Glenn Grothman: still opposed to kindergarten.

I have to start wondering if Glenn had a really bad time in Kindergarten.

Senate to hear kindergarten bill

“Kindergarten is the foundation for everything a child learns,” Jauch said. “It assures good social interaction and helps cement learning tools children will rely upon as they go through school.”

However, not all senators agree with the bill’s purpose. Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said school districts are seeing many parents enroll their kids in kindergarten, but the kids do not show up at an acceptable rate, something he said parents should not be punished for.

Furthermore, Grothman said he opposes the bill because he believes parents should have a choice in their child’s education and this bill restricts that choice.

“Some parents like to take care of their own children. There is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to do that,” Grothman said.

Because making kindergarten available is really just communism in disguise. Like all public education.

hiho

Glenn Grothman: wrong for wanting special treatment.

Some more of this business with CFACT.

The Badger Herald: Opinion: Denied See: Fact(s)

Glenn Grothman: wrong on German Fest.

And from the Daily News

By night, the crowds really come out for the food and fun

Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) says you can't go wrong with Germanfest.

“There's nothing better,” he said. “You can sit here drink good beer, play sheepshead and eat the best burgers and brats and Hungarian food all night long.”

Maybe Glenn is thinking back to the good old days when Hungary was part of Germany?

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on campaign finance reform.

Hi everyone,

Long time between Glenn entries, but I was at a conference and then getting the semester ready... all for 5% less than last year. Hm..

Ah, Glenn. He doesn't think there's a problem with how we elect judges. He does, of course, whenever a judge he doesn't like gets elected... but lately, it's mainly been happy time for Glenn.

In the meantime, from the Superior Telegram: Campaign finance reform needed, but will it happen?

Then there was Sen. Glen Grothman, R-West Bend, who claimed none of his constituents thought the high court was corrupt and asked for examples. It was like he was calling Kreitlow’s concerns blasphemy, even treason!

That was the first moment I realized Grothman has such high self-regard that he actually thinks we will believe the nonsense he spouts. I was wondering who paid Grothman to speak in favor of the status quo.

Kreitlow’s response was sublime: He evenly mentioned that in many cases justices have been asked to recuse themselves because of campaign contributions from parties involved in a case coming before the court.

I know of more than a few of his constituents who believe there's a problem.... but apparently none of them are constituents who matter to him.

hiho
MP

Glenn Grothman: chasing drunk drivers? Finally.

Hi everyone,

A terribly sad story about a death caused by a drunk driver.

Grieving parents pushing to change blood-alcohol testing laws - JSOnline

The blood test was given three hours later but there may have been some procedural goofs that could have the evidence thrown out. The terrible consequences of protecting the innocent sometimes can protect the guilty, but that's the price we pay for freedom.. or, in this case, that the family in question is paying.

The real problem, of course, are the insane drunk driving laws in Wisconsin that let a first offense off with a $726 fine and ... and no felony conviction.

Anyway, at some point here in the Journal story Glenn makes an appearance as a sympathetic ear.

They've found a sympathetic ear in state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), who said he's prepared to introduce a bill that could require a blood test of any driver in a fatal crash. Now, a test can be required only if there is probable cause to believe alcohol is involved - such as when a driver fails initial field sobriety tests.

"It seems strange that you can't demand a blood test when someone has done something so horrific," he said. The difference in this case, he noted, would be a homicide charge that carries a 25-year prison sentence or a traffic ticket for running a stop sign that carries a few-hundred-dollar fine.

"Given the dramatic difference, the government certainly has an interest in seeing which one of these it should be," he said.

Grothman said he's asked the attorney general to review his bill, one that could reasonably raise constitutionality questions. As tentatively drafted, Grothman's bill would not impose a mandatory blood test on drivers in non-fatal injury accidents unless there is probable cause to suspect alcohol was involved, he said.

The state's current "implied consent" law for anyone who gets behind the wheel imposes penalties on drivers who refuse a blood-alcohol test, Martens said, but he noted that probable cause for the test also is required.

Grothman would like to see the bill added to a proposed revamping of the state's drunken-driving laws - revisions that have been demanded by a public tired of the highway slaughter from impaired drivers, many of them multiple offenders.

At long last although, I hate to say it, the cynic in me imagines that in other circumstances Glenn would simply call this "yet more government trashing of our individual rights." If this guy had been hunting and shot someone, and we'd asked for a blood test to see if he was high or drunk, I have to imagine Glenn rushing to the guilty party's defense and trashing the socialist anti-hunting conspiracy.

I'd be thrilled to be wrong about that. I have a column coming up on Driving while Cell Phoning... which we now discover is about as bad as driving while drunk.

And so on.

Regardless, remember to light a candle for our neighbors in Farmington who've suffered this horrible, needless, loss.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: back in the national news. CFACT [CFALSE?] again.

A follow-up.

Glenn makes US News & World Report for blowing up a paperwork bungle into ideological persecution.

Conservative Group Threatens to Sue University of Wisconsin - The Paper Trail (usnews.com)

The best line, however, isn't Glenn's here. It's this:

"It takes time and money to organize a lot of these things," CFACT National Director Bill Gilles said. "There's absolutely no way we can maintain a 300-to-400-person internship program with no money."

I love it when conservatives trot out their sense of entitlement to university funding after having created an entire political movement out of complaining when anyone else raises the question.


Check out especially:

The Sconz (who points out CFACT's creepy culty vibe)
and Forward Thinking (which runs through details surrounding CFACT's loss of funding).

hiho

Glenn Grothman test scores: Business interests, 100. Municiple interests: Zero.

And the latest update on Glenn's standing with different statewide groups.

Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to Wisconsin National Federation of Independent Business 's position, Sen. Glenn Grothman received a rating of 100.

Sen. Glenn Grothman supported the interests of the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce 92 percent in 2007-2008.

Based on a point system, with points assigned for actions in support of or in opposition to League of Wisconsin Municipalities 's position, Sen. Glenn Grothman received a rating of 0.

Businesses and WMC love him... those who have to run the state at the local level, not so much.

That seems like it'd be contradictory, no?

Unless maybe WMC has a different set of priorities than our local municipalities do.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: playing the victim card to cover incompetence?

Hi everyone,

CFACT, a campus group at UW Madison that claims global warming isn't an issue and urges free market solutions to... well, apparently everything... lost it's funding because they failed to file the proper paperwork.

Stuff like that happens on college campuses, especially when you have politically active groups with a fairly regular changeover in membership -- as college groups do. The Badger Herald reports that UW Mad had been funding them for over $1o0k a year (which seems insanely high for student group funding, frankly), but if that's the norm at Madison, so be it.

For the record, student groups like this have an absolute right to the same funding as any other group on campus -- the Regents believe this and so, surely, must Biddy Martin.

The group's funding was pulled because they failed to follow proper funding protocols but notice how they immediately play the victim card to cover their mistake.

Glenn, as always, felt compelled to play the political/ideological victim card, too.


The Badger Herald: News: UPDATED: CFACT may sue UW if its funding isn’t restored

State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, was one of nine state legislators to ask the chancellor to reconsider.

“Without CFACT on campus, discussions about environmental and social issues will be completely one-sided,” they wrote in May. “The diversity that CFACT adds to these issues is invaluable to the UW campus and should be maintained.”

In response, Martin reiterated that she had no authority to intercede if the funding was denied because of a procedural issue.

Grothman wasn’t convinced. On Monday, he said he believed the issue revolved around CFACT’s unpopular message.

“We have a huge problem in society,” he said. “Too many of our universities hate any diversity of viewpoint other than that of the hard left. It’s appalling.”

The big miss here, of course, is that it isn't hatred that makes being a crazy rightwinger difficult on college campuses: it's reason wot makes it difficult.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: fighting against equal pay for women.

Hi everyone,

On and on. Thanks to Cory for finding this:

Eye on Wisconsin: Equal Pay Brings Out Inferior Spin

[an excerpt]

Who could possibly be against the idea of more aggressively fighting pay discrimination? Well apparently Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) is and he can't wait to tell us how "outraged" he is about it. Why am I not surprised that the same guy that fought the Martin Luther King holiday years after the right wing gave up on the issue, is also leading the charge against stronger pay discrimination laws?

Amidst his wailing over the issue, he does a lot of complaining about the punitive damages that are possible under the law. In his press release he says, "Senate Bill 20 can give up to $300,000 in punitive damages to people who claim they were discriminated against." (emphasis mine) That is not correct, he is being deceptive and he knows it. It can give up to $300,000 to people that have already gone through several layers of fact finding and legal proceedings and have already PROVEN that they were discriminated against. Grothman deceptively tries to make it sound like just anyone that files a claim can get in line for 300k, which simply has no basis in reality. So apparently Glenn Grothman is mad because we are exposing employers that have already been proven to have discriminated to a possible $300,000 in punitive damages. Cry me a river Glenn. He then goes on to undercut his own argument by admitting that the vast majority of claims don't ever go nearly far enough to even think about punitive damages.

Besides, women don't really want to earn more than about 70 cents on the dollar.

Yeah, I'm kidding -- but Glenn sure isn't.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: jailing drunk drivers too expensive.

Hi everyone,

So apparently it's cheaper for the counties to let people die than to jail drunk drivers?


Fighting at the Capitol Over DUI Laws | Newsradio 620

Supporters of tougher drunk driving laws are losing hope, especially after Thursday's Senate hearing.

The stories are filled with tears and pictures. Victims of drunk drivers want tougher laws.

[...]

Then the Wisconsin Counties' Association argued that tougher laws could be too expensive.

"The cost to county jails under this bill would be a minimum $2-million," says the group's Sarah Diedrick-Kasdorf.

The hearing is on a proposal to make some repeat drunk drivers felons and make special breath test car locks an option for some drunk drivers.

But victims' families want more. For one, they want a first drunk driving offense to be a crime.

Senators aren't on board.

"I'm not sure the legislature wants to put people in jail immediately," says Republican Glenn Grothman of West Bend.

Maybe only after their first kill? That would save us money.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: hopes the economy will get worse to improve GOP reelection chances?

Hi everyone,


From the Leader-Telegram Online:

"If this budget is passed out of the Senate and Assembly like it left (the Joint Finance Committee), it's going to do permanent damage to the state," said Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend.

The thing is, Mr. Grothman's party -- and its now well tested economic ideology -- is largely responsible for the current economic mess.

The damage is already done. The question is: how do the rest of us now recover from it?

Short answer: not by doing the things that brought us here.



hiho
Mp

Free drinks item in budget will come at a cost, critics say

Hi everyone,

I'm always surprised nowadays when I agree with Glenn, but there it is.

Free drinks item in budget will come at a cost, critics say - JSOnline

Republican state Sen. Glenn Grothman of West Bend said the change showed how individual legislators push to "get silly little bills into the budget" that have nothing to do with state spending.

What really surprised me was that NOBODY knew who had introduced the amendment in question? Is Joint Finance the Family Circus [check under GREMLINS]?


hiho
Mp

Medicaid Program Provides Free Condoms - WGBA -

Hi everyone,

Could it be true that Mr. Grothman expects teenagers won't want sex unless provoked by the presence of condoms?

Um.

History has demonstrated rather clearly that biology alone is a sufficient to make teenagers want sex, even without condoms... -- which is what the skyrocketing rates of STDs prove.

Medicaid Program Provides Free Condoms - WGBA -:

"Teenage boys from low-income families could soon get free condoms. It's all part of an extension of the current Family Planning Waiver Program supported by Medicaid. The program currently provides healthcare services and birth control to low income women. Now the state is hoping to add males 15 to 44 . But not all legislators support it. Senator Glenn Grothman says, 'It really sends the message that not that sexual activity is wrong, that sexual activity is to be expected. That's the message you are sending with this program.'
But Planned Parenthood says they're not handing out condoms they're providing good healthcare for those who otherwise go without.
'Infection rates in this state are skyrocketing. These are the facts, that Senator Grothman ignores. This is a health care crisis,' says Rachel Safar with Planned Parenthood.
The Department of Health Services says by expanding this program to males it is expected to avert 373 Medicaid-funded births and save the State $2.05 million. That figure is based upon Medicaid paying about $5, 501 per birth."

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: votes for cancer and emphysema and against smoking ban.

Hi everyone,

Sometimes it writes itself.

In the Journal.

State Legislature passes smoking ban - WKOW

And in the Sheboygan Press

Blogwise, some observations from WAG THE DOG.




hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: against punitive damages for those suffering discrimination.

Hi everyone,

I like the faux interview style Glenn uses in his own press releases... also I like the idea that Glenn is his own media. Can't say why, just do.

Here's the latest. Grothman Rips Democratic Senate Vote Passing “Don’t Hire Anyone In Wisconsin Bill”

Sorry, but I don't just don't have enough sarcasm to do this justice.


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: a possible candidate for Lt. Governor? Hurray.

Hi everyone,

Here's an interesting thought:

Republicans talk about core values : La Crosse Tribune

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker was the overwhelming favorite for governor in 2010, according to a straw poll of delegates to the State Republican Convention.

[...]

Superior Mayor Dave Ross got 147 votes for lieutenant governor, compared with Sen. Glenn Grothman of West Bend, who got 109 votes. Grothman has been touted as a possible candidate, although he hasn’t said whether he would run. [my italics]

It would be good news for this cata(b)logue of the Senator's ideological Adventures in Wonderland... but it would also be good for a subtler reason.

I've always believed that if people actually knew about the things Senator Grothman said, embarrassment or the ballot box would eventually force him to stop saying them. I could be completely wrong, of course -- it's just a hypothesis.

As usual, my favorite local blog, Illusory Tenant has made some worthwhile observations.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: votes no on penalties for sex discrimination.

Hi everyone,

I used to think that Glenn voted against bills like this because of the potential holes lurking in them --

(For instance: if it's true that 84% of all sexual discrimination cases "are found to be without merit" then the reporting mechanisms should probably be reexamined. Moreover, there's every good reason to want to avoid following the path of medical malpractice claims, where insurance companies find it cheaper to settle (even in cases where the doctor was not actually guilty of malpractice) than go through a trial. I notice that the paper didn't address either of these two elephants in the room.)

-- but, I've come around to the belief that my Senator simply doesn't like any legislation which attends to social justice because social justice is just too expensive.

Senate approves bill allowing judges to award damages for sex discrimination

Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) called the bill "very dangerous," because it will prompt businesses to pay settlements of up to $25,000 with workers and former workers to avoid paying legal bills to defend themselves.

Although more than 3,000 discrimination complaints are filed every year, 84% of them are found to be without merit, Grothman added.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: standing up for our freedom to smoke, and then make others breathe it.

Okay, just one more.

Glenn doesn't like science, obviously.

This from Kevin Fischer's Week-ends

"Working in a bar is not like working in a coal mine in West Virginia in 1915. Second- hand smoke is a minor problem. … It’s not that dangerous of a thing."

State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), dismissing the statewide smoking ban included in Governor Doyle's budget as “one more freedom we’re taking away.”

It's a freedom we're being denied?

Who is blowing smoke now?


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: new law to protect cyclists is stupid.

Hi everyone,

Okay, one more from last Monday.

They've introduced a new bill so that if someone in a parked car pops open their door without looking, and a bicyclist slams into it, the cyclist doesn't get a ticket.

And so, what kind of response should we expect from Wisconsin's 20th Senate District?

At issue: Whack a bicyclist, get a ticket

No less a celebrity than talk radio host Rush Limbaugh attacked the Madison ordinance on a Feb. 16 show, saying bikers ought to just start riding “defensively.”

“It is not a matter of common sense,” Limbaugh said. “It’s the government taking over our lives so we don’t need to have any common sense.”

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend agreed. “It never ceases to amaze me that after 160 years, legislators still find new laws to be introduced.”

I'm working through whether introducing a law to nix an old, stupid law, is the same as finding a new law to be introduced.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: there's too much attention being paid to cancer among minorities.

Clearing some backload from Glenn's recent press:

First, Doctors don't respect human life and now this:

Pushing cancer education, awareness for minorities

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services aims to educate the public about certain health challenges, including the disparities among racial and ethnic groups.

"So one of our challenges is that we know that rates of many kinds of cancer are higher among communities of color – African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic, Asians – than they are for our White populations."

[...]

Senator Glenn Grothman had said we don't need Minority Cancer Awareness Week; awareness for everyone should suffice.

Because Glenn doesn't believe cancer rates are higher among communities of color?

-- I know, or global warming. Or evolution, probably.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: doctors don't respect human life.

Hi everyone,

The Legislature approved appointments to the state medical board this week but, as usual, Glenn was unhappy.

State Senate OKs seats

“I think the people on the UW Hospital Board bizarrely not only don’t have respect for human life, they don’t have respect for people who have respect for human life,” he [Grothman] said.

It must be quite a burden to constantly hope things will go badly for the state and, then, complain when they don't. If the economy improves he's going to need new and stronger meds. I wonder if he'll go to a doctor then?

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: protecting kids from lead paint is okay so long as it doesn't cost us anything.

Hi everyone,

I think something must've happened to Glenn when he got into the Senate. Maybe lead in his childhood home finally caught up with him? If only they'd had lead abatement programs to protect kids in those days...

News: $6.7 million will go to decreasing lead paint

“Too many children have already been harmed by lead paint or other hazards and this money is crucial to allowing us to help make our homes safer,” Doyle said in a statement.

However, Republicans are skeptical of the measure due to the increase in federal spending.

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, member of the Senate Committee on Housing, expressed his concern on the government’s recent spending on various programs in the state.

“The federal government is so far in debt they have no businesses spending more money on anything, but if they’re doling out money… we might as well get our fair share,” Grothman said.

I guess ...

If we have to.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: students get enough money

Hi everyone,


Mr. Grothman thinks it's still 1974 -- the years before he started his crusade to cut access to the middle class through the university.

Grothman: students get enough money

Anyway, I still think it's ironic that students did get enough money back when the state subsidized Grothman's education.


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: cutting taxes for the rich is an attack on the middle class.

Hi everyone,


Yeah, Glenn put out another press release last week about the way the university poses a threat to the middle class which is odd, considering he's one of the people at fault for the need for increased tuition at Madison.

Sam Clegg's reflections in the Badger Herald.

Herald Blogs: Muckrakers - Thoughts on Martin’s Initiative?

Simply put, financially rich does not - nor has it ever - implied intellectually superior. But how does one articulate to concerned students that differential tuition does not signal a Marxist war on wealth? Certainly, the opposition will always have its class acts, such as State Senator Glenn Grothman, who argued in a press release that the tuition hike was largely “an assault on two-parent families with traditional values.” Against such lamentable cases of deliberate absurdity, little effort can or should be invested.

I used to think the absurdities were deliberate. Now I think they're simply innate -- plus that's what the evidence suggests.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: Freedom requires more gun ownership.

Hi folks,

Glenn doesn't want to allow micro-stamping of ammo in order to identify the product later. He believes it's as useless as serial numbers on guns.... but that we need more guns -- apparently.


First shots fired over handgun microstamping in Wisconsin

"The real motive of this proposal is clear - to prevent people from owning guns," Grothman said. "But because that would not be politically viable at this time, the hard left will try to start by keeping guns out of the hands of the poor and the most vulnerable citizens. Founding father George Mason said the best way to enslave people is to disarm them, and that is the way our country is going."

I guess it would be responsible for me to note that a much easier way to enslave people is to make them stupider by continually attempting to cut funding for education. This makes Mr. Grothman infinitely more dangerous that the weapons dealers for whom he's now shilling.

I am a little weirded out by his assertion here that our most vulnerable citizens are the poorest ones -- if that's the case, then why does he insist on policies that create so many of 'em? Unless maybe that's the real idea.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: Dazed and Confused, Nothing New.

Hi everyone,

The more often Glenn speaks, the easier it is to see him.

Paul Soglin: Waxing America:
Grothman Beaned In Spring Training: Dazed and Confused, Nothing New.


What continues to astonish me is that Glenn votes, repeatedly, against the interests of his own constituents here in Washington County -- home to one of the UW Campuses (actually operating in the black) that offers the lowest tuition of any of our sister institutions.

The university is the pathway, these days especially, to more secure employment opportunities -- but Glenn keeps slicing away at us, and then blames the university for "punishing" the middle class. Nice technique.

Glenn forgets that he hasn't been "middle class" in any meaningful sense since he passed the bar exam.

hiho
Mpeterson

Glenn Grothman: wrong for opposing law enforcement improvements.

Hi everyone,

Since his budget vote is a piece of cake this year (no to everything), Glenn is finding time to comment on everything else.

The Badger Herald: News: Proposed gun bill stirs controversy

Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, and Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, ... [argue that] the bill will increase the cost of guns by $200 and infringe on individuals’ constitutional rights.

I can't afford to buy time on television or talk radio either but, according to Glenn, that's NOT an infringement of my constitutional rights.

Wow, if this kept up, only rich people would have guns. Maybe then they'd start robbing banks the old fashioned way, instead of using their Republican operatives in Congress.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: money first, safety second.

Hi everyone,

On the 10th anniversary of a crash of a van outside Janesville that killed seven people, Glenn is gearing up for his fight over the budget by going to bat against the safety of young people.

State Senate passes new rules for traveling sales crews

The sales crew bill would require anyone who employs door-to-door teams of two or more who travel together and who stay overnight away from their homes to register with the state Department of Workforce Development, pay a fee and comply with new rules. Those who hire door-to-door crews must also clear criminal background checks.

It cleared the Senate on a 27-6 vote and passed the Assembly 68-30.

Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) had pushed the bill for years but found it blocked by Republican leaders in the past. Democrats now control both houses of the Legislature.

"There are crews who prey on our kids - especially troubled kids," who end up forced into "cult-like situations," Erpenbach said.

But Republican Sen. Glenn Grothman of West Bend said the Legislature was "overreacting to a horrible tragedy." He said some college students have earned up to $15,000 in a summer working long hours on door-to-door sales crews.

Phil Ellenbecker, 60, of Verona was on hand for the votes. His 18-year-old daughter, Malinda Turvey, had worked on a magazine sales crew for two days when she was killed in the March 25, 1999, van crash on I-90. The accident occurred as Milton police tried to stop the vehicle.

"I'm overjoyed with this," Ellenbecker said.

It's a good thing university was so much cheaper when Senator Grothman went to school.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: recognized for his contribution to global warming.

Hi everyone,

This one slipped by the Google alerts for a while, so I missed it, but it turns out that Glenn, too, has been acknowledged for his belief in the Flat Earth theory.

From: Americans for Prosperity Applauds Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman

Americans for Prosperity Applauds Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman

Thursday, March 12th 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 12, 2009:
Contact: Mark Block (414) 475-2975 or Phil Kerpen (202) 349-5880

Americans for Prosperity Applauds Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman

-Signs No Climate Tax Pledge-

MILWAUKEE-The Wisconsin chapter of the free-market grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP-WI) today applauded Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman (20th Senate District) for signing the group’s “No Climate Tax Pledge.” By doing so, Grothman pledges to “oppose legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in state or local government revenue.”

“The one thing elected officials should be able to agree on is that global warming shouldn’t be used as an excuse to hike taxes on citizens and businesses,” said AFP-WI State Director Mark Block. “We encourage all of Wisconsin’s elected officials and candidates for elected office to sign the pledge.”

State Sen. Grothman joins other Wisconsin officials State Reps. Leah Vukmir (14th), Jim Ott (23rd), Bill Kramer (97th), and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker as signers of the pledge.

Grass roots? Yeah, like JP Morgan's croquet set used grass roots for his tea parties. That's how they've been using us.

What's staggering to me is that after nearly 30 years of free market ideologues like Glenn and this wrecking crew of pirates pillaging our national and state treasuries by privatizing public services, and trying to stay afloat in the Krakatoa tsunami their greed has created, these crack-addict socialism-for-corporations-capitalism-for-everyone-else grifters are still selling the con.

Does this mean that Glenn too is asleep? Or simply that he's good at rocking our cradle?

First garter snakes, now global warming.


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: please sign on to return independence to the DNR.

Wow, this is where this blog really took off: Glenn and the DNR.

Herpetologists from all over the US started emailing me to ask who this lunatic was.

However, it looks like Governor Doyle is balking at returning the appointment of the secretary of the Department of Natural Resources to the Natural Resources Board.

Why he would hesitate, I cannot imagine. He shouldn't.

It was a bad move when Gov. Thompson took control of that appointment -- although it got hurrahs from the Republicans who were tired of DNR interference in their patrons profit margins. None of them liked being told that preserving Wisconsin's ecosystem had to be taken into account when there was money to be made.

Anyway, the President of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation asked Glenn to sign on to the task of taking the politics out of appointing the DNR secretary.

Community Conversations: Let citizens' board name DNR head


For what it's worth, Lil Piping is right on the money here.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: violating the open meetings law?

Glenn is quiet for a while, and then a flurry of news, like late spring snow squalls.

My Google alerts found this in the Lakeland Times: Slamming shut the doors of government

According to Richard Mial of the La Crosse Tribune, several years ago Republican Sens. Glenn Grothman of West Bend and Alberta Darling of River Hills held invitation-only public hearings on a proposed constitutional amendment to limit spending by school districts and local governments.

That's right, invitation-only public hearings.

The abuse of manipulation of the public hearings process, both by state agencies and lawmakers, is well known by Madison insiders; in fact, for more controversial items, or bills lawmakers want to fly under the radar, public notice is often made at the last minute, and sometimes held at odd times - like a Friday afternoon - to minimize public participation.

If we have a meeting on campus to discuss styrofoam cup purchases, we follow the open meeting guidelines to the letter. What's going on in Madison?

Here's the earlier piece:

Wisconsin State Journal
Thursday, April 6, 2006
RICHARD MIAL

Wisconsin's open meetings law is based on the idea that "a representative government of the American type is dependent upon an informed electorate."

But don't tell that to two prominent Republican state senators. They seem to think that it's better when the public isn't involved.

Republican Sens. Glenn Grothman of West Bend and Alberta Darling of River Hills held two invitation-only public hearings on a proposed constitutional amendment to limit spending by school districts and local governments.

Normally, such meetings are designed to get input from all citizens, but Grothman and Darling limited a March 29 meeting at the Germantown Village Hall to local government leaders only. An earlier session March 13 in Brown Deer was limited to only school officials. And Darling met privately last Friday with members of a parent-teacher group and the Milwaukee Jewish Council. Both meetings were held in the Milwaukee area.

While Darling said that it was not the organizers' intent to exclude anyone, the fact that members of the public were not informed about the earlier hearings shows there was, in fact, an attempt to exclude ordinary people.

Grothman even said the March 29 hearing was better than one to which the public would have been invited.

"To be honest," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "we learned a lot more from the invitation-only meeting."

Constituents are such a nuisance.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: was better at constituent outreach when still an Assemblyman.

Hi everyone,

Oh, just have a look.

The Agony and the Ecstasy: Last of those letters he sends out.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: is not a racist, honest.

Hi everyone,

Yeah, doubling up from Motley Cow, but this week's column was Glenn specific. Glenn wrote a letter to the Regents this past week describing how much he disapproves of the UW's Diversity plan.

What's most interesting about his letter, apart from obliquely urging the protection of Caucasian access to higher education, is how disingenuous it was. The UW diversity plan follows the Supreme Court rulings to the letter.

To. The. Letter.

If they didn't, they'd get whacked with lawsuits so fast that even the UW Madison Marching Band would feel dizzy. And, since Glenn can't raise constitutional issues, all he can do is make insinuations about how diversity keeps nice white kids from getting into UW Madison. What I didn't include in the column was the fairly common observation that "Um, Glenn hates the Univesrity -- he's done everything he can to gut it -- why would he be interested in making access "fair"??

Yeah, I can't figure it out either... I've stopped trying to make sense of the Senator's votes or public statements. My best guess is that this blather simply masks some long term resentment or, more simply, a kind of innocent, nascient racism. I'm guessing, of course.


This week's column.

Diversity, UW system and American casserole


First of all, I am not now, nor have I ever been, authorized to speak on behalf of the University of Wisconsin System. They don’t even like it when I ask questions at meetings. My comments reflect only my own views. Having said that:

Last week the UW Regents discussed the current plan for diversity in UW System. As he has in the past, Sen. Glenn Grothman protested what he called the university’s “obsession” with diversity and dared the Regents to answer a few questions. Sen. Grothman doesn’t like diversity, but his letter raises more questions than it asks.

Most of his questions are built around his first one, which asks “even if diversity is good for its own sake ... doesn’t this imply a climate promoting excessive focus on one’s ancestry as opposed to one’s individual accomplishments?”

First of all, nobody said diversity is good for its own sake. There are great reasons to want a big buffet of different cultures and students or faculty with different experiences on a university campus. Diversity for diversity’s sake is not one of them.

The senator forgets that America is already a diverse country – shoot, we invented diversity. Remember, E Pluribus Unum? Moreover, being diverse has never created a climate that promotes excessive focus on ancestry as opposed to individual accomplishment.

Good grief, my ancestry is Norwegian and German Lutherans: imagine if America forced me to focus on lutefisk and herring rather than on my individual accomplishments. Or, more frightening for you non-Norwegians out there, imagine if America forced the rest of you to eat lutefisk and herring. I love ‘em but, c’mon – I can’t reasonably expect anyone else to.

The American casserole (hot dish, paella, hot pot, jambalaya) – doesn't excessively focus on carrots, peas, or (if you’re a Norwegian Lutheran) the cream of mushroom soup. In fact, the main reason any university promotes diversity is that no education is complete until a student becomes familiar with other parts of the American – and now, global – casserole.

So why would the senator worry about the university giving students a taste of the whole world? I suspect his real worry is that some of the carrots are being admitted simply because they’re carrots – something a lawyer should know is explicitly prohibited by a number of Supreme Court decisions.

OKy, I'm being metaphorical. The Supreme Court decisions don’t mention carrots, but they do mention race.

The court has ruled specifically on how universities may use admissions procedures to insure an adequate amount of cultural and ethnic diversity, most famously in the Bakke case. Justice Powell’s opinion was crystal clear: preferring members of any one group for no reason other than race was itself racial discrimination. But there is a constitutionally approved justification universities can use to make sure the Pluribus gets to participate in the Unum. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor echoed it when she wrote the majority opinion in a case called Grutter v. Bollinger, the current model for constitutionally acceptable practice in university admissions.

She wrote: “Today we endorse Justice Powell's view that student body diversity is a compelling state interest that can justify the use of race in university admissions.”

A compelling state interest – so long as racial quotas are not used, so long as there is a common admission standard used to evaluate all students and so long as race or ethnicity is only considered one factor among many, there’s no problem. At least, not for the Supreme Court.

The UW System’s diversity plan, and the Regent’s resolution (No. 8970) that approved it, follow these requirements to the letter.

So why is Sen. Grothman writing letters asking the Regents whether the university is “obsessed” with diversity, hates white men or if diversity programs at the UW might keep “minority” kids becoming “normal?”

If he thought the plan violated somebody’s rights then, surely, as a UW-Madison trained lawyer, he would have cited case law and said so. But he didn’t. Or perhaps he objects to the Supreme Court ruling itself ? If so, is he suggesting the university should daringly ignore the Supreme Court? Would a politician, in office as long as Sen. Grothman, advise the state to violate a Supreme Court ruling? Hard to imagine.

It’s much easier to imagine he simply doesn’t like casseroles.

Frankly, it seems more likely that Glenn doesn't like carrots in his casseroles.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: ties infant mortality to being born out of wedlock.

Hi everyone,

Yet another example of "even Steven King on acid couldn't have imagined this".

A correspondent from UW Madison found some Glenn related news I'd missed.

Erica writes:

Here's something from Grothman that's irritating me today: infant mortality is due to babies being born out of wedlock. Race and healthcare access, pshhh--it's marriage, stupid!

http://badgerherald.com/news/2009/02/17/death_rate_high_for_.php

Erica A
University of Wisconsin

Thanks Erica!

Under the frightening headline

Wisconsin leads nation in baby mortality; UW program intends to address problem,

here is Glenn's thoughtful response:

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, attributed infant mortality for all races and ethnicities to pregnancies out of wedlock.

“I never like it when they talk about race being a factor,” Grothman said. “I know it’s old-fashioned, but we’ve got to do a better job of sending the message that you should get married before you get pregnant.”

-- because if you don't get married, apparently, your babies will die.

And, as they say, so on.

hiho
Mpeterson

Glenn Grothman: cuts off own feet by taking pay increase.

Hi everyone,

The WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL reports that only 10 of our lawmakers said no to the recent pay increase for Madison legislators.


From the State Journal:

Let's give credit to the 10 lawmakers who showed leadership by returning their pay raise:

* Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills
* Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee
* Sen. Ted Kanavas, R-Brookfield
* Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse
* Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan
* Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center
* Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville
* Rep. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown
* Rep. Margaret Krusick, D-Milwaukee
* Rep. Keith Ripp, R-Lodi

The self-sacrifice of these 10 public servants will save the state money and, more significantly, reassure the public that we're all in this together.

Behavior like this irritates the rest of us who work for state taxpayers -- and who have not had anything like a cost of living adjustment in 20 years. A significant portion of Glenn's political blather depends entirely on criticizing the pay and benefits of other state employees. Take away his "government spends too much on ...." meme and he'll have to talk about abortion 24/7.

Maybe it'll be harder for the pot to call the kettle black from now on. Anyway, we'll all remind him.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: ranked among the merely "Almost worst" legislators.

Hi everyone,

Good news for Glenn for a change.

In Dubious Battle - Features - Milwaukee Magazine


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: most Americans an "angry fringe element"?

Hi everyone,

Glenn's press release from Wispolitics.

Sen. Grothman: Thanks pro-lifers for large turnout Saturday
2/3/2009

Contact: Senator Glenn Grothman
1-800-662-1227 - Capitol
262-689-8421 – Cell

Citizens Across the State Urge UW Hospital and Clinics to Stop Plans for Late-Term Abortions

MADISON: Today, State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) thanked members of the Pro-Life community for their peaceful dignified demonstration Saturday on the Library Mall.

“I’m usually not one to exaggerate things, but it appeared we had 1,200–1,600 people there on Saturday standing for life in the heart of the UW-Madison Campus,” said Grothman. “We know Planned Parenthood and their ilk were emailing people and trying to get supporters to turn out in support for the UW’s proposed late-term abortion clinic, but they only had 50-60 people. It appears the pro-abortion community had to rely on odd angry permanently protesting sorts like the International Socialist Organization to defend their extreme agenda.”

If you told someone that in Madison, Wisconsin, a pro-life demonstration would be 20 times the size of the pro-abortion demonstration, they likely wouldn’t believe it, but when you are dealing with these late-term abortions where the humanity of the babies is so obvious even the campus becomes overwhelmingly pro-life. Many of those who generally support abortion agree there is nothing mainstream about killing a viable child.

“Walking around campus Saturday morning before and after the demonstration, I found UW students shocked and appalled their university would be involved in something like this,” said Grothman.

“It was unfortunate that so many campus churches had their student retreats over the weekend, otherwise we would have had hundreds more join in this life-affirming rally,” observed Grothman. “I would hope the UW Hospital and Clinics Board would do the right thing and side with the vast majority of the citizens in the state instead of the angry fringe element like the ISO and NARAL.”

First, in nearly 30 years working in the field of reproductive ethics, I've never been able to find anyone who is actually pro-abortion. This is the bogeyman the anti-choice side needs to keep the fires stoked and provide a reason not to sit down over coffee and figure out how to prevent unwanted pregnancies. They're hemmed in by a religious proscription that potential humans are the same as actual humans. That's why they believe any interruption in reproduction is a sin. You can't interrupt the pregnancy, but you also can't interrupt the process of becoming pregnant either. In both cases you interfere with the potential life of a human being.

Second, a majority of Americans are in favor of abortions in the first trimester, fewer find the second trimester abortions appropriate -- except where the life of the mother is at stake -- and nobody finds third trimester abortions reasonable -- except in the most dire cases where the life of the mother is at stake. It might shock the Senator to discover that this is precisely what the law says as well. So, in what universe can you refer to the morality of a majority of Americans as "fringe"?

So why all the noise? Maybe Glenn isn't familiar with the laws surrounding abortion? Or maybe he isn't familiar with the polls indicating overwhelming support for some abortions? Or maybe he isn't aware that even the current Supreme Court, the most conservative in history, is not going to overturn Roe v. Wade?

Doesn't seem likely, does it. But then why does it sound like they're all protesting something that's illegal when it isn't?

Maybe this isn't about yet to be born children but about a yet to be born campaign for Sensenbrenner's seat when he retires? Glenn got the signatures to run against Sen. Kohl last time -- and then bailed out when the reality of his situation got through to him.

As always, I'm probably wrong.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: believes raising the minimum wage is bad for workers?

Hi folks,

I swear, some days when Glenn speaks, it's like trying to catch a Heffalump.

Wisconsin Radio Network: Panel approves minimum wage hike

Friday, January 30, 2009, 12:30 AM

By Andrew Beckett

A proposal to increase Wisconsin's minimum wage has cleared its first legislative hurdle.

The Senate committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs approved the bill Thursday on a 3-2 vote. The measure would increase Wisconsin's minimum wage from $6.50 to $7.60 an hour, and tie future increases to inflation.

The proposal is from Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Schofield), who says the hike is needed to help struggling workers. Decker says he can't see how anyone can get by supporting a family if they're trying to live on the minimum wage.

During a hearing at the Capitol Thursday, State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) questioned whether the measure could actually hurt workers. Grothman says it could force struggling businesses to scale back their workforce, resulting in more lost jobs.

Grothman says many businesses are already hurting, and the Legislature should not be adding to their burden.

Decker says arguments against increasing the minimum wage come up each time as if an increase will cause the "sky to fall," but the economy just moves right along after an increase goes through.

The measure now heads to the full Senate for a vote.

[My italics.]

Back in 1976, working minimum wage as a desk clerk for Ramada Inn, I earned $2.10 an hour. Adjusting for inflation over the past 32 years, using the Consumer Price Index calculator, that works out to $7.84 in 2008 dollars. ... which means that the real value of the minimum wage has fallen in the past 32 years.

And yet, to hear Glenn tell it we're all supposed to be better off? Maybe he is.

hiho

Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong for betraying President Bush?

Hi everyone,

It's good to be able to have your cake and eat it too.

Local leaders share thoughts on what’s next for Obama

"George Bush was an economic failure because he encouraged private debt and spent too much publicly," he said. "For Obama to be a success, he’s got to use his popularity to explain to people the government cannot be all things to all people. And if he continues down the Bush path of excessive spending and new government regulation, he will make our economy worse.

"We desperately need politicians in this country who are willing to tell people more government spending is not the answer to our problems," he said

"Thoughts" is kind of stretching it,

Someone check my vision: is Glenn actually warning President Obama not to continue down the path of the man he ran against? Uh? -- especially that last line about personal responsibility which, as far as I could tell, was the whole point of the inaugural address.

It is good to see him distance himself from from the failed economics of the current crop of neoconservatives. Now if only he'd distance himself from their failed morality and embrace a more New Testament version instead well, Washington County could really go places.

hiho

Glenn Grothman: wrong for using press releases instead of the telephone.

Hi everyone,

Glenn loves these press releases. Here's the latest:

Grothman Asks UW Researchers Hard Questions About Harvesting Body Parts from Aborted Babies

-- except, of course, he didn't.

The "press release" is another bait-and-switch. The scary headline is the bait.

Here's the switch: Glenn doesn't seem to have asked any "UW Researchers" anything at all. His "press release" merely says that the UW should distance itself from any involvement with second trimester abortions -- even though there are laws preventing public money from being spent on abortions (aren't there?).

But wait a sec, what was that about "organ harvesting" from aborted fetuses??? Glenn continues by citing a press release from The Alliance Defense Fund, one of those deep pocket Christian fundamentalist fronts, claiming that "UW researchers may be using body parts from these babies for research."

I'm sorry, "may"?

A lot of late term abortions are performed for medical rather than contraceptive reasons. When that happens it would be irresponsible not to examine tissue from the fetus to see what caused the trouble. A few slides of tissue to help understand the illness, and prevent abortions in the future, is not the same as 'harvesting organs.'

Unless, of course, you need the headline.

So, let's review: Glen's headline misleads about the content of the press release, then cites another press release that may or may not be true, that includes the claim his headline claims he's making.

Right.

What's particularly weird about this is that Glenn, back when he was in the Assembly, before the TABOR-hero makeover, was always terrifically good about phoning people to ask questions. He even used to call me.

It would be helpful to know if he'd actually spoken to someone at UW about this or if he'd bothered to ask an aid to check the exhaustive UW System ethics procedures that speak to these kinds of questions.

So, looks like any hope for post-partisan change from Senator Grothman is going to be a bridge to nowhere.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on... well, here's the local blog roundup.

Hi everyone,

Glenn isn't popular only with me, apparently. Here are some posts from around SE Wisconsin this past week:


The Political Environment, always a thoughtful stop, starts us off:

Glenn Grothman Demogogues At City Of Milwaukee's Expense

Nothing better to do during the holiday season in West Bend?

Nope, he looks out for us holiday season or not.

Two from our friends over at Cognitive Dissonance:

And They're Off - In More Ways Than One

About Glenn not wanting us to get any Federal aid and:

Republican Gubernatorial Candidates Lining Up, Or Bring In The Clowns

which is self-explanatory.

From Grumps over at The Happy Circumstance:

He Doesn't Get It

No Grumps, he completely doesn't.

From Run to the Hills:

Aren’t Republicans FOR AIDS Relief?

And from Eye on Wisconsin, my favorite of the week:

Bad Cop, Worse Cop and Crazy Cop [Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, and Grothman]

Tip of the hat folks!

hiho
Mpeterson

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

Glenn Grothman: sometimes hell does freeze over. Is MPS wasting money?

Hi everyone,

Glenn and I agree about, essentially, nothing but tavern licensing... and wasting money. Typically Glenn believes all tax money is wasted. I believe it's only wasted when it doesn't do what it's supposed to do.

Could we find ourselves on common ground? That's probably a scarier thought for Sen. Grothman than it is for me. Anyway, I'd sure like to know.

Is MPS spending too much on students:

“We’ve all heard for years rumors of rampant waste, excessive bureaucracy, and lack of concern for taxpayers’ money,” said Grothman. “Fortunately, Channel 4 News and CRG-Network has chosen to highlight some of the most outrageous excesses. It turns out Milwaukee Public Schools are spending more on consultants than on school books. In a district that always claims to be short of money, the excessive advertising budget and catering expenses are also an insult.”

The link to WTMJ is bad. Apparently news moves on.

But before rushing in to judgment, it'd be useful to know a few things:

1) why does MPS have to advertise?
2) why do they need consultants?
and
3) are Sen. Grothman's numbers right?

After the Garter Snake business, the prudent move would be to believe MPS first.

Let's find out. Anyone know?

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: new assistant leader for the (permanent) minority .

Hi everyone,

Yep, catching up on Glenn now that we've managed to get Mr. Obama elected (and increasing the Progressive/Democratic presence in Washington County to over a third of our registered voters).

Glenn gets a lot of coverage in The Badger Herald.

The state Senate also elected its new leadership this week. The Senate Republicans selected Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, as the minority leader, Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, as the assistant minority leader, and Sen. Joe Leibham, R-Sheboygan, as the caucus chair.

With Republicans like these, Glenn's job is going to be a assistant leader of a permanent minority.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on more tax cuts.

Hi everyone,

Fresh from his huge victory, Glenn wants more supply side economics. Why not for Wisconsin? It's working so well on Wall Street.

From The Badger Herald

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said any increase in spending or taxation would be disastrous.

“I think the important thing to do is decrease taxes for business regulation to assist business,” said Grothman. “Anything that results in more debt or more government spending will dampen the business climate.”

He is right about trying not to sustain any more debt, of course, but the real question is HOW DO WE PAY FOR IT?

I say, let's do it in a way that's fair to all Wisconsinites rather than unfairly.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: still wrong on early intervention for autism.

Hi everyone,

Glenn originally said early intervention was too expensive, despite easily Google-able sources from all over America suggesting that early intervention actually saves the taxpayer money in the long run.

Maybe Glenn's problem was simply that the wrong taxpayers were being serviced?

Long Fight Over Autism Care Could End

Republican State Senator Glenn Grothman of West Bend says he believes Democrats have the votes to pass a bill, if one is proposed. He says he hopes their plan covers only the most effective treatments and isn't unnecessarily expensive.

I suppose it could be that Glenn's values, based on money rather than human beings, are simply the wrong ones.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: DUI enforcement not an intrusion of government?

Hi everyone,

DUI enforcement is not an intrusion of government into our economy?

The Badger Herald - DUI penalties could increase: "Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, thinks the probable results of the legislation will include an increased use of breathalyzers and an increase in mandatory jail or prison time for repeat offenders."

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong for causing families to strain for a better life in WisconsinIn.

Hi everyone,

For every vote Glenn gets because he cuts taxes, someone in Wisconsin doesn't get to go to college.

In Downturn, Families Strain to Pay Tuition - NYTimes.com


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong for inciting a culture war.

Hi everyone,

WISSUP advertised Glenn's talk last week... I was, unfortunately, working or I'd've been there.

The details:

Senator Glenn Grothman will be speaking at St. Andrew's Church on MondayOctober 6th at 7pm.

His topic is "It's Time to Get Off the Bench and into the Cultural Battle".

All are invited to come and hear Senator Grothman's urgent plea for help in the fight to save our liberties and Christian values.

I'm still working through the theological propriety of waging a culture war... I don't think you get to do that if you're a Christian -- and if you do, what distinguishes you from Iranian mullahs?


hiho
Mp

JS Online: Challenge emerges in state Senate race

It did take the Journal a while to notice... no one is accustomed to being challenged.

JS Online: Challenge emerges in state Senate race

Voters will have something new to ponder in this season’s race for the 20th District state Senate race — a choice of candidates.

Independent Clyde Winter of the Town of Cedarburg is challenging Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend).

A little independence from ideology will be nice for a change.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: declares war on the middle class.

Hi everyone,

Glenn still thinks he's acting on behalf of middle class values. I've tried and tried to imagine why he thinks this, and then it occurred to me that I'm making this waaaaay too complicated.

Anyway, here's a little gem from the Daily News:

Monday, Oct. 6 Town of Farmington What: STATE SEN. GLENN GROTHMAN,

“IT’S TIME TO GET OFF THE BENCH AND INTO THE CULTURAL BATTLE!”

Info: Information on the fight for liberties and Christian values.
Sponsor: St. Andrew Church.

I'm not sure when the churches got into the battle against the changing culture of America, but it can't be a good idea. Is there anything here that distinguishes these folks from Iranian Mullahs?

Let me translate this.

What Glenn means is "throw anyone not like me out of the country."

...I'm just trying to imagine what America will look like with only Glenn in it.


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: collecting his taxpayer per diem for watching the paint.

Hi everyone,

Political Capital reports:

$88 a Day

Mary Hubler and Glenn Grothman collected per diem this week in the sleepy statehouse.

Per diem is a right.

BadgerCare is a privilege.

Good to know Glenn is keeping his eye on the taxpayers' money -- by spending it on coffee and donuts.

hiho
Mp

Sarah Palin and Elitism

Hi everyone,

A provocative insight from Sam Harris.


Sam Harris on Sarah Palin and Elitism | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008 | Newsweek.com

Let me confess that I was genuinely unnerved by Sarah Palin's performance at the Republican convention. Given her audience and the needs of the moment, I believe Governor Palin's speech was the most effective political communication I have ever witnessed. Here, finally, was a performer who—being maternal, wounded, righteous and sexy—could stride past the frontal cortex of every American and plant a three-inch heel directly on that limbic circuit that ceaselessly intones "God and country." If anyone could make Christian theocracy smell like apple pie, Sarah Palin could.

Uh, yep.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on infanticide and atheism.

Hi everybody,

In the Sticks and Stones department:

This past weekend, Glenn felt compelled to call me names in a letter to the Daily News.

It is a kind of justice for him -- he's clearly been aching for the chance to try to hit me in public after the last few years of being exposed in this little blog.

Fair is fair.

Now that I'm writing a column he'll have the chance to write lots of letters calling me a baby-killer or a moral relativist or an intellectual elitist or -- oh, there was this one thing:

He'll have to stop suggesting that I'm an atheist.

It's not true and, more importantly, it hurt my mother's feelings.

Glenn probably doesn't know I studied for the ministry. Of course, I was raised ALC (now ELCA) Lutheran. Maybe, in Glenn's universe, being an ELCA Lutheran isn't much different from being an atheist. It's possible we don't pass his Christian purity test.

Anyway, here's the link to Owen Robinson's little ramble. He's a pretty good Glenn-avatar and, as you'll see, he never answers my questions either.

hiho
Mpeterson

Glenn Grothman: wrong at home, weird in Northern Wisconsin.

Hi everyone,

I just post 'em when I find 'em.

From: Marketplace of Ideas: Gas prices and Madison

"Similarly, Doyle has said publicly that he would sign a bill ending the minimum markup law if it reached his desk. No such bill has reached his desk, in part due to strange votes of people like Sen. Glenn Grothman (R–West Bend), who in 2005 voted in committee against ending the law over concerns that gas stations wouldn’t be able to cover the cost of credit card transactions. It’s not clear what part of the state Constitution stipulates that legislators’ duties include monitoring gas station credit card transaction fees."

And yet Glenn believes government interferes too much in everything -- except, apparently, gas station credit card transaction fees.

hiho
Mp

This November, end this blog. Vote for Clyde Winter.

Hi everyone,

The easiest way to stop me in my tracks, is to vote for Clyde Winter this November. Once Clyde wins, we can all stop worrying over the latest nonsense from Glenn since, well, there won't be any more nonsense and, well, I can delete this blog.

And while you're at it, Clyde has listed the other contested elections in our area this year and your way to take back Wisconsin from the party of Grand Old Tax-anorexia.

hiho
Mpeterson

Glenn Grothman: now a corked bat.

Hi everyone,

Charlie Sykes is now using Glenn as a corked bat.

Enjoy the article over at Democurmudgeon.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on liberal bias at UW-Madison.

Hi everyone,

Glenn can't even be right the right way.

From our colleague over at FearlessSifting:

UW-Madison becoming more conservative?

Of course, without the bogeyman of bizzaro-world liberalism under everyone's bed to attack, Glenn doesn't really have a coherent position. Strange thing about bogeymen: when you turn the lights on, they disappear.

You know, I'd never thought of Glenn as Don Quixote, until just now... except that Don Quixote was a romantic figure recalling us to an authentic spiritual life, and Glenn thinks every windmill is a liberal plot to force him into the 21st century.


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: gets nod from the-government-should-intervene-to-secure-fetal-but-not-childhood-health lobby.

Hi everyone,

As expected Glenn gets the nod, not only from Wisconsin Right to Life but also by Pro-Life Wisconsin's Victory Fund.

From their blurb:

“We are called to stand behind these candidates who are willing to stand behind 100% of the babies,” said Matuska.

Ms. Matuska commits the standard "pro-birth" misanthropy here. Technically, Pro-Life Wisconsin does not stand behind babies who have already been born, but only behind the one's who haven't been born yet.

Once those babies are out of the womb, they're left to the gentle graces of Social Darwinism and the Free Market economy.

I always think of Ogden Nash's poem about cats when this issue comes up.

The trouble with a kitten is that,
it eventually becomes a CAT.

Kittens are cute and always find a spot by the fire. Cats require responsibility and are put out to fend for themselves.

I'm trying to see the difference between this and Glenn's view of children. While inside the womb, they should be the government's responsibility to protect but once outside of the womb, no?

That seems like a contradiction to me.

And so on.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: illegal immigrants can work for illegal wages, but not drive!

Hi everybody,

Whew. Now we'll be safe.

Glenn once again protecting us from illegal immigrants:

Applicants for professional licenses must give immigration status

State Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) said the state should verify immigration status by using the federal database.

“Once the system is up and running, the costs should be minimal,” Grothman said.

Will Wisconsin employers who depend upon inexpensive illegal immigrants for labor be happy about this?

hiho

Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong, even about water.

Hi everybody,

Wasn't this the same Great Lake Compact Glenn said no one would pass?

Yes, it is.

US House committee approves Great Lakes compact.


hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: wrong on abortion and conservatism at the same time.

Hi everybody,

Glenn, somehow, was included in a Journal-Sentinel Blog on the Senate race between Alberta Darling and Dr. Sheldon Wasserman. Dr. Wasserman, an Ob/Gyn, is a great believer in individual rights. Alberta Darling, once a member of Planned Parenthood, apparently used to be -- but no more. Here's a clip:

Pro-life nod goes to ex-Planned Parenthood official - Dogged: A Watchdog Team Blog: "Barbara Lyons, head of Right to Life, said her group has not previously backed Darling, a River Hills Republican, during her 18 years in office. Lyons noted that Darling had voted with the organization 77% of the time in the past four years, whereas Wasserman, a Milwaukee Democrat, had a 0% rating.

Asked to describe Darling’s abortion stance, Lyons said, “She’s more pro-life than not.”

So what changed?

Darling didn’t return a call. Her campaign Web site doesn’t mention the endorsement.

But Sen. Glenn Grothman, the go-to guy for abortion rights foes, had a theory.

“As we get older, we get more conservative,” the West Bend Republican said. “I think that’s happened to Alberta.”"

A few observations;

1) Wisconsin Pro-Life isn't really pro-life -- they're only pro-birth.

2) "What changed" was that Wisconsin Pro-Life is more afraid of a physician than they are of Alberta Darling -- and Ms. Darling has an urgent need to be elected as a Republican.

3) Glenn, as usual, has it backwards. He's clearly missed the 'continued personal growth' aspect of "getting older". You only become 'more conservative' while getting older when you begin to turn into a fossil. Fossilization of human beings happens when once-living material is replaced by the stony deposits of dogma and empty ritual. If you continue to 'grow' while aging, you become more inclined toward helping others, taking the risk of being liberal with your own good fortune, and leaving people to live as they think best instead of imposing your own morality. Imposing your own morality is a sure sign of fossilization, not growth. What we do know is that Glenn became a fossil while still living on the taxpayer's dime at University... as a young man. That's when it usually happens to people too, not later in life. Not if they're still living flesh. I know Glenn probably didn't see the movie Happy Feet, but it might help him learn to dance and shake off some of the mineral build-up that's induced him to vote for his own dogmatic certainty instead of for people. QED.

Oh, and 4) it's not a theory, it's merely some kind of gastric distress.

hiho
Mpeterson

Glenn Grothman: finally running against an opponent.

Hi everybody,

You may not have seen it by now, considering the lousy job the Journal did on important local, state elections, but Glenn will [finally] have to run against an opponent this year for his seat in government.

Independent Clyde Winter from Cedarburg is finally offering Senate District 20 voters a choice for a change.

Clyde is a wizard on the issues, thorough, and thoughtful. He's the kind of person who's avoided the party labels so that he can talk about the actual issues -- because he's interested in the issues and not in the labels.

Refreshing, no?

He was able to get the required signatures in record time and in the heart of Glenn's district. People were clearly ready for a change.

His latest article "Races for Wisconsin Legislature in Ozaukee-Washington counties confound the MSM" did have one bit of info I hadn't seen.

"And G. Grothman, on July 2 had applied for a grant for taxpayer provided matching funds, in apparent anticipation of a challenge"

Apparently that taxpayers money is just fine with Glenn, when he gets to spend it on himself. -- well, it was also okay when the taxpayer paid for 75% of his university tuition.


hiho
Mpeterson

Glenn Grothman: Fails to pass muster on government reform, again.

Hi everybody,

It's probably not a surprise but Glenn has, again, landed at the bottom of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign's annual scorecard for responsible government.

He scored at the bottom with Sens. Kanavas, Kedzie, Lazich and was beaten only by Scott Fitzgerald.

As always, by their works shall ye know them. Glenn and his buddies regularly "stood with the special interests and worked to defeat reforms that would restore power to the general public."

Way to go Glenn.

Alas, Pat Strachota also made it to the bottom by voting against reform legislation in lock step with her party's hard liners.

The good news is that we'll have a choice for a change this November: another Republican, a Mr. Wiesolek from Cedarburg and an Independent, Clyde Winter are both running against Glenn for the Senate 2oth, and another Independent, Mr. Dombro will be running against Ms. Strachota in the Assembly's 28th.

Maybe they'll be able to vote for more responsible government.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: still demanding today's college students pay more than he did.

Hi everyone,

Our friends over at Fearlesslysifting unpack more of Glenn's hypocrisy-stream.

Glenn Grothman on the selection of Biddy Martin

I'm amazed Glenn is still harping about graduates leaving the state:

A second criticism of the University is that not enough graduates are filling jobs for Wisconsin businesses. We need more engineers, nurses, and graduates from the hard sciences – not degrees in psychology and sociology.

Or law, Glenn. Do we need more lawyers like you?

The truth is the UW is producing plenty of engineers and hard scientists -- it's just that they can't get jobs in Wisconsin that will pay for the student loans they've had to take out to cover their education. And whose fault is that? The guy who had the state pay for 75% of his education and, as soon as he got into government, passed laws to guarantee that the state would only pay for 25% of the current crop's education. The hypocrisy still sets my teeth on edge.

How much more of this can we tolerate?

We'll find out I guess.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: cutting taxes good for flooding.

Just catching up a bit.

Astonishingly, it turns out that when Glenn cuts the taxes our state uses to help us with disasters, the disasters are worse.

But wait -- since, for Glenn, tax cutting is always good, maybe flooding is therefore good, too?

Yep, that must be it.

hiho
Mp

Glenn Grothman: agent of the Chinese Communists.

Hi everyone,

I'm only half kidding about Glenn being an agent for the Chinese.

I'm just back from another excursion to the People's Republic of China where they happily spend the money to insure their kids learn English and Calculus by the time they leave high school and where, using this educational infrastructure, they're looking forward to a future in which the US will become the new France -- or maybe Belgium.

In the meantime, Glenn keeps frantically slashing away at our educational system as if this were a good thing.

What do you call a business that stops investing in R&D?

Easy pickin's.

Maybe Glenn hopes to turn over the US for a profit. I wonder if we'll be able to buy stock options before the sale...

Anyway, in the meantime, I note he's conducting mock interviews with himself again pretending to be outraged on behalf of the "tax payers" -- the very people whose economic throat he's slitting.

Maybe irony will be enough to sustain us, even after China gets the rest of our jobs. With Glenn's help, they won't even have to try. We're doing it for them.

More on this as the jetlag settles.

hiho
Mp