracy Amendment Coalition. Move to Amend's position is that the Constitutional amendment must go beyond simply overturning Citizens United, "There is no reason for us to shy away from a true and lasting solution, rather than just band-aids," stated Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, a member of the Move to Amend National Leadership Team. "In every single community where Americans have had the opportunity to call for a Constitutional amendment to outlaw corporate personhood, they have seized it and voted yes overwhelmingly. Tuesday's results show that the Movement to Amend has nearly universal approval. Americans are fed up with large corporations wielding undue influence over our elections and our legal system. Citizens United is not the cause, it is a symptom and Americans want to see that case overturned not by simply going back to the politics of 2009 before the case, but rather by removing big money and special interests from the process entirely." Move to Amend is a national coalition of hundreds of organizations and nearly 250,000 people. The organization also boasts over 150 local affiliates across the country. The Resolve to Amend Campaign goal was to have 50 cities vote on the group's resolution.

On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons, entitled by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run our government. Human beings are people; corporations are legal fictions. We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights. TAKE ACTION! Sign The Petition @ Salsa3.SalsaLabs.com/o/50137/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=6883

Tell the FCC: Stop Rupert MurdochRupert Murdoch, the guy who controls the Fox News Channel, wants to expand his empire, and he's not letting FCC regulations get in his way. Embattled and under investigation in England for phone hacking, influence peddling and bribery, Murdoch has set his sights set on the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, the major papers in the nation's second and third-largest cities, where Murdoch already owns several TV stations.1 Shockingly, President Obama's Federal Communications Commission is trying to change the rules so Murdoch can get exactly what he wants. Even worse, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is hoping the agency can pass these changes without you noticing. That's why we're joining our allies at Free Press and calling on the FCC to stop trying to change the rules for Rupert Murdoch. Tell FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski: No more media consolidation for Murdoch. Murdoch's media grab would be illegal under the current rules. But Chairman Genachowski is pushing the other commissioners for changes that would translate into a giveaway for Murdoch and other media barons.2 These rule changes wouldn't just benefit Murdoch. If the FCC changes the rules, one company could own the major daily newspaper, two TV stations, and up to eight radio stations in your town. And that one company could be your Internet provider, too. Sound familiar? It should -- the FCC is pushing the same Bush-era media consolidation policy that millions rallied against in 2003, and 2007, and was defeated in court just two years ago. The Senate even voted to overturn this consolidation policy back in 2008, rebuking runaway media concentration led by, among others, then-Senator Barack Obama.3 Take Action! Call Your Representatives, and sign the following petiton. images/386416_10151326624655610_414592143_n.jpg

images/386416_10151326624655610_414592143_n.jpg

Tell the FCC: Stop Rupert MurdochRupert Murdoch, the guy who controls the Fox News Channel, wants to expand his empire, and he's not letting FCC regulations get in his way. Embattled and under investigation in England for phone hacking, influence peddling and bribery, Murdoch has set his sights set on the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, the major papers in the nation's second and third-largest cities, where Murdoch already owns several TV stations.1 Shockingly, President Obama's Federal Communications Commission is trying to change the rules so Murdoch can get exactly what he wants. Even worse, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is hoping the agency can pass these changes without you noticing. That's why we're joining our allies at Free Press and calling on the FCC to stop trying to change the rules for Rupert Murdoch. Tell FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski: No more media consolidation for Murdoch. Murdoch's media grab would be illegal under the current rules. But Chairman Genachowski is pushing the other commissioners for changes that would translate into a giveaway for Murdoch and other media barons.2 These rule changes wouldn't just benefit Murdoch. If the FCC changes the rules, one company could own the major daily newspaper, two TV stations, and up to eight radio stations in your town. And that one company could be your Internet provider, too. Sound familiar? It should -- the FCC is pushing the same Bush-era media consolidation policy that millions rallied against in 2003, and 2007, and was defeated in court just two years ago. The Senate even voted to overturn this consolidation policy back in 2008, rebuking runaway media concentration led by, among others, then-Senator Barack Obama.3 Take Action! Call Your Representatives, and sign the following petiton.