hue
hue's JournalMarquette poll finds Walker still ahead of Burke
http://www.ashlandwi.com/news/regional/article_1559e6a6-88f5-11e3-b114-0019bb2963f4.htmlPoll also finds public disagreement with Walker on taxes, minimum wage
By Chuck Quirmbach | Wisconsin Public Radio
A Marquette University poll shows Gov. Scott Walker is still leading potential Democratic rival Mary Burke.
The poll of 800 registered Wisconsin voters took place last week, mostly before Walker’s State of the State address. The survey finds Walker polling at 47 percent, and former state commerce secretary and business executive Mary Burke polling at 41 percent. Walker's lead has grown since a similar poll last October; Burke’s numbers have slipped a few points while Walker's haven’t moved, even though his job approval rating is up a bit.
Marquette pollster Charles Franklin said Walker hasn't gotten much of a bounce from good state fiscal news and some bad national headlines for Democrats.
“We have just gone through the health care rollout and the problems with that, and found money in the state budget, so we’re kind of at a high point for Republicans,” said Franklin. “It’s interesting that his vote hasn’t moved.”
Franklin said voters have well-formed views of Walker, but 70 percent of respondents don't know enough about Burke to have an opinion of her. He expects television commercials for and against Burke to soon change that.
Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) will begin exploratory drilling in the Penokee Hills any day now.
http://www.ashlandwi.com/news/local/article_9ecba6ee-8568-11e3-b01a-0019bb2963f4.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitterBy Mike Simonson Wisconsin Public Radio
GTAC has filed all the paperwork and gotten Department of Natural Resources approvals to drill 15 exploratory holes. There will be 12 sites, and off-limits zones will be 600 feet from the drilling sites and access roads.
The DNR is releasing maps of the off-limits zone, and GTAC said it will bring in licensed security guards, although GTAC spokesman Bob Seitz won’t say what firm or how many.
“We have no interest to have anybody arrested or anything like that,” said Seitz. “All we’re trying to do is make sure we’ve got a safe work site for our employees.”
DNR Forest Management Director Bob Mather said the enforcement zone isn’t up to them.
“The real enforcement is up to the company, if they want to do something,” said Mather. “We’ve recommended that they post signs and make it obvious so people can understand where the land is and where it isn’t.”
GTAC would call the Iron or Ashland County sheriff’s departments to remove trespassers. But Iron County District Attorney Marty Lipske says the statute isn’t clear if that means a ticket, fine or arrest.
“It depends if it’s a trespass, a disorderly conduct, if there’s any damage to property, etc.,” said Lipske.
It appears they’ll get that chance: LCO Harvest Project spokesman Paul DeMain said about 50 anti-mining people went snowshoeing in the off-limits zone Saturday, and said they’ll be back.
“There’s people who want the ticket,” said DeMain. “There’s probably a little contest to see who gets the first ticket.”
Waukesha Mayor will not be in attendance for Obama’s speech
Source: FOX6 NOW
WAUKESHA (WITI) — President Barack Obama makes his way to Waukesha, Wisconsin on Thursday, January 30th to speak at the General Electric Gas Engines Plant hours after he delivered his State of the Union address to Congress and the nation. Final preparations are underway — and we are learning there is at least one person who will not be there to greet President Obama on Thursday.
FOX6 News has learned Waukesha’s mayor will not be in attendance during the President’s speech on Thursday.
“I`m making a statement. It might be somewhat bold. I’m not going to get involved with photo opportunities for partisan, outside partisan politicians,” Waukesha Mayor Jeff Scrima said.
Read more: http://fox6now.com/2014/01/29/waukesha-mayor-will-not-be-in-attendance-for-obamas-speech/
Unbelievable arrogance.
Monarch butterflies drop, migration may disappear
Source: U-T San Diego
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of Monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico plunged this year to its lowest level since studies began in 1993, leading experts to announce Wednesday that the insects' annual migration from the United States and Canada is in danger of disappearing.
A report released by the World Wildlife Fund, Mexico's Environment Department and the Natural Protected Areas Commission blames the displacement of the milkweed the species feeds on by genetically modified crops and urban sprawl in the United States, as well as the dramatic reduction of the butterflies' habitat in Mexico due to illegal logging of the trees they depend on for shelter.
After steep and steady declines in the previous three years, the black-and-orange butterflies now cover only 1.65 acres (0.67 hectares) in the pine and fir forests west of Mexico City, compared to 2.93 acres (1.19 hectares) last year. They covered more than 44.5 acres (18 hectares) at their recorded peak in 1995.
Read more: http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/29/monarch-butterflies-drop-migration-may-disappear/
Liberal union thugs? How about Republican Congressional thugs? (VIDEO)
Conservatives, especially here in Wisconsin, are really fond of attacking so-called “union thugs,” but here’s an example of a Republican Congressman acting like an absolute thug.
Watch as Republican Rep. Michael Grimm of New York physically and verbally threatened a reporter following last night’s State of the Union address.
http://bloggingblue.com/2014/01/liberal-union-thugs-how-about-republican-congressional-thugs-video/
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X-posting in videos
Wis. Senate panel sets hearing on 7-day work week
Source: TMJ4 News
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The state Senate's labor committee will take public comments this week on a Republican bill that would allow factory and retail employees to volunteer to work seven straight days without a day off.
The bill's authors, Sen. Glenn Grothman and Mark Born, say the proposal would bring Wisconsin in line with federal law, give workers a way to make more money and help employers boost production. Opponents counter employers will use the bill to pressure employees to work longer and erase their weekends.
Read more: http://www.jrn.com/tmj4/news/Wis-Senate-panel-sets-hearing-on-7-day-work-week-242563431.html
I can't express myself in words as I've signed DU's policy agreement!!
Propane Prices and the "Energy Independence" Fraudsters
http://stellareport.blogspot.com/"The Midwest pipeline supply situation may be worse next winter, when Kinder Morgan plans to have reversed its Cochin pipeline to carry light condensate to Alberta, Canada." said Joe Rose, president of Propane Gas Association of New England, by phone yesterday.
“That will be next year’s catastrophe,” Rose said.
Many of us in the Midwest heat our homes with propane. Last year it was available for about $1.10/gallon. Now it's pushing $5 in areas. (Reported to be $6 in Woodruff on January 24th) If you fill up a thousand gallon tank twice a year - something many folks do -- you're looking at $10-12K instead of $2200 if these prices hold!
So why is this happening? A lot has to do with poor energy policies brought on by politicians buying into the oil and gas drilling industry's promises of jobs and energy independence. We are told that fracking and pipeline projects like the XL from Canada to the gulf will provide jobs and have us swimming in gas and oil. Production is so huge, they tell us, that not only do we need more pipelines, we also need terminals so we can ship the excess overseas.
So here are a few of bonehead policies that are costing us each thousands:
1) Ethanol production is promoted and subsidized. It's supposed to be a "greener" fuel. But many studies shows it takes more energy to make a gallon of ethanol than you get out of it. And it takes PROPANE to dry the corn that makes the ethanol (not to mention it takes more propane to process the corn). This year the corn was wetter than usual, and a lot more propane was used to dry it. That was part of the reason for the original shortage.
So, we are each subsidizing ethanol ourselves, now, by paying $5 for propane!
2) Tar sands in northern Canada need distillates to process them so they can be transported through pipelines, like the XL Pipeline. As a result, a pipeline that brings propane down from Canada is being converted to a pipeline that brings distillates UP to Canada to process tar sand oils. That pipeline was shut down for several weeks so that it could be retrofitted to reverse flow direction. That pipeline supplies 40% of Minnesota's propane, and much of ours. It will be back online for a while, but then will be permanently converted to ship distillates to the tar sand fields of Canada.
So, we will all be subsidizing tar sands and the XL pipeline with our huge propane bills!
Feds Suspend NJ Slaughterhouse; Cruelty Alleged
Source: abc News
One of the country's largest veal and lamb companies was temporarily barred from processing meat after federal officials viewed secretly shot video showing animals being treated inhumanely at its New Jersey slaughterhouse.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday suspended slaughtering operations at Catelli Brothers Inc. in Shrewsbury. The company promised cooperation with investigators, and said it has already hired an expert on animal care and handling in meat plants to help it prevent future problems.
In one video clip, a cow had its neck slit and was bleeding profusely but was still conscious after being shot several times with a stun gun. In another, a calf that was unable to walk was being dragged.
Both instances violate federal rules which require that animals slaughtered for human consumption be treated humanely leading up to and during slaughter.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/feds-suspend-nj-slaughterhouse-cruelty-alleged-22235881
The Techtopus: How Silicon Valley’s most celebrated CEOs conspired to drive down 100,000 tech engine
http://pando.com/2014/01/23/the-techtopus-how-silicon-valleys-most-celebrated-ceos-conspired-to-drive-down-100000-tech-engineers-wages/techtopus
In early 2005, as demand for Silicon Valley engineers began booming, Apple’s Steve Jobs sealed a secret and illegal pact with Google’s Eric Schmidt to artificially push their workers wages lower by agreeing not to recruit each other’s employees, sharing wage scale information, and punishing violators. On February 27, 2005, Bill Campbell, a member of Apple’s board of directors and senior advisor to Google, emailed Jobs to confirm that Eric Schmidt “got directly involved and firmly stopped all efforts to recruit anyone from Apple.”
Later that year, Schmidt instructed his Sr VP for Business Operation Shona Brown to keep the pact a secret and only share information “verbally, since I don’t want to create a paper trail over which we can be sued later?”
These secret conversations and agreements between some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley were first exposed in a Department of Justice antitrust investigation launched by the Obama Administration in 2010. That DOJ suit became the basis of a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of over 100,000 tech employees whose wages were artificially lowered — an estimated $9 billion effectively stolen by the high-flying companies from their workers to pad company earnings — in the second half of the 2000s. Last week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied attempts by Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe to have the lawsuit tossed, and gave final approval for the class action suit to go forward. A jury trial date has been set for May 27 in San Jose, before US District Court judge Lucy Koh, who presided over the Samsung-Apple patent suit.
In a related but separate investigation and ongoing suit, eBay and its former CEO Meg Whitman, now CEO of HP, are being sued by both the federal government and the state of California for arranging a similar, secret wage-theft agreement with Intuit (and possibly Google as well) during the same period.
The secret wage-theft agreements between Apple, Google, Intel, Adobe, Intuit, and Pixar (now owned by Disney) are described in court papers obtained by PandoDaily as “an overarching conspiracy” in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, and at times it reads like something lifted straight out of the robber baron era that produced those laws. Today’s inequality crisis is America’s worst on record since statistics were first recorded a hundred years ago — the only comparison would be to the era of the railroad tycoons in the late 19th century.
AP NewsBreak: Ex-GOP Sen. John Warner Endorses Dem
Source: abc News
Former Republican Sen. John W. Warner on Monday endorsed his Democratic successor over a past national GOP chairman in the race for the U.S. Senate seat he held for 30 years.
Warner told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he is supporting Sen. Mark Warner, who is being challenged by Ed Gillespie in November's election. The Warners are not related.
John Warner, a moderate, earned a reputation as a party maverick by bucking the conservatives who gradually won control of the GOP during his decades in office. He refused to endorse GOP home-schooling advocate Mike Farris for lieutenant governor and backed an independent candidate over Iran-Contra figure Oliver North in the 1994 race against Democratic Sen. Chuck Robb. But this is the first time he has endorsed a Democrat outright.
"There are times you must, I think, recognize that certain individuals are superior in their talents and in what they have done and can potentially do for your state," John Warner said.
He praised his successor, also a centrist, for seeking bipartisan solutions.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/ap-newsbreak-gop-sen-john-warner-endorses-dem-22235971
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