Glenn Grothman: assigned to cut eduational opportunities for taxpayers.

Hi everyone,

The Republican committee assignments have been made and Senator Grothman has been assigned to Education.

“The Senate Republican team is ready to get to work and hold the Majority Party accountable for their plans to address Wisconsin’s budget deficit,” Fitzgerald said. “We will spend the next two years providing a clear alternative and making our case that economic recovery can only begin by making Wisconsin more affordable for families, employers and entrepreneurs through lower taxes and less regulation.”

Senator Grothman, whose record on education is to cut educational opportunities for the taxpayer every chance he gets, is now the minority party's representative on educational spending?

How do you make education more affordable for Wisconsin taxpayers by shifting the tax burden to our less wealthy citizens?

Yeah, I don't know either.


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on campaign reform.

Hi everyone,

Not a lot of news of Glenn lately after his big win. Here's something from Sheyboygan:

An excerpt from Editorial: Pass much-needed reform bills

"Pay-for-play" has also come up recently involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who stands accused of a host of sins, including a brazen attempt to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder.

The case against Blagojevich is far from over, but just hearing about another politician accused of corruption in one form or another is disturbing.

Like the recent scandals that rocked Madison, the accusations against congressmen in the last few years and now the Illinois governor, should be a clarion call for ethics and campaign reform.

Unfortunately, many reform proposals introduced in the Legislature in the last session failed to even get to the floor for a vote.

These reforms, including a simple one to ban campaign fundraising while the state budget is being debated, would help to restore public confidence in lawmakers and remove the influence of special interests.

Sadly, four of our local lawmakers were among the many who didn't support reform attempts. Reps. Steve Kestell and Dan LeMahieu and Sen. Glenn Grothman were listed as "public enemies" by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign for voting for only one of seven reforms. Sen. Joe Leibham was listed as a "bystander" for supporting two. [my italics]

Glenn typically doesn't like reforms that keep big money from advertising their candidates into office since it violates big money's their freedom of speech. I'm not unsympathetic with that view, but frankly, being the good neo-con that he is, I'm only surprised that Glenn hasn't suggested we go the whole way: privatize government and let the market take care of elections, the way the Illinois governor has.



hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on cutting off kindergarteners, again.

Hi everyone,

Something from last week... sorry, had a cold and had to catch up on my grading before resuming gadfly mode.

Oh dear, here he goes again.

Wisconsin Radio Network: GOP lawmaker eyes school cuts

Grothman also remains critical of expansions in four-year-old kindergarten programs around the state. He thinks they're a poor investment, claming there's little evidence they actually help children learn.

Grothman says public schools should face cuts, just like every other state program.

Maybe Sen. Grothman saves up this assault on kindergarteners when he runs out of other stuff... it's come up before in this little blog.

Anyway, here's something I put up nearly a year ago:

I just Googled up a swamp full of data and longitudinal studies by universities and the Federal Government Accounting Office.

The National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University has been keeping track of 5 states worth of pre-K education. They've noted good results.

The state of Tennessee thinks it's a great idea and the GAO's data from Oklahoma and Georgia suggest we might think about ramping up as well.

And so on.

hiho

Mp

Glenn Grothman: smoking restrictions an assault on diversity??

Hi everyone,


The latest treat: Glenn Grothman argues that a ban on smoking in public places demonstrates an increasing lack of respect for diversity.

Uttering the word "diversity" -- by itself -- must have chipped a couple of Glenn's front teeth on its way out of his mouth.

Lawmakers anticipate success for smoking ban

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, agreed, saying, “I believe if you own a restaurant, you have the right to set the rules as in your own house. But over time, our society has developed less respect for diversity, and people want everyone to think and act like they do.”

I was a long time smoker myself. I still miss it and refuse to be one of those "I quit why haven't you?" people who made my life such a misery while I was trying to quit. -- but I was a long time smoker precisely because nicotine is so damned addictive.

The reason why government should discourage cigarette use has everything to do with public health and nothing to do with 'diversity', a concept which, to Glenn, seems to mean a marginal toleration of ELCA Lutherans.

Finally, since finance seems to override morality in Glenn's mind, consider that, typically, in cities where smoking was banned, restaurant profits generally increase. That's because there are more non-smokers than smokers nowadays and non-smokers don't spend their money at bars that allow smoking.


hiho
Mp