Garthwaite/Doyle/Greater Wisconsin Committee Ads - "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" Lies

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Politifact.com are calling Jim Doyle's Greater Wisconsin Committee attack ads "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire" lies. Thus far, the shadowy attack group has spent over $200,000 in negative attacks to save their friend, incumbent Phil Garthwaite.



Here is their story:

Group says Wisconsin Republican Assembly candidates want to privatize Social Security
Pants on Fire!
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Campaign literature distributed by the Greater Wisconsin committee against a Wisconsin state Assembly candidate (back)

Campaign literature distributed by the Greater Wisconsin committee against a Wisconsin state Assembly candidate (front)

Worried about the future of Social Security? A liberal Wisconsin group is betting you are -- or that it can make you worried before election day.

The Greater Wisconsin Committee and its Greater Wisconsin Political Fund are using mailers and radio ads to target Republican candidates in key 2010 races for the Wisconsin Assembly. Democrats outnumber Republicans there, 56-42.

The central theme of the attacks: The GOP Assembly candidates, like their Washington counterparts, want to privatize Social Security.

Yes, Social Security, that venerable federal program -- one the state Assembly has no control over.

The wording of the attacks varies, but the claims are all similar to this one against Republican Travis Tranel, who is challenging Rep. Phil Garthwaite, D-Dickeyville.

"Travis Tranel," a mail piece says, "sides with those who want to privatize Social Security -- and risk our retirements on Wall Street."

Lest anyone miss the point, the flier includes a man -- presumably a fat-cat Wall Street banker or investor -- lighting his cigar with a Social Security card that’s been set aflame.

There’s also an image of a magnifying glass inviting readers to "check the facts."

Why, thank you. We will.

Asked to elaborate on her organization’s claims, Greater Wisconsin Committee executive director Michelle McGrorty offered two main points:

* In the group’s view, "A Roadmap for America’s Future" -- U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to tackle the federal debt and deficits, and make significant changes to taxes, Medicare and Social Security -- would privatize Social Security.

* Ryan, a Janesville Republican, has ties to the state GOP Assembly candidates targeted by the group.


At PolitiFact Wisconsin, this is familiar ground.

We gave Pants on Fire ratings to claims that GOP congressional candidates backed privatizing Social Security, when Democrats provided no proof beyond a sliced-and-diced statement and a two-word answer taken out of context.

Now state Assembly candidates? This could get good.

Let’s start with Ryan’s "Roadmap," a plan that has helped put Ryan on the political map, but one that does not have universal support among the GOP leadership in Washington.

PolitiFact National examined the roadmap in August 2010, after President Barack Obama alluded to it in saying GOP leaders are backing privatization plans that would tie Social Security benefits "to the whims of Wall Street traders and the ups and downs of the stock market."

If adopted, Ryan’s plan would enable workers under 55 to, voluntarily, invest a portion of their Social Security taxes in funds managed by the government. As Politifact National noted: "That's a far cry from privatizing the entirety of Social Security."

So, the Greater Wisconsin Committee is starting off on the wrong road with its claim about the roadmap.

As for the ties to Ryan, this is old-fashioned guilt by association ... and there ain’t much association, at least when it comes to the Social Security issue.

* Tranel, a Cuba City dairy farmer, is making his second attempt to unseat Garthwaite, a second-term Assembly Democrat. The mail piece that claims he "sides with those who want to privatize Social Security" says its proof is a newspaper article. In the article, Tranel expresses admiration for Ryan -- but there’s no mention of Social Security.

* Dennis Clinard, a retired U.S. Army master sergeant from Cataract, is seeking to unseat first-term Rep. Mark Radcliffe, D-Black River Falls. A flier says "Washington politicians who wants (sic) to privatize Social Security are the fund-raising muscle behind" Clinard’s campaign. The proof listed in the flier is Ryan’s appearance at a fundraiser for Clinard. It took in $7,250, according to a state GOP official, or about 15 percent of the $46,357 Clinard’s campaign has raised in 2010.

* Howard Marklein, a Wilson Creek accountant, is running for an open seat against Mineral Point Democrat John Simonson, a retired University of Wisconsin-Platteville economics professor. A mail piece says Marklein is "backed by Washington, D.C., politicians who want to privatize Social Security." McGrorty said the proof is a picture of Ryan and Marklein on Marklein’s campaign website.


We could go on.

A GWC radio ad says some tea party candidates want to eliminate Social Security and "we have one right here, this guy Jack Cummings." Cummings, an Endeavor farmer, is challenging first-term Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo. McGrorty’s defense: The ad talks about a number of issues and doesn’t say that Cummings wants to eliminate Social Security.

Hmmm .... "We have one right here."

(Senate Democrat Ted Zigmunt of Francis Creek also uses a flier to accuse his Republican opponent, Andre Jacque, of supporting privatization of Social Security. A campaign aide cited Jacque’s endorsement by the Republican Liberty Caucus, but no statement Jacque has made about Social Security.)

How do the targeted candidates respond to all of this?

Brian Pleva, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, said none of them supports -- or has made statements in support of -- privatizing or eliminating Social Security.

Why would they? They’re not running for Congress.

In any case, we could not find any such statements. And the Greater Wisconsin Committee could not provide any.

Indeed, on two of the fliers, one of the check-our-facts citations is a report by the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. The report predicts cuts in Social Security benefits would result from Ryan’s plan, but that doesn’t address the question of privatization, and the report doesn’t mention the targeted candidates.

If you’re sensing a theme here, so are we.

In targeting Republicans in races that could shift the balance of power in the state Assembly, the Greater Wisconsin Committee is taking a page from the national Democratic playbook -- and misusing it. To play to fears of seniors and others, the group labels a proposal from U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, as privatizing Social Security.

Even if the plan did privatize Social Security (in our view it does not), the group has offered no evidence that the GOP Assembly candidates back it. The "proof" cited borders on absurd: One candidate praised Ryan, one got his picture taken with him and a third had Ryan appear at his campaign fundraiser. Is that cigar still burning?

If not, we need a light, because the ruling is Pants on Fire.

State Journal Endorsement of Walker Contains Harsh Criticisim of Legislative Dems

From the October 10th edition of the Wisconsin State Journal:

Job creation and fixing the state's crippling budget mess must be the top priorities for Wisconsin's next governor.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker is the best choice to tackle these difficult tasks.

The State Journal endorses Walker for governor.

Under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, the state has lurched from one budget crisis to another for years now — long before the recession ever began.

Chronic budget deficits have distracted Wisconsin leaders from thinking big and devising bold strategies for competitive advantage in the knowledge-based, global economy.

Did the Democrats in control of state government adopt comprehensive school finance reform with incentives to boost performance?

Nope. Just a big favor for the teachers union: repeal of a pay-raise cap without accountability for better results.

Have the Democrats given Wisconsin a modern and more competitive tax structure?

Nope. Wisconsin's property and personal income tax burdens — especially on the middle class — still rank among the nation's worst.

What about a Commerce Department with laser-like focus on encouraging private business and job growth?

Nope. Five Commerce secretaries in seven years under Doyle with only one out of every 10 Commerce workers focused on business development.

Walker's record as county executive suggests he's much more likely than his Democratic opponent, Tom Barrett, to prioritize private-sector job creation and control spending to fix the budget.

Walker has consistently proposed county budgets that hold down property taxes while seeking efficiencies in county services. He's made tough decisions during tight times, such as trying to close swimming pools with high costs and low attendance. He's pared back county board spending with vetoes.

Since his election in 2002, Walker has made a huge personal sacrifice by giving back $370,000 of his salary to county taxpayers.

Walker's pledge to stop a modern, high-speed passenger train — one that's already paid for — is disturbing. So is Walker's excessive pandering to social conservatives on issues such as embryonic stem-cell research and abortion.

But Walker is no extremist. The Republican has been repeatedly re-elected in a hugely-Democratic county.

In another election year, we could support Barrett, a likeable and seasoned leader with high character and some interesting ideas.

But not this election. This fall's decision is about jobs and the economy.

Walker is the best choice for getting Wisconsin back on track financially and competing for more good-paying jobs.

96

Have you heard Rep. Garthwaite's latest radio ad where he boasts about his bipartisanship?

It's pretty misleading so allow us to state the facts and let you make up your mind.

Out of a total 576 votes on proposals on the Assembly Floor, Garthwaite only split from his party 22 times.

That's 22 bipartisan votes out of 576, giving Garthwaite a partisanship rating of 96%.

Does that seem like bipartisanship to you?

***In case you're interested, the only significant vote of those 22 took place when he broke with the party line against a statewide smoking ban.

Unemployment up as Election Nears

Unemployment is up to 10.1% according to Gallup but perhaps more significantly, under employment or those working part time but looking for full time work is nearing 20%. This could explain the sharp, 24% rise in food stamp use in Wisconsin over the past year. Clearly things aren't going the right way.

Wisconsin specific unemployment figures won't be revealed until the end of next week. While I expect the Doyle Administration to do everything it can to soften the blow, I don't think they will be able to cushion the impact of rising unemployment enough to save the Democrats this November. Unlike states that have taken steps to improve their economic climate, Wisconsin's Democrat controlled government has made things much worse. Just look at the tax increases that Phil Garthwaite and the Democrat majority voted for over the last two years:

Phone Tax - $107 million
Utility Tax - $18 million
Garbage Collection Tax - $69 million
Gas Tax Increase - $224 million (failed to pass the Senate despite Garthwaite's efforts to pass it into law).
Nursing Home Tax - $71 million
Hospital Patient Tax - $1.1 billion
Meat Tax - TBA
Capital Gains - $242.5
Large Employer Tax - $215 million
New Income Tax Bracket for Small Businesses and "rich people" - 1% income tax increase
E-commerce Tax - $11 million
Forced Property Tax Hike - $1.5 Billion

Look at this list and then think about the top claim Garthwaite makes in his campaign literature: lower taxes. Phil Garthwaite voted for each of the tax increases listed above. That's not rhetoric, that's a fact.

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Would you Give a Soldier Half of a Bullet Proof Vest?

Rep. Garthwaite spends a lot of time praising our Veterans and that's a good thing. He frequently mentions his support for them in his campaign literature and radio ads. That's also a good thing. We hope that all of our politicians, no matter their party, would fight for the men and women who lay their lives on the line to protect our country.

Unfortunately, a review of the two most important Veterans issues confronting the legislature over the last two years reveals that Rep. Garthwaite doesn't always vote the way he talks.

1. The Wisconsin G.I. Bill

In 2005, the then Republican controlled legislature created the the Wisconsin G.I. Bill to assist our Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with receiving a tuition free education at one of the University of Wisconsin or technical college schools.

In 2008, Rep. Garthwaite and many other Assembly Democrats (as well as Republicans) campaigned on the program as an example of their continued support for our Veterans. Once the Democrats were reelected and took control of the State Assembly away from the GOP, however, they jumped on board a Doyle proposal to gut the program.

Rep. Garthwaite voted along with the Democrat majority on this. If he claims that he opposed gutting the Wisconsin G.I. Bill but had to do so to pass a balanced budget, which he will likely do, he is not being truthful.

This amendment to the budget would have stopped the program from being gutted. The amendment died on a 49-49 vote. Garthwaite's vote killed it. Had he truly wanted to save this program, all he had to do was switch his vote and the program would still exist as intended today.

After the budget passed GOP Rep. Kevin Petersen, a 25 year Navy Veteran, introduced legislation to restore the benefit.

The Democrats first ignored the proposal, then stole it, and finally introduced their own plan to restore half of the benefit. Half!

This was the height of political hypocrisy:

Step 1. Run for reelection on a popular Veterans program.
Step 2. Gut the program.
Step 3. Restore half the program.
Step 4. Pat yourself on the back.
Step 5. Run for reelection for restoring half of a program that you gutted in the first place.

I hope that even Democrat readers of this blog can agree that this sort of politics stinks.

2. The Veterans Trust Fund

Unless something is done soon, Wisconsin's Veterans Trust Fund will go bankrupt in 2013.

The Trust Fund is responsible for:

* The Wisconsin Veterans Homes
* The Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemeteries
* The Wisconsin Veterans Museum
* The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs veterans benefits and services programs -- Home Loans, Personal Loans, Education Grants, Assistance to Needy Veterans and Military Families, and more.

In 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs made several suggestions, and later pleas to the legislature to solve this problem.

Not only did Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrat majorities ignore these pleas, they actually tried to make things worse.

The Doyle administration proposed a 5% raid on the fund and suggested levying a $170/month tax on nursing home patients in the state's veterans homes.

Outcries from Veterans' groups and the GOP eventually killed these proposals that would have made things worse but Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrat majorities did nothing to make things better.

Republicans made an effort to resolve this issue. Democrats ignored it.

Descide for Yourself

If you care one iota about the way you are represented in Madison, follow these directions and watch Rep. Phil Garthwaite in action, "working" for you.

Click here to go to Wisconsin Eye

Scroll down a ways to:

04.15.10 | Wisconsin State Assembly Floor Session (Part 4/4)

Click on the Watch Link. Fast forward to 19:36.

Ask yourself, is this how you want Southwest, WI to be represented?

In case you missed it...

Readers of this blog are well aware of Rep. Garthwaite's violent outburst on the floor of the Assembly last year when he screamed at businesses to take their jobs out of Wisconsin if they don't agree with his liberal, anti-jobs policies.

Readers may not have seen Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Patrick McIlheran's column on the subject.

Here it is for your reading pleasure:

'Reform' that helps no one

I think McIlheran nails it here:

Nor do they (Democrat lawmakers) show the least comprehension of why all this might spook employers. Entrepreneurs fret about hiring a malcontent who will drag them into court over random dissatisfactions, but state Rep. Phil Garthwaite (D-Dickeyville) was denouncing as bigots any employer who might flee such jeopardy, saying in Assembly debate, "Good. Get your ass back down to the South. I don't want you here."

Democrats fear Midwestern meltdown

Politico reveals some rough news for Wisconsin Democrats.

Remember when Phil Garthwaite Increased the Price of the Platteville Police Station by $80,000 in a Single Vote?

As the election approaches, Rep. Phil Garthwaite is running from his record faster than his Madison-Milwaukee high speed rail project is pulling dollars away from Grant County’s infrastructure.

It’s our job to remind him of the poor decisions he’s made over the last two years and the negative impact they are having on our community.

Take the prevailing wage for instance.

Back in 1931 a group of progressive (mostly progressive Republican) Congressman enacted the Davis-Bacon Act creating the first national prevailing wage law. At the time their goal was simple - stop minority workers, mainly southern blacks, from competing with white construction unions.

Over the years prevailing wage laws have evolved. Although they still have the presumably unintended consequence of reducing the number of government construction contracts awarded to minority and women owned firms, this is no longer their primary intent. Today prevailing wage laws are enforced in many states to keep small businesses from underbidding large union shops for public construction contracts. They also dramatically increase costs for Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer.

During the last state budget, Rep. Garthwaite was the deciding vote in favor of a law change that has mandated the use of a much expanded prevailing wage, increasing the costs of public projects statewide by millions of dollars and taking away work from countless struggling non-union construction firms. He was given four opportunities to amend this provision of the budget. He voted not once, not twice, not three times, but four times to keep these prevailing wage changes in the budget.

These four votes along with a fifth, his deciding vote in favor of the state budget, had immediate negative consequences on Grant County. The cost of Platteville’s new police station, for instance, immediately increased by $80,000. Consider that and then think about all the other public construction projects taking place in Grant County. Think about the increased costs to the taxpayer, not to mention the jobs lost by small local firms as larger regional firms stepped in to take over the prevailing wage work. The costs on Grant County have been substantial.

Executive Director of the Platteville Area Industrial Development Corporation, George Krueger, said it best in his July 15, 2009 column in the Platteville Journal:

“The State of Wisconsin budget passed recently. It is anti-business, anti-capitol, and anti-development. A big negative impact on economic development is the prevailing wage policy that was passed as part of the budget.”

PAIDC Director Krueger went on to explain that Garthwaite’s vote increased the costs of the Holmen St. project in Platteville by 43% even as they used the exact same contractor to do the exact same work.

How about that for government waste and abuse of power? Garthwaite passed a law that forced a contractor to charge Platteville 43% more for a project and made the city pay. It would be laughable if it weren’t true.

Krueger also explained the state is now applying the prevailing wage to many private projects. It’s not just the taxpayer that is on the hook for increased costs. Private developers are too and that means even less development and fewer jobs.

Take a moment to think about all the projects that aren’t getting done now because the legislature increased costs so dramatically in the middle of a recession. Think about all the jobs lost in Grant County.

Talk to a small local contractor. Chances are they’ve lost out on a bid to a larger regional firm because of this law. Think again about all the jobs lost in Grant County.

Think about those jobs that we should have but don’t. Then think about the fact that our very own Representative Phil Garthwaite is responsible.



Scans of Krueger's Column:

Politicians say the Darnedest Things

"I don't ever profess to be the brightest bulb on the tree."

Phil Garthwaite
Floor of the State Assembly
2-18-08

Politicians say the Darnedest Things

When asked if he would support a 500% increase in the beer tax Rep. Garthwaite replied:

"Yah, I could support that."

Citation: Southwest Alliance for Tobacco Prevention (SATP)/ N.E.W. Grant County (Wellness Coalition) Forum and WGLR Radio - 8/8/08

Politicians say the Darnedest Things

"First and foremost, socialized medicine isn't scaring anybody anymore."

Phil Garthwaite
League of Women Voters Candidate Forum
Platteville, WI
July 23rd, 2008

It's Tranel vs. Garthwaite

http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=295794

Politicians say the Darnedest Things

"The dumbest thing in my opinion that happened was when the state legislature got it in their heads that they were going to be the protector of Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer."


Phil Garthwaite
League of Women Voters Candidate Forum
Platteville, WI
July 23rd, 2008

2010 not looking like 2008 for Grant County Democrats

I received this in an email from the Grant County Democratic Party last night:

We need to have a good turnout of volunteers at the Dairy Days Parade in Platteville this Saturday, Sept 11. Democratic candidate for governor Tom Barrett plans to walk the parade and it would be great to have a lot of Democrats to walk with him, Phil Garthwaite and Carol Beals. Just to give you a sense of what the "other side" is doing, Travis Tranel had 32 walkers at last weekend's parades!!!

It looks like the army of Democrat volunteers created by the Obama machine has not reestablished itself. On the other hand, one of Garthwaite's opponents Travis Tranel gathered 32 volunteers to walk in his parades. One can almost sence the distress in the author's voice as they added each exclamation point to the end of that sentence.

I urge the author to relax with a pint of Potosi and visit unnecessaryquotes.com. Demagoguery doesn’t mandate quotation marks.

2009-10 Session Recap - Garthwaite on Schools

For years Assembly Democrats, especially rural Democrats like Rep. Garthwaite, have been promising to reform school funding in Wisconsin. They claimed that Wisconsin’s system of equalizing aid was broken and that they would fix it at the first opportunity.

Two years ago the Democrats were given that opportunity when the voters of Wisconsin granted them exclusive control over all three branches of Wisconsin’s government. Let’s see how Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrats did.

Class: School Funding Reform

Grade: F

Despite countless promises made in debates and on campaign literature, Rep. Garthwaite failed to pass meaningful school funding reform. One might assume that he and other Democrats tried to work on this vitally important issue but that they were block by Governor Doyle, outside special interests, or simply ran out of time. One would be wrong.

Rep. Garthwaite didn’t even introduce a bill to begin debate on this subject. He didn’t even try.

Class: Union Payback

Grade: A

After gaining complete control of state government, it’s no surprise that Rep. Garthwaite and the Democrats moved quickly to reward their greatest campaign supporter, the teachers’ union WEAC.

Rep. Garthwaite supported three major gifts for WEAC as part of the state budget.

1. Repeal of the Qualified Economic Offer – QEO

For years the union’s top priority has been to repeal the QEO. The QEO was a state law that guaranteed teachers a 3.8% compensation increase each year. If a local union got into a lengthy arbitration dispute with a school district, the district could invoke the QEO as a ceiling and resolve the dispute. This rarely happened and teachers usually received much, much higher total compensation. Thus Wisconsin remains ranked as the 4th highest taxing state when it comes to property taxes according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation.

Sit back for a moment and try to imagine a private sector worker in this economy complaining about a 3.8% minimum raise? Most people are losing hours, seeing their salaries cut, or losing their jobs altogether. Not only do WEAC members have 100% guaranteed job security but they also had guaranteed raises of 3.8%. That wasn’t enough for them so they had the law repealed.

In future years look for large property tax increases or the cutting of school programs as the increased costs of teachers’ salaries and benefit packages continue to outpace funding thanks to this repeal.

2. Find ways to increase property taxes to pad WEAC’s pockets

The best tool Wisconsin’s citizens have to keep property taxes down is called the revenue cap. The legislature put the revenue cap in place to keep local school districts from increasing property taxes by double digit percentages year after year.

The union’s second greatest priority has been to eliminate or weaken the revenue cap to feed its large appetite for higher property taxes.

In the 2009-10 state budget, Rep. Garthwaite voted to exempt several school expenses from the revenue cap. The affect will be visible in December when your property taxes go up by a bit more than they have in past years.

3. Give the union more power in arbitration

Unions exist to seek the best wages and benefits they can for their members by collectively bargaining (and to get Democrats elected to public office). This is all fine and dandy on an open and level playing field but that playing field no longer exists in Wisconsin thanks to sneaky changes that Rep. Garthwaite helped tuck into the state budget.

State law now prohibits an arbiter from considering local economic conditions first when negotiating contract disputes. School districts facing declining revenues due to high unemployment and declining property values (like most in Grant County) can’t go to the union and say, “Hey, we just can’t afford to give you a 6% raise and free Viagra this year because our community is hurting and they can’t afford it.”

This change will cause cuts to core educational services and property tax increases in the communities that can least afford them.

Rural School Funding

Grade: F

Rep. Garthwaite let the Milwaukee Democrats walk all over rural Wisconsin when it came to school funding.

He voted for a budget that cut state aid to many rural districts by as much as 15% but only hit Milwaukee with a 0.5% cut.

As a result, Southwest Wisconsin school districts are raising property taxes by record amounts:

Mineral Point – 24.4%
Lancaster – 8.3%
Schullsburg – 19.8%
Platteville – 7.4%
River Valley – 15.5%
Darlington – 22.4%

In contrast, what is Garthwaite’s school budget doing to the taxpayers in Democrat Milwaukee? Not much. They’re only seeing a 2.5% increase on their bills.

Assembly Democrat Campaign Efforts Take Major Blow

For months the Assembly Democrats have been touting Dana Schultz as their best hope to pick up an Assembly seat this fall and possibly to hold off the coming Republican wave that could switch party control of the legislature. Last week, her campaign hit a brick wall when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel revealed what she really thinks of her would-be rural constituents.

In a blog she wrote while running the Milwaukee chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Schultz referred to the rural Wisconsinites from her hometown stating:

"I know all about the huntin, fishin, snowmobilin, country music beltin, beer drinkin, working class, gossipin, people who attend christian church every sunday and are racist, sexist, and homophobic, but more just ignorant because of lack of exposure." She wrote that she understands rural brain drain: "Why would people go back to face fatter and less educated Ann Colture's?"

Her blog goes on and on displaying an attitude towards rural Wisconsin that is all too common amongst the Democrat establishment.

These revelations about her core beliefs should be enough to end her chances at representing the rural 87th district. If they are not, I'm sure that more damning evidence of her animosity toward rural, working class people will come out of her work as the head of Milwaukee's SDS.

If you're unfamiliar with it, SDS is a Marxist organization bent on the "revolutionary transformation" of American culture and ending capitalism because it is the root cause of "racism and white supremacy,... patriarchy, heterosexism and transphobia, authoritarianism and imperialism."

If the best candidate the Democrats can come up with is a Marxist that thinks that the people she hopes to represent are racist, sexist, homophobic, and ignorant then they are in for a rude awakening this November.

In their own words...

(Democrat) State Rep. Peggy Krusick says she is running for re-election based on her “independent track record,” which includes voting against “an unaffordable $65 billion tax-and-spend state budget that raised our taxes, fees, car insurance and utility bills and more.” She said she is focusing on “ensuring that taxpayer dollars are well spent, jobs and quality education.”

- The Milwaukee Sheppard Express

We understand if you don't want to take our word for it when we tell you about all the tax increases Rep. Garthwaite supported over the last two years.

Now you don't have to. Just read what the Democrats themselves are saying about their budget.

Milwaukee's far-left weekly newspaper The Shepard Express printed a story about Democrat Representative Peggy Krusick's primary race earlier this week.

Like Garthwaite, Krusick claims to be a moderate Democrat who votes her district.

Unlike Garthwaite, Krusick actually is a moderate Democrat and surprisingly does vote the way she talks.

Krusick votes consistently pro-life and as you can see above she opposed the last state budget because it so dramatically increased costs on Wisconsin's families. Otherwise she is pretty much a party line Democrat with enough honesty to call the budget what it was - "an unaffordable $65 billion tax-and-spend state budget that raised our taxes, fees, car insurance and utility bills and more."

Krusick's purposeful honesty stands in contrast with a bout of unintentional honesty that came from Democrat State Senator Jim Holperin earlier this year when he said, "We Democrats authorized all kinds of new taxes in the recently adopted state budget...You know the Governor's got enough little tax and fee hikes in that budget of his to sink a good sized battleship."

It took an open records request to get that out of Holperin. It's nice to see at least one Democrat, Krusick, openly calling out the Democrats and their budget.

Phil Garthwaite Fact Check

With the campaign season upon us you might find the following flier from Rep. Garthwaite on your door.


Let’s take a few moments to analyze his claims and citations.

Garthwaite Claim 1: Passed legislation to help workers who have lost their jobs. – 2009 WI Act 2

Fact: This statement is partially true but rather misleading. 2009 WI Act 2 was a massive government bailout bill dubbed the Wisconsin Stimulus by the Democrats.

Some provisions of the bill probably did help a select group of laid off union workers, however, many of those jobs may have been ironically lost because of the massive tax hikes on employers that Garthwaite supported in the bill.

Act 2 included the now notorious Combined Reporting tax on large employers that do business in multiple states. This $215 million tax increase has directly caused countless layoffs in Wisconsin. For instance, just days after announcing that the new tax would hit them for a whopping $25 million, Harley Davidson laid off 400 employees. The Wisconsin icon later announced the closing of two Wisconsin plants and is now seriously considering leaving the state all together.

Act 2 included other tax increases including the $1.1 billion Sick Tax on hospital and clinic visits, an $11 million I-Pod Tax, new taxes on online purchases, and a tax on Wisconsin companies that design custom software in-house.

Act 2 also used several sources of taxpayer dollars to bailout government and increase spending. To do this, the legislature raided the Conservation, Petroleum Inspection, Recycling, Environmental Management, and Universal Service funds.
Rep. Garthwaite supported all of these tax increases and fund raids.

On the flip side, Act 2 included some small job creation initiatives including an expansion of Wisconsin’s Angel Investment program and the creation of a Research and Development tax credit. In order to save money, however, the legislature pushed off the start date for these job creation programs for at least one year and in some cases more.

Act 2 also included several grants targeted at individual union locals for worker re-training. Republican critics argued that these grants were nothing more than payback to Democrat campaign supporters, however, Democrats like Garthwaite claimed that the grants would help workers find jobs. I believe this is what Garthwaite is referring to in this flier.

Moreover, Garthwaite could argue that Act 2 and the tax increases it contained were necessary to balance the budget as required under state law and to protect the jobs of public sector workers.

For another opinion on Act 2 see Reason Magazine’s write up on it.

Or see this column from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Garthwaite Claim 2: Authored and passed powerful job creation measures to grow Wisconsin’s businesses. – 2009 WI Act 266

Fact: This statement is slightly true. Rep. Garthwaite authored and passed a bill, however, it was not powerful nor will it grow Wisconsin’s businesses.

Here is the Wisconsin Legislative Council’s description of Act 266.

As you can see, Rep. Garthwaite’s bill increased the number of Enterprise Development Zones in Wisconsin from 10 to 12. Sounds helpful to business right?
Wrong.

At the time of its passing, Wisconsin’s lack-luster Department of Commerce had only approved two enterprise development zones. They only had plans to designate two more this year. None of them are in Grant County and all of them are in urban and suburban areas.

All Rep. Garthwaite’s Act 266 did was give him an excuse to write a press release and to put a line on a lit piece. This is exactly the sort of politics as usual garbage that should make people fed up with their elected officials. Here is a clear case of our State Representative trying to pull the wool over our eyes but I think the voters of Grant County are smart enough to know that one do-nothing jobs bill doesn’t make up for nearly $5 billion in job killing tax increases.

Furthermore, to show what a partisan he is, Rep. Garthwaite rejected a Republican amendment to his bill that would have mandated that these zones be created in rural areas like say…Grant County.

Garthwaite Claim 3: Passed important bills to bolster our local rural businesses. – 2009 WI Act 295 and 2009 WI Act 169.

Fact: This claim is true, but perhaps a bit of an exaggeration.

WI Act 295 helps food processing plants expand and modernize. The bill enjoyed wide bi-partisan support and passed overwhelmingly. It will have a small but positive effect on businesses in several rural communities in Wisconsin. Act 169 regulates honey. This might have a negligible impact on a handful of honey producers in Southwest Wisconsin…might…

Garthwaite Claim 4: Bumped the reconstruction of Hwy 61 up to 2011

Fact: This is probably accurate.

This was the Democrat leadership’s piece of pork for Mr. Garthwaite. They are probably counting on it getting him through a tough reelection bid this November. While, the HWY 61 project had been scheduled to happen long before Garthwaite was elected, it might not have happened as soon as next year. Assembly Democrats placed it in the budget along with dozens of other pork projects for other areas of the state. Here are some articles about all those projects that went along with this one:

Slice Sneaky Earmarks from the Budget – Wisconsin State Journal

Budget Includes Millions in Earmarks – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Recycling Bins in the State Budget? – WLUK-TV

At the end of the day, this small but very important project will probably get done a couple years sooner due to the last state budget. At the same time, taxpayers in Grant County will be paying millions for similar projects (and recycling bins) for other parts of Wisconsin – and that is not to mention the $3.5 billion in higher taxes that passed in the same bill.

Garthwaite Claim 5: Found and authored funding for various road projects across SW Wisconsin. NO CITATION

Fact: This is completely false.

Notice how there is no citation for this claim. That is because it is 100% false. Rep. Garthwaite did not author or find funding for various road projects in SW WI. He is making that up.

The only things that come close to backing up this claim are the handful of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act road projects conducted across Wisconsin.

While the state legislature, Rep. Garthwaite included, did approve some Federal Stimulus funded projects, Rep. Garthwaite did not find or author them and they did not take place across Southwest, WI. Nearly all of these funds were devoted to urban areas near Madison, Milwaukee, Beloit, Janesville, Racine, or Kenosha.

This claim is bogus.

Garthwaite Claim 6: Secured important federal funds to help rural critical access hospitals cover their MA costs and reduce cost-shifting onto the average family.

Fact: This statement is partially true and partially false.

Rep. Garthwaite supported a bill to secure increased federal funding for rural hospitals, however, those funds were used to plug a hole that he created in the first place.

During debate on the state budget, Rep. Garthwaite voted against amendments to protect rural hospitals from cuts. As a result of his vote, these hospitals faced a devastating $10 million hole in their budgets.

To try to correct his error, Rep. Garthwaite supported a $10 million tax increase on the patients of rural hospitals. It seems counterintuitive but this tax increase eventually ended up helping the rural hospitals. Through a little bit of clever accounting, the state has been able to temporarily leverage increased federal reimbursement for Medical Assistance programs through the higher revenues brought in by the tax.

Rep. Garthwaite voted to let the state skim a large portion of these dollars from rural hospitals, however, the hospitals still make out ok. They have been able to offset Rep. Garthwaite’s $10 million cut and hope to set aside a couple million dollars to improve doctor recruitment. This should work out well for another year or two until the Feds catch on to the scheme and Wisconsin’s rural residents are left with a higher tax and nothing to show for it.

As to the part about cost-shifting, Rep. Garthwaite is referring to the so-called Hidden Health Care Tax. The Hidden Health Care Tax is the higher prices private payers are charged to offset the losses doctors and hospitals take on some Medicare and Medical Assistance patients. When the government under-reimburses hospitals, everyone else must pick up the tab. Garthwaite’s argument in this case is weak at best since the federal dollars he speaks of were used to fill a hole he created in the first place and not to increase existing government reimbursement rates.

Phil’s Priorities

Priority 1: Cutting waste wherever possible and holding the line on taxes.

Fact: Phil’s real priority is increasing government spending as much as possible and increasing taxes as needed to pay for it.

In the last two years Rep. Garthwaite has supported the stimulus and Government and Public Employee Union bailouts. He voted to increase spending by 10% in the middle of a recession and voted in favor of nearly $5 billion in tax increases to pay for it. He has clearly demonstrated that cutting waste and holding the line on taxes are the reverse of his priorities. Frankly, I’m shocked that he has the audacity to put such a bold faced lie on a flyer.

Priority 2: Supporting and growing small businesses that create jobs here in our community.

Fact: I believe Phil that this is one of his priorities, however, his means of achieving it are backwards.

Last year Phil voted to create a new, higher income tax bracket for successful small businesses. How does that help them? Phil voted to raise property taxes by $1.5 billion. How does that help small business owners? Phil voted against the Jobs Now Tax Credit, which would have cut taxes on small businesses that hired people in the middle of the recession. How did that help small businesses?

The fact is that Rep. Garthwaite might talk about helping rural businesses but he votes squarely against them.

Priority 3: Speaking up for family farms and providing them with the tools they need.

Fact: Rep. Garthwaite supported legalizing raw milk, limiting the development of farm land, and tax credits for some Ag. related industries, however, he also supported several laws that would have devastated family farms.

Rep. Garthwaite supported AB 844, a bill to allow the DNR to strip farmers of their high capacity wells, and he supported a global warming bill that the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation said would hurt farmers because, “the majority of provisions, if implemented, will lead to higher fuel, fertilizer, and electricity costs.” Thankfully neither bill passed into law.

It’s clear that family farms are one of Rep. Garthwaite’s priorities. They’re just not as high of a priority as the causes of liberal environmental special interests.

Priority 4: Protecting our local institutions so they can continue to provide important and valuable services.

Fact: This is so vague as to be meaningless.

Priority 5: Putting partisan politics aside and reaching across the aisle to focus on the real issues.

Fact: Aside from the smoking ban, Rep. Garthwaite voted lock step with Jim Doyle and the Democrat majorities in Madison. He did not hold public hearings on Republican bills in the committee he chairs. When Republicans introduced more than 130 amendments to the state budget, did he cross the aisle even on one? No. Rep. Garthwaite was the definition of a partisan. He couldn’t find common ground with the other party on anything. On the issue of partisanship, his voting record speaks for itself. Rep. Garthwaite voted with the liberal wing of the Democrat party 99.9/100 times during the last session.

2009-10 Session Recap - Garthwaite on Spending

Despite a record budget deficit, Rep. Garthwaite supported Governor Doyle's plans to dramatically increase government spending over the past two years. A quick comparison of the last state budget to the current one reveals just how steep Garthwaite and Doyle's spending increases have been.

2007-09 Wisconsin State Budget
$59.99 Billion

2009-2011 Wisconsin State Budget
$65.77 Billion

Garthwaite/Doyle Spending Increase
$5.78 Billion
9.63%

2009-10 Session Recap - Garthwaite on Property Taxes

With the election just around the corner, it's time to start looking back on Rep. Garthwaite's record from the 2009-2010 legislative session.

Let's start with property taxes.

The non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance recently released their assessment of property taxes for 2010.

According to the group, net property taxes increased 4.9% this year and now claim 4.5% of personal income - the highest percentage they have claimed since 1996.

We all know that ever increasing property taxes are harmful to our pocket books, even to renters, and especially during a recession. Based on Rep. Garthwaite's campaign promises from the last two elections, he knows this too.

When Rep. Garthwaite first ran for office in 2006 he promised to pass legislation to reduce Wisconsin's high property tax burden. He touted a Democrat plan called HOPE, which would have eliminated a portion of the property taxes homeowners pay on the first $60,000 in value of their home. To pay for this property tax reduction, Garthwaite's plan would have eliminated an unspecified number of sales tax exemptions on items such as groceries, gasoline, manufacturing and farm equipment, legal services, and other things that are not currently subject to the sales tax.

During the 2007-08 session, the HOPE plan failed to gain traction in the legislature and Rep. Garthwaite was unable to deliver on his promised property tax relief.

When the 2008 election came around, Assembly Democrats altered the HOPE plan. It would still grant homeowners a tax break for the first $60,000 in value of their home, however, it would not be paid for with new sales taxes. Instead, the Assembly Democrats' new HOPE would shift property taxes from single home owners to the owners of rental, vacation, or business properties.

In other words, under Garthwaite's 2008 plan if you owned one home, your property taxes would have been reduced. If you lived in an apartment building, your rent would have gone up. If you owned a second home, your property taxes would have gone up. If you owned rental property... You get where this plan was going...

While I could understand why Democrats like Garthwaite would want to increase property taxes on people who are wealthy enough to own a vacation home, I could never get why they wanted to shift a greater burden of property taxes to renters. It truly baffled me. Why would Democrats, who purport to represent the underprivileged classes of society tout a proposal that would dramatically increase the cost of housing on renters? Perhaps that is why the bill never gained any traction.

Despite having a total lock on state government (the Democrats currently control the Governor's office, the State Assembly, and the State Senate), Rep. Garthwaite's party did not advance HOPE or any other property tax relief proposal. In fact, they accomplished quite the opposite by cutting state aids to local governments and schools by 15%. In effect, Madison politicians like Garthwaite made the locals make the tough decisions that they were unwilling to make. No wonder Wisconsin has a multi-billion dollar deficit.

To Recap:

1. In the 2006 campaign, Rep. Garthwaite promised property tax relief.
- He did not deliver.

2. In the 2008 campaign, Rep. Garthwaite promised property tax relief.
- He did not deliver.

3. Due to Rep. Garthwaite's votes in Madison, property taxes are now the highest they have been in 14 years.

Garthwaite Supported Raid on Injured Patients and Families Ruled Unconstitutional

In October of 2007, Rep. Phil Garthwaite supported Governor Doyle's plan to partially balance the state budget by stealing $200 million from the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund. This morning the Supreme Court of Wisconsin ruled Garthwaite's raid unconstitutional.

Each year every doctor in Wisconsin pays thousands into the fund to act as a buffer against large medical malpractice suits. Over the years this fund had helped to keep down the price of medical malpractice insurance in Wisconsin, thus reducing the price of health care while simultaneously attracting high quality doctors to Wisconsin.

After Garthwaite succeeded with the raid, the fund became insolvent driving up the cost of medical malpractice insurance in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Medical Society also reported that doctor recruitment became more difficult after the raid.

Today's ruling is a victory for health care in Wisconsin and also for property rights but it does create a major problem for the next legislature.

Despite voting to increase taxes by nearly $5 billion, Garthwaite and his colleagues in Madison have left the state with a $2.5 billion deficit. This ruling will likely tack $200 million plus interest onto that.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Slams Garthwaite Revolving Door Prison Policy

Rep. Garthwaite's revolving prison door plan took a hit on February 22 when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published this story about corrections releasing repeat felons months early from prison.

Things got worse when the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute reported that some offenders such as Derrick Parnell, pictured below, were re-offending just weeks after being released early under Garthwaite's plan.



Now things have gotten even worse for Garthwaite's revolving door program. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has called Garthwaite's plan a "time bomb." In this statement from last week, MADD's spokesman said, "Early release of repeat convicted offenders belittles the effectiveness of the current OWI law across the board and compromises public safety."

Rather than backtracking from this obviously flawed policy, what have Democrats like Garthwaite done? They've released two more convicted drunk drivers - this time 6 and 7 time offenders. To date, 18% of offenders released under Garthwaite's plan have been convicted of drunk driving 5 or more times. Corrections plans on releasing up to 3,000 offenders over the next year meaning that if they maintain current pace there will be 540 more repeat drunk drivers back on the road thanks to Rep. Garthwaite's plan and vote in favor of this policy.

Garthwaite to Introduce Another Do-nothing Bill - Assembly Democrat Disintegration Continues

The Kenosha News is reporting that Rep. Garthwaite has agreed to lead the way in the Assembly for a piece of legislation that is to be introduced by State Senator Bob Wirch. The legislation would mandate that state government (primarily the UW and prison systems) purchase at least 10% of their food goods from Wisconsin producers. This mandate would increase to 20% in 2020.

While "feel good" legislation like this mildly annoys me, I really don't have a problem with this particular bill other than that I don't necessarily agree that prisoners deserve to eat the fine products produced in our state. At the end of the day, however, I doubt that this bill will accomplish anything at all. I predict that Wisconsin's prisons and the UW already procure more than 10% of their food goods from Wisconsin producers. If this bill passes, it will probably just mandate what is currently standard practice in our institutions.

In other news, the payday loan scandal continues. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Assembly Democrats' payday loan bill narrowly passed committee today on a 6-5 vote. Rep. Dean Kaufert, a Republican supporter of payday loan reform issued a warning to Democrats stating,"Don't pose for holy pictures. You're in the soup. You're trying to find your way out of this.  . . . Trying to rush this through, get it by, get the stories over - I don't know; it's not pretty."

The Associated Press is reporting that Majority Leader Tom Nelson continues to deny his support to ethically challenged Democrat Speaker Mike Sheridan. Payday Gate is becoming a case study in public relations mismanagement and continues to threaten the reelection chances of vulnerable Democrats like Phil Garthwaite.

Garthwaite Faces Two GOP Challangers

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reported Sunday that two Republicans are gearing up to take on Garthwaite.

Republicans seek to unseat Garthwaite in Wisconsin's 49th Assembly District.
TELEGRAPH HERALD

Travis Tranel wants another shot at Phil Garthwaite. But he's going to have to go through David Kuhle first.

Tranel, a rural Cuba City, Wis., Republican, told the TH last week he "absolutely, without a doubt" will be in the race for Wisconsin's 49th Assembly District seat, and plans to make it official in the coming months.

While he may be waiting for the right time to announce, Tranel has hit the ground running on the fundraising trail. Last year, his undeclared campaign took in more than $7,500.

"It's a lot easier the second time around," said Tranel, who ran unsuccessfully in 2008 against Democratic incumbent Garthwaite. "There's just so much more enthusiasm. It's just easier to raise dollars when you have that name recognition."

The southwest Wisconsin farmer was 22 when he bested a three-man field, including Kuhle, in the 2008 GOP primary. He went on to lose to Garthwaite in the general election, 54 percent to 46 percent.

Kuhle, an established Hazel Green Republican, now leads the Grant County GOP. He officially announced his candidacy several weeks ago, and reported $5,300 in his campaign bank at the end of last year.

Garthwaite moved into the election year with more than $14,000 in his campaign war chest. He says if the past is any indicator, he'll finish second in campaign finance.

"I've been outspent every time I run," he said.

More facing tax hikes in Wisconsin

Staying in the Badger State, a tax watchdog group warns significant changes to Wisconsin's income tax could affect thousands of taxpayers this year, many of them considered rich in political lexicon.

Due to state budget problems, income tax changes for tax year 2009 include a number of tax increases, according to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to public policy research and education.

The most substantial increase is a new top individual income tax rate of 7.75 percent on all taxable incomes exceeding $300,000 for married couples filing jointly ($225,000 for single filers). Capital gains taxes also increased, due to a reduction in the net long-term capital gains exclusion from 60 percent to 30 percent.

Federal tax changes for tax year 2009 largely benefit first-time homebuyers and those collecting unemployment benefits, WISTAX said.

Explanations of the changes and "plain-English" instructions for filing 2009 federal and state tax returns are available in the alliance's annual tax guide, Taxes10 (for a $3.95 charge). For more information, contact the organization at 608-241-9789 or wistax@wistax.org.

While Assembly Democrat Leadership Crumbles, another Vulnerable Democrat gets Himself into a Scandal

News stories about the troubles of Rep. Garthwaite's bosses in Madison continue to proliferate. The latest news is that the Democrat Majority Leader and Speaker are at odds, questions are being raised about the Democrat leader's travel reports, and apparatly the Speaker's campaign finance reports are all sorts of messed up.

Meanwhile, a Democrat Rep. who like Garthwaite stands a good chance of being defeated in the next election has found himself in the middle of a growing scandal. State Rep. Cory Mason, a Democrat from Deerfield, WI who represents Racine, WI is under attack for accepting campaign contributions from the owner of a company who would have received a state sanctioned monopoly thanks to legislation authored by Rep. Mason.

According to WKOW-TV, "Campaign finance reports and state e-mails show former Racine lawmaker Jeff Neubauer made a campaign contribution to the author of proposed environmental legislation with benefits to Neubauer's company on the same day the proposal was unveiled at news conferences."

After reading a few other articles about this, the facts appear to be this:

1. A former Democrat legislator, Jeff Neubauer wrote a bill that would give his business a near monopoly on certifying cleaning products as green. The bill would also mandate that all state buildings use so-called "green" cleaning supplies. Obviously, this legislation would bring in substantially increased revenues to Neubauer.

2. Neaubauer gave this bill to Rep. Mason along with a campaign check.

3. Mason introduced the bill and began ushering it through the legislature.

This story has been floating around for about two weeks but today's revelations from WKOW-TV bring it to a new level. The fact that campaign cash exchanged hands on the very day that this terrible legislation was introduced stinks like rotten cheese. This is relevant to Garthwaite in two ways.

If Garthwaite's leaders force him to vote for this stinky proposal, he could get dragged into this mess too. More likely, however, is that this will mean that fewer campaign dollars will be available for Garthwaite during the fall.

Mason is going to be in rough shape when the next election comes around. That means that all the cash Assembly Democrats were counting on from the Trial Lawyers Lobby, the Teacher's Union, and Tribal Gaming Interests will have to be spread thinner, leaving less money for Garthwaite to defend his terrible record.

"We Democrats authorized all kinds of new taxes"

In a political blunder for the ages Democrat State Senator Jim Holperin had a bout of honesty during a couple of email exchanges. Quite unfortunately for tax and spend Democrats like Phil Garthwaite, these emails just fell into the hands of the state media.

According to this Lakeland Times article, a constituent wrote the Democrat in support of increasing the beer tax, something Rep. Garthwaite has long supported. The Democrat Senator responded with the following:

"We Democrats authorized all kinds of new taxes in the recently adopted state budget (cigarette taxes, capital gains taxes, solid waste fees, cell phone tax, boat registration fee, etc. etc.) and took a lot of heat for that," Holperin wrote. "Nobody is eager to be voting for 'another' tax increase ... especially on beer! We're a brewery state, for crumb sakes (which maybe also explains our alcohol culture...)!"

Maybe a liquor tax instead, he contemplated in a message extending over two emails (he had accidentally sent the first in mid-sentence and launched the second email to complete the thought).

"However, the Senate may be in the mood to consider an increase in the liquor ... increase in the liquor tax but even that will be tough sell. I think the choices right now are, ignore the costs, pass the bill and worry about the inconsistency of that later. Or, pass the bill and increase the liquor tax by 50 cents."

In another email, Sen. Holperin described the Democrats' tax and fee increases in a more colorful way, "You know the Governor's got enough little tax and fee hikes in that budget of his to sink a good sized battleship."

Look for these words to becoming to a Republican campaign piece near you soon.

To read others' thoughts on this issue, see this release from Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, or this statement from the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

The Truth Behind Phil Garthwaite's "Get out of Jail Free Card"

Question: What does Paula Harris have to do with Phil Garthwaite?

Answer: Everything.

Thanks to Phil Garthwaite's "Get out of Jail Free Card," Paula Harris, or someone like her, is coming to a community like ours very soon.

Phil Garthwaite was the deciding vote during the budget debate last year to let approximately 3,000 felons out of prison early in order to make the government's books appear more balanced. The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau has since reported that Garthwaite's early release program is unlikely to save much, if any state funds. This is true because no corrections personnel will be cut and no prisons will be closed. Furthermore, many of those released will be dependent upon the state for housing and welfare for years to come.

Assembly Democrat supporters of the early release program like Phil Garthwaite argue that only non-violent offenders will be released. Such statements only prove that these representatives haven't read the legislation that they voted for.

Paula Harris, the subject of the above article, proves this point.

She was the very first inmate released early under the Assembly Democrats' "Get out of Jail Free" program.

Paula Harris was convicted of stabbing a friend to death. She was sentenced to 11 years for 1st degree reckless homicide. Thanks to Phil Garthwaite's deciding vote she only served 3.

Rep. Garthwaite would have you believe that his budget will only release non-violent offenders.

Rep. Garthwaite would have you believe that 1st degree reckless homicide is a "non-violent" crime.

Rep. Garthwaite is wrong.

The case of Paula Harris is not a lone case.

The second convict released early because of Phil Garthwaite's votes was Brian Boje.

Boje was in prison because he had been convicted of driving drunk five times. If you don't believe PGWatch, please click here. State records clearly show that Brian Boje was convicted of driving drunk 5 times and that he had a record of probation violations. Still, he was released from prison early thanks to Phil Garthwaite.

Should a 5-time drunk driver be considered a non-violent offender? Phil Garthwaite's votes indicate that he believes so.

In total, the first 22 convicts released under the "Get out of Jail Free" program are guilty of more than 150 crimes, including 74 felonies.

The next time you see Phil Garthwaite in Cassville or Boscobel spinning the facts about his "Get out of Jail Free Card" ask him about Paula Harris or Brian Boje, and then email PGWatch a summary of what he says. We'd like to know how he digs himself out of this one.

To learn more about this topic, please see the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute's report Back on the Street, or this column from State Rep. Scott Suder.

Garthwaite Flashback - "Get Your Ass Back Down to the South"

***This picture is not taken out of context. This is a photo of Grant County's Representative on the floor of the State Assembly screaming at Wisconsin businesses to get their "ass back down to the south."***

The latest figures from the Department of Workforce Development show that unemployment increased in Grant County by 11.6% in December. Today seems like a good day to revisit Rep. Garthwaite's infamous anti-jobs floor speech.

These days Rep. Garthwaite doesn't speak much in the legislature. He never says a peep on the Assembly floor. He doesn't debate. He doesn't hold committee hearings on legislation. He is by all accounts one of the most silent of all legislators in Madison. Perhaps his silence is attributable to the major blow up he had nine months ago when he told businesses to either accept job killing regulation or leave Wisconsin.

If you haven't watched Grant County's Rep. in action please click here to see how he behaves in Madison on the rare occasion that he speaks. Fast forward to 1:15:38 to see Rep. Garthwaite in his full self abasing glory.

"Get you ass back down to the South. I don't want you here. I don't want you in my community."

- State Rep. Phil Garthwaite speaking to any employer who opposes heavy handed government regulation. The specific bill in question that day was lobbied for by trial lawyers to make it easier for them to sue employers and to increase their odds of receiving large cash payouts.

"And the fact that his Democratic caucus is not overly concerned about this may indicate why so much is so wrong in Madison."

That is what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has to say about the Assembly Democrat Caucus in the wake of Payday Gate. Phil Garthwaite is a part of that caucus.

The Wisconsin State Journal Editorial Board has weighed in as well, and their comments aren't much prettier.

State Budget Deficit Balloons Under Garthwaite's Watch...Again.

The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) reported today that Wisconsin's structural budget deficit increased by $277 million over the last six months. This is bad, bad news for the state but it isn't really all that surprising.

Garthwaite and the Democrat majority in the State Assembly voted to increase taxes by nearly $5 billion last year alone. When a government increases taxes on employers in the middle of a recession it hurts them. They stop hiring and sometimes lay people off. They put off expansions. Sometimes they even go out of business. The end result is lower than anticipated tax revenues.

Add to that the fact that Garthwaite voted to increase state spending by 10% and our state ends up with a huge budget deficit. According to this press release, Wisconsin's deficit is more than $2.3 billion. As Rep. Fitzgerald puts it, every man, woman, and child in Wisconsin would have to pay an additional $413 in taxes next year just so the state could break even. Please remind Rep. Garthwaite of this next fall when he brags about voting for a "balanced" budget.

For more information, see this release from Senator Mike Ellis.

In other news, even the neo-socialist Daily Kos is weighing in on the problems facing Assembly Democrat leadership in Wisconsin.

Who says we can't admit when we're wrong? Garthwaite increased state spending by 10%, not 6% as we had thought.

The hyper-geeky, ever correct number crunchers at the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WTA) reported today that Rep. Garthwaite voted to increase government spending by just more than 10%, rather that the six or so percent that PGWatch had reported. Our 6% number was based on reports released from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, news outlets, and Republican legislators. Sorry.

Read the full release from the WTA for more details.

Assembly Democrat Leadership Woes Forcast a Tough Fall for Vulnerables Like Garthwaite

This tersely worded story from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Patrick Marley spells trouble for Assembly Democrats. According to this and other stories, rumors spread around the Capitol Friday that Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan was in jeopardy of losing his leadership post over an alleged, inappropriate relationship the married speaker had carried on with a lobbyist.

Sheridan, Rep. Garthwaite's boss in the Assembly, denied these allegations Friday, stating that the lobbyist was just a friend and that they had gone on just one date. He has since amended his story stating, "I have dated a gal who is a lobbyist. It's not been a conflict, and I have no problem saying that..." The Speaker also told the Journal Sentinel that, "We (He and the lobbyist) went to a Christmas party. I think we went out with like a group of people a couple different times and that type of thing." "Like a group of people." "That type of thing." Why does the Speaker of the State Assembly sound like a kid who broke curfew and doesn't want to fess up to his parents about what he was out doing?

The Assembly Democrats already faced a tough election fight. The mood of the country and state is swinging back against their big taxing, big spending policies. Their total lack of focus on jobs and the economy over the last year doesn't help their cause much either. This potential scandal, however, adds a whole new dimension to the challenges that vulnerable Representatives like Garthwaite will have next fall.

For starters, this issue will further divide an Assembly Democrat Caucus that is already split over the proposed mayoral take over of the Milwaukee Public Schools. Coupled with their failure to put the Jeff Wood incidents behind them, the Assembly Democrats will be distracted this spring and will likely leave this session without having accomplished anything of substance on jobs, the economy, or anything else. What will they have to run on in the fall? A failed stimulus bill and honey regulation?

Secondly, an embattled and divided Assembly Democrat leadership will not be able to properly organize and fund raise for members facing tough challenges. Democrat Majority Leader Tom Nelson was already set to be in the fight of his life over budget pork that cost his district and comments he made in regards to the Democrat auto insurance premium hike of 2009
Sheridan too will now be preoccupied with his own survival.

Traditionally, Assembly Democrats have counted on large third party expenditures from public employee unions, trial attorneys, and tribal gaming interests to bail them out of situations like this. This year, however, those groups will be focused on getting a Democrat into the vacant Governor's mansion first, maintaining a precarious majority in the State Senate second, and keeping vulnerable Assemblymen like Garthwaite in office a distant third. This all spells trouble for the Democrat from Grant County next fall.

Garthwaite Spent 104 Days in Madison in 2009 with Little to Show for it

During his last campaign, I seem to remember that Phil Garthwaite liked to criticize Republicans in the Assembly for being a "Do Nothing" legislature.

Well the numbers are in on Garthwaite's first year as member of the Democrat Majority and they would appear to show Mr. Garthwaite as the pot who called the kettle black.

Number of Days Garthwaite spent in Madison - 104
Amount of Per Diem Garthwaite collected from the taxpayers - $9,152.00
Number of Days Garthwaite spent in legislative session - 25
Number of times Garthwaite's Committee on Rural Economic Development met - 1
Number of bills considered by Garthwaite's committee - 0
Number of Garthwaite bills signed into law - 0



There is something to be said for the Libertarian minded legislator who does not seek to pass legislation or to meet frequently in legislative session. As Thoreau, Jefferson, and Paine are all attributed to have said, "The Government is best which governs least." Were Garthwaite of this mindset I could forgive his inaction as a legislator. Garthwaite, however, is a self described progressive. His voting record, campaign materials, and public pronouncements all indicate that he believes that government action is the solution to our society's problems. This leaves one question for Mr. Garthwaite. If government is the source of solutions to our economic woes and other challenges, than why aren't you doing anything to prove it?

Assembly Democrat Global Warming Bill to Put 43,000 out of Work

Rep. Garthwaite has long been a supporter of legislation that would increase fuel and energy prices in order to reduce greenhouse gas production in Wisconsin. He's campaigned on it and is even on record as having voted in support of one radical proposal, 2006 Assembly Bill 157.

Now Assembly Democrats are promoting a new bill that they call the "Clean Jobs Act." The 174 page bill, which oddly never mentions "clean jobs," not even once, makes wholesale changes to the way Wisconsin produces and uses energy.

According to a study commissioned by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute and conducted by the non-partisan, independent Beacon Hill Institute, AB 649 will have dramatically negative consequences on Wisconsin's unemployment numbers and on our quality of life.

The Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald explained why in a recent editorial in the Baraboo News Republic where he refuted one of the bill's supporters, Democrat Rep. Fred Clark:

Manufacturers depend on reliable and affordable electricity to make their products. In Wisconsin, they already pay some of the highest costs for electricity in the Midwest. The cornerstone of Rep. Clark’s global warming legislation is a new mandate that utilities produce 25 percent of their electricity from renewable resources by 2025. Utilities are already struggling to meet a modest, but important 10 percent renewable standard passed by environmentally conscious Republicans in 2005. To comply with a 25 percent mandate, utilities would have to spend approximately $15 billion more to convert from cheap energy sources to less efficient renewable sources. A significant portion of that cost will be paid for by Wisconsin’s manufacturers. Those billions that could be spent on expanding and hiring new employees will instead be eaten up by costlier electricity.

Though debatable in boom years, Rep. Clark’s proposed mandate is an unequivocal job killer during a recession.

The global warming bill will also cost the Average Joe more, about $1,000 more each year according to the economists at Beacon Hill. It calls for tripling of the "Public Benefits" fee on your utility bill. The aforementioned utility price increases will cause up to 30 percent hikes in the average family’s heating and electricity bills. It also calls for a Wisconsin-specific fuel standard that will ban or restrict the use of several cheap sources of gasoline. According to the Virginia-based George C. Marshall Institute, the new fuel standards in Rep. Clark’s bill will increase the price of a gallon of unleaded regular by $0.61.

In addition to higher prices at the pump, this bill actually makes automobiles more expensive to buy. Rep. Clark’s bill mandates that each car sold in Wisconsin meet California’s Low Emission Vehicle standard. If enacted, this will drive up the price of the average car by $968 with an annualized cost to Wisconsin consumers of more than $350 million.

To put it simply, Garthwaite's Democrat colleges in Madison are pushing a proposal, which he has supported at least in concept, that will:

1. Put 43,000 employees out of work
2. Increase Utility Bills by 30%
3. Increase gas prices by $.61/gallon
4. Increase the price of new cars by nearly $1,000

Garthwaite has yet to take a stand against his Democrat Madison leadership on any significant legislation this session. Hopefully he will on this deeply troubled piece of legislation.

Will Garthwaite Support Doyle Property Tax Hike?

I heard Rep. Garthwaite say on the radio today that he was proud of Governor Doyle's State of the State speech. I certainly hope that this doesn't mean that Garthwaite plans to support the major property tax hike proposed by the unpopular Governor in that speech.

Here is a portion of a release from the non-partisan Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Inc. on Doyle's property tax proposal:

GOVERNOR CALLS FOR UNFAIR TAX AMENDMENT: WPT CALS FOR REJECTION

The Uniformity Clause of Wisconsin’s Constitution requires fairness in property taxation: equal taxes on equally valued properties, regardless of their classification.

In his State of the State address, Governor Doyle asked you to “begin the process of amending our Constitution…so we can direct property tax relief where people need it the most – on their homes.”

While the Governor was not specific about the amendment he was calling for, there are currently two Uniformity Clause amendments under consideration: AJR-8 and AJR-24/SJR-7. Under both amendments, renters, commercial, farm, and other business property owners would pay more than equally valued homes and more than under current law. (See April 9, 2009 LFB Memo to Rep. Ballweg)

Renters would pay more than owners of equally valued homes

Under both amendments, more than 633,000 hard working Wisconsin families and individuals who rent their homes and apartments would pay more than the owner-occupants of equally valued homes and condominiums next door or across the hall. Instead of receiving more property tax relief , those who rent would end up paying more property taxes on their homes under these amendments.

Tax shift could eliminate jobs, hamper recovery

According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, AJR-24/SJR-7 would have increased 2008(09) business property taxes by more than $200 million, the equivalent of 4,024 medium wage jobs. Increasing businesses’ property taxes when many are struggling to meet their payrolls could result in more business failures and job losses. This would tend to slow our recovery rate and reduce the impact of the Governor’s jobs initiatives.

Agricultural property taxes would increase

According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau AJR-24/SJR-7 would have increased taxes on undeveloped, forest and agricultural forest land by 23.8% in 2008(09). This could lead to abandonment of thousands of acres and hundreds of farmsteads due to inability to pay taxes on their woodlands.

Homeowners’ taxes subject to Legislature’s whims

AJR-8 would allow future Legislatures to tax homeowners more or less from year-to-year. When school and local government spending increases more than state revenues, the Legislature could increase instead of lowering taxes on principal residences – the main source of property tax revenue - to help schools and local governments fill their revenue/spending gap.

Rep. Garthwaite campaigned on a similar tax shift scheme in the last election that he called HOPE so I expect that he will support the Governor on this plan. A quick search of the legislature's website seems to confirm this. Rep. Garthwaite is a lead author of AJR 24, the bill to increase property taxes on farmers, renters, and small businesses in order to subsidize others.

Still Nothing on Jobs From Garthwaite

We here at PG Watch have gone without posting for quite sometime but we haven't gone as long as Rep. Garthwaite has without holding a public hearing in an important committee for job creation.

Rep. Garthwaite has been chairman of the Assembly Committee on Rural Economic Development for over a year now yet he hasn't had a single public hearing on even one piece of legislation to date. As chairman of the Rural Economic Development Committee, Garthwaite is in a unique position to draft and pass ideas to bring jobs to rural Wisconsin areas like Grant County. During the worst recession in a generation, his inaction does a great disservice to his constituents.

According to the Department of Workforce Development, Wisconsin lost 26,100 jobs in December bringing total unemployment to 250,900 or 8.7% of Wisconsin’s workforce. Unemployment in Grant County is up almost a whole percentage point since last month. Still Rep. Garthwaite refuses to act.

To date Rep, Garthwaite's legislative agenda has consisted of bills to regulate honey, legalize industrial marijuana cultivation, and to rename 'swine flu' as 'H1N1'. These aren't necessarily bad ideas but they certainly won't be putting anybody back to work anytime soon. Rep. Garthwaite's silence on jobs speaks volumes.