What's Wrong with the so-called Right this week in Washington County, Wisconsin.
Glenn is always energetic about his job, but now that the moderate Republican representing several counties in southeast/central Wisconsin, he will be scrutinized on every divisive vote under these conditions of balance. While not really a true swing vote, his claim is that he is one of the most moderate Republicans in the legislature. The truth is, that he will listen to opposition but is unlikely to pay much attention. Alas, he's still on the Walkertrain for collective bargaining and the policies regarding teacher performance-vs-tenure, and wants to see large corporations . And just plain goofy.
In a letter to constituents, and Wednesday on “Sly in the Morning”, Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) extolled the education-saving virtues of Act 10, saying it was “…the best thing we could do for our public schools.” Grothman went on to say that “Wisconsin Schools are just not that great right now,” citing recent test scores as signs of an education emergency that only eliminating collective bargaining could remedy. Specifically noting that the “…most recent test scores show that black kids have the worst scores in the country…” and “…white kids scored lower than the national average.” Grothman stated his belief that collective bargaining is a roadblock to student achievement that had to be removed – for the sake of the kids. According to Grothman, there are too many “bad teachers” protected by unions that are “too hard to get rid of,” and that “people shouldn’t need an Education degree to teach.”After speaking with Senator Grothman today two things are very clear – first, he was not very familiar with the full data from the scores, admitting that Governor Walker seemed to have “cherry picked” the scores he cited. The Senator was merely repeating the information he was given by Scott Walker, trusting its accuracy – even out of context. The other issue that was perfectly clear is that he (and the other Republicans) are behaving as puppets to Scott Walker and the Corporatics pulling HIS strings – believing every bit of misinformation being fed to them to demonize teachers and their unions. The best thing for Wisconsin and our children is for this propaganda to be exposed and debunked, so that a real debate about education can take place.[...]
I guess what with the tea they've been snorting, there's nothing a Wisconsin Republican won't threaten these days... like getting outside help from the MacIver Institute... soon to be an officially branch of the Wisconsin Security Police?
WisPolitics.com: Grothman Campaign: Grothman calls on clerks, GAB, law enforcement to step up on absentee ballot abuse
Grothman Campaign: Grothman calls on clerks, GAB, law enforcement to step up on absentee ballot abuse
8/4/2011
CONTACT: SENATOR GROTHMAN
262.689.8421
[West Bend, WI]- Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) released the following statement today on the subject of legal voting requirements in the upcoming Recall elections:
“It has come to my attention that absentee ballot applications have been filed on college campuses, last May, by students in dormitories and other areas on the La Crosse, Oshkosh River Falls and Stout campuses.
“Young people who move frequently, and college students in particular, should remember that when they vote on Aug 9th, they are legally required to have a residence in their ward on Aug 9th. A dorm contract that expired in the spring or a lease that begins in September is not enough.”
“I strongly encourage Clerks and law enforcement to crack down on any voters who may try to influence elections in wards in which they don’t even live.
“I am also reminding all clerks that if applications were made for all elections for the rest of the calendar year, that if a voter did not vote in the July election, they should not be receiving an absentee ballot in the August election unless they notified the clerk that they wanted a ballot in August.
“I would also point out that independent organizations such as the MacIver Institute may also be on the lookout for election scofflaws.”
Some telling comparisons.
It must be a lot easier to be a State Senator when someone else writes the legistlation for you.
Glenn Grothman - SourceWatch
Sen. Grothman is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). He is a member of the ALEC Education Task Force.
Grothman and Worker's Rights
Sen. Grothman was a vocal supporter of Governor Scott Walker's Wisconsin Act 10, which restricted collective bargaining rights for public employees, and introduced or co-sponsored the following bills:
- Family and medical leave: state law construed as an enactment of statewide concern and preempts city, village, town, or county ordinances............SB-23
- Compare to preemption effort in the ALEC Living Wage Mandate Preemption Act
Grothman and Education
- Private school grades K-12 tuition: nonrefundable individual income tax credit created............ AB-112 / SB-69
- Compare with the ALEC Family Education Tax Credit Program Act
ALEC- Related Campaign Contributions
According to ProPublica, Grothman received the following ALEC-related contributions:
- 2010 JOHN DEERE & CO $500
- 2010 AT&T $500
- 2006 KOCH INDUSTRIES $250
- 2006 AT&T $500
- 2006 ALLIANT ENERGY $250
- 2006 PFIZER $500
- 2006 PFIZER - $500
- 2006 WAL-MART $1,000
- 2006 WAL-MART -$1,000
- 2002 VERIZON $100
- 2000 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS $100
- 1998 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS $300
- 1998 NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS $250
