MADISON – Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell is a liar.

That’s according to a recent blog on BigGovernment.com by Collin Roth of Media Trackers.

Roth looked into recent media reports that WEAC officials asked prospective gubernatorial candidates to promise to veto any budget that doesn’t restore collective bargaining privileges for public sector unions.

He was inspired by Bell’s comments to the LaCrosse Tribune in which she insisted the union never asked for a veto pledge.

“Absolutely not,” Bell told the newspaper. “It’s not the approach that any of us would take.”

James Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, helped expose WEAC’s request for a veto pledge for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He told Roth he’s sticking to his statement, that WEAC and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union “demanded a hard commitment” on the veto pledge in exchange for their endorsement.

Bell is lying when she says otherwise, Palmer told Roth.

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What is this mailer all about? That’s the latest question circulating in the political hotbed of Wisconsin.

From our breaking news story at the MacIver News Service:

Over the weekend, a strange pamphlet began appearing in mailboxes across Wisconsin. It looks like a voter registration form and return label read, Government Accountability Board, but the return address included the incorrect post office box number.

The mailings also included requests for information not required to register to vote in Wisconsin, and at least one solicitation tried to register a six year old girl to vote.

The GAB confirmed to the MacIver News Service it had received calls about the mailing, but it did not send them out.  The GAB initially had no other comment other to relay that it was looking into the matter.

However, late in the day, the GAB issued a press release on the matter….

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To fully appreciate the herculean task required to get our fiscal house in order, consider this; the recently brokered deal to extend the payroll tax holiday is partially offset by raising by 0.8% the amount federal workers contribute to their pensions. The union reaction?

“Working class men and women who have dedicated their lives to serve their country should not be on the hook for solving a crisis they did not create,” American Federation of Government Employees National President John Gage said.

[...]

Continuing to attack federal employees’ pay and benefits doesn’t create new jobs and only adds to the pain and suffering many working class men and women are experiencing,” Gage said.

And, no, I didn’t get that decimal point wrong. It really is a 0.8% increase. So, if, say, a federal worker is currently contributing $100 towards their pension in any given period, they will now have to kick in an extra 80 cents. This is an “attack” on “working men and women”?

Amazingly, this near-rounding-error of an increase is expected to “save” $15 billion over the next year or so. That’s real money. Increasing federal workers’ pension contributions by a modest 10% could, it would seem, generate close to $200 billion in savings.

So, why aren’t we hearing more about these kind of budget savings?

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While at CPAC last week for The Heartland Institute, I met a lot of old friends, made some new ones, and heard some great speeches (the best I’ve heard from Rick Santorum; Sarah Palin was on fire; and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin was excellent.) Speaking of Scott Walker, the Occupy Wall Street crowd and their union allies targeted him for a special protest.

First, let me say this: The Occupy Wall Street protests were a big dud. Yes, a few got into the hotel — and there was even a scuffle in the hallway. But every time they shouted their tired slogans, they were quickly drowned out by a combination of ridicule and chants of “USA! USA! USA!” by the CPAC attendees.

But as Walker entered the Wardman Park Marriott in DC, the Occupy folks were outside (in a rather small force) to express their displeasure at his reforms, which have probably save the state from bankruptcy. So I moseyed on down with my iPhone in my pocket and took a couple of videos. A highlight of the juvenile street theater was the parading of a “golden toilet” down the sidewalk.

I’d say more, but the video speaks for itself.

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Did Wisconsin’s Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs cut a secret  access deal with one of Madison’s most infamous protesters? That’s the question being asked after one of our reporters caught an interesting conversation at the Wisconsin Capitol.

[Madison, Wisc...] Big Labor supporters are marking the one-year anniversary of the 2011 occupation of the Wisconsin State Capitol with a series of events this week. On Tuesday, the union for UW teaching assistants held a parade and Capitol rally.

While the rally was in violation of the policy governing access to state facilities, it appears protesters may have established an understanding with Capitol Police Chief Charles Tubbs. As he was speaking to veteran protester Miles Kristan about their understanding, the chief asked our reporter to leave.

“You told me you were going to help me with this,” Tubbs is overheard saying to Kristan before the camera stopped rolling.

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Are Wisconsin and Ohio still presidential swing states? Republicans swept to power in the Badger State and the Buckeye State in 2010. During the past year, Governor Walker and Governor Kasich have refused to settle for taxation & spending trends that drove away hundreds of thousands of jobs between 2000 and 2011.

If Midwestern voters see the benefits of free-market reforms at the state level, it’ll be bleak news for Barack Obama’s 2012 class warfare roadshow.

Early results for Walker and Kasich have been mixed, as they’ve both been demonized relentlessly by Big Labor. Wisconsin Democrats fled to protect their union financiers, but Walker and the Wisconsin GOP prevailed. How’s that working for taxpayers?

According to a report by the MacIver Institute, as of September 1, “at least 25 school districts in the Badger State had reported switching health care providers/plans or opening insurance bidding to outside companies.” The institute calculates that these steps will save the districts $211.45 per student. If the state’s other 250 districts currently served by WEA Trust follow suit, the savings statewide could reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

If Big Labor’s failure in Wisconsin Senate recall races is any sign, voters can do the math.

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Imagine the police ignoring evidence of a crime because the right person didn’t call 911. Welcome to the the latest episode of Wisconsin Recall Election Follies.

Wisconsin's Elections 'Watchdogs'

The latest:

[Madison, Wisc...] Citizens not affiliated with either the recall organizations or the office holders targeted for recall this spring have found scores of problems with the petitions, but Wisconsin’s elections watchdogs have decided they will not consider any of their evidence.

GAB Director and General Counsel Kevin Kennedy said there is no process in place for accepting information from outside groups and individuals. Governor Scott Walker and the four Republican state senators against whom recall petitions were filed last month are the only parties that can contest the validity of signatures, according to Kennedy.

The GAB will not investigate or consider independently-submitted evidence of recall petition fraud. This includes circumstances wherein individuals might notify the board that their own name and forged signature were submitted.

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It’s not quite an online database, but it’s a start.  After reneging on their promise to post pdfs of the Scott Walker recall petitions online, the misnamed Wisconsin Government Accountability Board has relented.

The signatures are now online, here.

Earlier Tuesday, before their latest change of course, I sent the GAB this letter.

January 31, 2012
Kevin Kennedy
State of Wisconsin Government Accountability
Board 212 East Washington Avenue, Third Floor
VIA EMAIL AND HAND DELIVERED Madison,
Wisconsin 53707-7984

Dear Executive Director Kennedy:

This letter is to request the following records, under the state’s Open Records Law (19.31-39, Wisconsin Statutes):

Copy of the electronic record of the scanned petitions which seek the recall of Governor Scott Walker. This electronic record has been, under information and belief, created and is in your possession. Creation of a duplicate copy of said electronic record should, therefore, be able to be produced immediately and at a minimal cost, if any.

Please be aware that the Open Records law defines “record” to include information that is maintained on paper as well as electronically, such as data files and unprinted emails. Wis. Stat. § 19.32(2).

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Here’s an idea from the misnamed Wisconsin Government Accountability Board: Let’s make the attempt to recall Governor Scott Walker even nuttier.

On Monday morning the Wisconsin ‘Elections Watchdogs’ alerted media that the Walker recall petitions would be available sometime later that day. By dinnner time, they basically said, never mind.

You can’t make this stuff up.

From our coverage:

Stunner: Walker Recall Petitions NOT Available for Online Review

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A confident, perhaps a bit defiant, Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday delivered his annual State of the State address as a threat of a recall looms.

[Madison, Wisc…] Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker delivered his annual State of the State address Wednesday night before a polarized state legislature and with a potential recall looming.

“When I addressed you in the chamber last January, Wisconsin had suffered through three years of 150,000 of our fellow citizens losing their jobs,” Walker said. “The unemployment rate was 7.5%. And after years of tax increases and budget tricks, Wisconsin faced one of the largest budget deficits in the country.”

Walker boasted about the progress made in the last year.

“Tonight I’m happy to report that after three years of losing 150,000 jobs Wisconsin actually added thousands of new jobs in 2011,” said Walker. “New business formations are up by over two percent and our unemployment rate is down from a year ago. In fact, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate is much better than our neighbors to the south in Illinois.”

The governor outlined three priorities for his Administration:

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What started out as an idea on Facebook mushroomed into a full scale political rally on Saturday as more than 3,000 people braved frigid temps to attend a ‘Celebrate Walker’ rally in support of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

The event was not organized by state or local Republican Parties nor by any established Tea Party group. It began as a way to say thank you to Walker, who may be facing a recall election later this year. As more and more speakers lined up to participate, including the Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, and several declared candidates for US Senate, interest in the event grew.

Despite media reports that ‘hundreds’ attended the rally, organizers put attendance at more than 3,000.

Quite an impressive feat for an ad hoc group who quickly pulled together the event on a shoestring budget. They say in their wildest dreams they imagined a crowd perhaps a third of that size would attend.  It was the first pro-Walker political rally since recall organizers turned in petitions on Tuesday.

“A coalition of people who want more government money are going to try to drive him out,” said State Senator Glenn Grothman of Walker, who was not scheduled to attend the event.

In total, more than a dozen speakers took to the stage. Organizers held a bake sale in the back of the crowd to help defer costs. Several roamed the crowd selling pro Walker yard signs and bumper stickers.

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This Big Labor supporter had a fever and the only prescription was more cowbell.

The Appleton Post Crescent reports:

Two misdemeanor charges have been filed against an Appleton woman accused of hitting a police officer as he tried to restrain her husband after ringing a cowbell in the officer’s face.

Ashley C. Montour, 25, was charged in Winnebago County Circuit Court Tuesday with disorderly conduct and resisting/obstructing an officer, both misdemeanor offenses. If convicted, she faces one year in the county jail and $11,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint, Oshkosh police were responding to a report of a group of demonstrators outside of Robbins Restaurant, 1810 Omro Road, who were blocking the driveway and making a lot of noise.

When an officer arrived, he saw a group of six to eight people standing on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant with Recall Walker signs. Some were yelling and others were making noise with other objects such as trashcan covers or cowbells.

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Watch this brave and honest public employee at the end of this video.

The MacIver Institute and The Americans for Prosperity Foundation sponsored an It’s Working! town hall meeting on Saturday, January 7, 2012 in Southeast Wisconsin.

Participants heard from local and state lawmakers about how the recent budget reforms are saving budgets and benefiting taxpayers across Wisconsin. But one gentleman who wasn’t on the roster of speakers stole the show. During the Q and A session of the morning, this brave state employee explains how generous his benefits are, thanks taxpayers for them and thanks lawmakers for having the opportunity to have a voice in whether or not he wants to belong in a a union.

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Democrats and their leftwing allies are touting the fact that they reached their 1 million-signature goal in the effort to recall Governor Scott Walker. Political observers on both sides of the spectrum had predicted that a recall would proceed because organizers would eventually get enough signatures to force Walker to defend his post less than two years after taking office.

While recall advocates only needed to gather 540,208 valid signatures to force an election, reaching the 1 million mark was a symbolic goal that they set to prove the strength of the movement. However, before judging their efforts a complete success, several factors must be noted.

First, the petition process was riddled with fraud and tainted with questionable ethics at several points. Early in the process the Soros-funded One Wisconsin Now encouraged those opposed to Walker to sign recall petitions multiple times. Although not necessarily an illegal act (unless there is the specific intent to commit fraud), signing a petition multiple times does raise questions about how best to properly calculate the true number of signature since, in theory and according to state law, only the first signature will count. Even the Government Accountability Board’s announcement that it will use software to help catch duplicates, though a step in the right direction, doesn’t promise to catch every or even most of those kinds of errors.

When a Milwaukee man proudly said he signed recall petitions 80 times as a way of getting back at Republicans who, he believes, stole the 2000 election in Florida, he proved just how error prone the process can be.

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The Big-Labor backed Walker Recall coalition says they’ve turned in a million signatures today, well in excess of the 540,000 necessary to trigger a recall later this year. Our report:

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You have to draw the line somewhere, or maybe not. The Left in Wisconsin is so incensed at what Governor Scott Walker has done that they are apparently willing to associate with anyone who despises Walker as much as they do. Walker is being targeted for a recall election because of his work to curtail the power of public sector unions – a move required to help balance the state’s $3.6 billion structural deficit left by outgoing Democrat Governor Jim Doyle, and a move that helped return power to local government jurisdictions facing the prospect of hiking taxes to meet their budgets.

Democrats and leftwing groups in the state must secure a minimum of 540,208 signatures to force a recall election in which Governor Walker would have to defend his seat against a Democrat challenger. Last week was the final week in which signatures could be gathered on recall petitions.

To help keep the momentum going in the final week, and presumably to help fire up the troops, Ian Murphy, a Buffalo, New York based blogger came to Wisconsin to tour the state and cheer on the effort. Murphy earned folk hero status among the state’s anti-Walker class when he impersonated as billionaire libertarian donor David Koch and managed to bluff his way into a one-on-one phone call with Walker during the collective bargaining reform debate. The audio of the call was released on Murphy’s blog, the Buffalo Beast. It contained nothing shocking about Walker whereas Murphy merely fulfilled all of the Left’s stereotypes of what rich conservatives and libertarians must be like in private life.

But faking like he is a conservative isn’t the only thing Murphy does. In a column on his website headlined “F*** the Troops,” he writes:

“So, 4000 rubes are dead. Cry me the Tigris. Another 30,000 have been seriously wounded. Boo f—ing hoo. They got what they asked for—and cool robotic limbs, too.”

For such profanity laced, bigoted and insensitive comments it would make sense for Democrat elected officials and party staff to shun Murphy on his visit to the state. Unfortunately, they welcomed him with open arms because he, like them, is opposed to Governor Walker.

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Supporters of an unprecedented effort to oust Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from office said they will turn in more than enough signatures Tuesday to force the Republican into a recall election barely a year into his first term.

Walker, however, has no plans to be anywhere near the Capitol when recall organizers turn in the signatures by Tuesday’s deadline. The governor is scheduled to be in New York when organizers say they will be unloading the stacks of petitions, weighing a ton, from a truck and hauling them into the state election board’s offices.

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