There’s Monsanto, for example, and what, by the way, ever became of that genetically modified wheat that somehow sprang up in a farmer’s field in May of last year? Remember that? An Oregon farmer sprayed the herbicide Roundup on his field, and some wheat plants refused to die. So he sent them off to Oregon State University—which unsurprisingly is quite interested in wheat, since the state sells 700 million bucks of it mostly to Asia—and yup, it was Monsanto’s experimental wheat. And the experiment? It had ended more than a decade before.

Japan suspended purchases of wheat; the USDA guys were scrambling to try to determine how the wheat got there. Then, in a conference call, some Monsanto spokesman came up with an ingenious idea: sabotage. One of those nutty foodies, you see, had snuck into Monsanto—presumably any soul can drift in and out of their facilities, rather like a mall—and copped the wheat. Then, he had gone into a field, planted the seed, and pointed the finger at Monsanto, to tarnish the company’s reputation! Hah! Foiled that dude!

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Guys? Who the hell decided to allow Monsanto to test their new GMO wheat in—of all places—a North Dakota field? And why, by the way, did The New York Times publish an opinion piece entitled “We Need G. M. O. Wheat?” Well, I read it, which turns out to be an op-ed written by guys seriously in bed with the “biotech industry.” One of the authors, in fact, has written a book, The Frankenfood Myth: How Protest and Politics Threaten the Biotech Revolution—does that tell you the story?

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Oh, and the guys who are regulating the “biotech industry?” Unsurprisingly, they’re not even in bed with the industry, they’re in flagrante with them. It’s a cynical as it is evil.

A point-by-point breakdown by the non-profit National Priorities Project shows that the Ryan budget — unlike the Congressional Progressive Caucus's Better Off budget released earlier this month — is out of step with what Americans want.

NPP points out that 70 percent of people oppose cuts to SNAP (food stamps.) Ryan's budget calls for deep cuts to the program. In contrast, the CPC budget restores SNAP benefits to pre-Farm Bill levels, investing $15 billion over 10 years.

Ryan's budget calls for a lowering of the corporate tax rate to 25 percent. The CPC budget calls for closing of tax loopholes— that's in line with what 79 percent of Americans want.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans say improving education should be a priority. The CPC budget meets that call with substantial general discretionary funding for educatino, as well as $47 billion over 10 years to invest in teachers and K-12 schools. The Ryan budget, in contrast includes cuts to overall discretionary spending, which includes education, and would provide financial aid to fewer families.

Commentators are calling Ryan's budget a political exercise as it is likely to go nowhere, yet the proposal is likely to garner more corporate media coverage than the CPC's economic blueprint that offers a progressive vision in line with what the nation actually wants.

The “Billionaire’s Primary” is a return to what Paul Krugman calls “patrimonial capitalism,” where a wealthy few control the “commanding heights of the economy, and use their wealth to influence politics. Thanks to the biggest wealth transfer in U.S. history, the rich are richer than ever. And, thanks to the Supreme Court’s Citizen’s United decision, there’s no limit on what they can spend. The new billionaire political bosses aren’t limiting themselves to national politics. Charles and David Koch made the top 10 in Forbes magazine’s list of the wealthiest people on the planet. According to a George Washington University Battleground poll, most Americans have never heard of the Koch brothers, but the Koch’s wealth is “trickling down” into local politics.

Along with spending tens of millions of dollars on 2014 Senate races, the Washington Post reports that the Kochs are funneling money into “hyperlocal” races, through their Americans For Prosperity organization. The Wisconsin chapter is engaged in an Iron County board election, challenging incumbents as “anti-mining” radicals, and distributing 1,000 flyers in a county with just 5,000 voting age residents. AFP is also involved in a local race in Iowa, and property tax fights in Kansas, Ohio, and Texas. What are the Kochs up to? David Koch says, “Somebody has got to work to save the country and preserve a system of opportunity.” But the New York Times is more specific: “The idea is to embed staff members in a community, giving conservative advocacy a permanent local voice through field workers who live in the neighborhood year-round and appreciate the nuances of local issues.”

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Wealthy patrons like Adelson and the Kochs don’t invest without expecting an eventual return. They’re likely to get what they pay for. A joint Yale and U.C. Berkeley study is evidence that money does buy access. The study showed that campaign donors are more likely than constituents to get meetings with lawmakers — as a result of, or in hopes of getting campaign contributions. Meeting with constituents may secure votes, but meeting with donors or potential donors can secure enough money for re-election campaigns. (So much for Justice Anthony Kennedy’s argument that huge campaign contributions “do not lead to, or create the appearance of, quid pro quo corruption.”)

Billionaire political bosses like Adelson and the Kochs are America’s new oligarchs. Political parties may at least be influenced by public opinion, but American oligarchs act in their self-interest without concern for public sentiment. They are accountable to no one, and the lawmakers on their payrolls are more accountable to their billionaire political bosses than to the rest of the American electorate.

7 million new jobs in one year

$4.4 trillion in deficit reduction

We’re in a jobs crisis that isn’t going away. Millions of hard-working American families are falling behind, and the richest 1 percent is taking home a bigger chunk of our nation’s gains every year.

Americans face a choice: we can either cut Medicare benefits to pay for more tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, or we can close these tax loopholes to invest in jobs. We choose investment.

The Back to Work Budget invests in America’s future because the best way to reduce our long-term deficit is to put America back to work. In the first year alone, we create nearly 7 million American jobs and increase GDP by 5.7%.

We reduce unemployment to near 5% in three years with a jobs plan that includes repairing our nation’s roads and bridges, and putting the teachers, cops and firefighters who have borne the brunt of our economic downturn back to work.

We reduce the deficit by $4.4 trillion by closing tax loopholes and asking the wealthy to pay a fair share.

We repeal the arbitrary sequester and the Budget Control Act that are damaging the economy, and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid, which provide high quality, low-cost medical coverage to millions of Americans when they need it most.

This is what the country voted for in November. It’s time we side with America’s middle class and invest in their future.

No state worse than Wisconsin for black children, says new national study

A new national report shows that children of color face enormous barriers to educational and financial achievement — with Wisconsin ranking last in the disparity between white children and their non-white peers. White children growing up in Wisconsin ranked 10th among the states in an index measuring 12 key indicators at various stages of life, including home situation, educational skills and income.

But Wisconsin ranks 50th for black children, 37th for Asian children and 17th for Latino children, according to the study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation titled “Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children.” Wisconsin ranks with Michigan and Mississippi for the worst record on African-American achievement.

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The Casey report found that 70 percent of Wisconsin’s white children live in households with incomes above 200 percent of the poverty level, about $47,700 annually for a family of four. At the same time, only 20 percent of black children have that level of economic security. For Latino and Native American kids in Wisconsin, about a third come from households above the 200 percent of the poverty level. On higher education, white adults ages 25 to 29 in Wisconsin are three times as likely to have an associate’s degree or higher than their African-American or Latino peers.

And among middle school students, white kids are six times more likely to be proficient in 8th grade math than black students.
The Casey study emphasizes the need to address the issue now since minorities will represent a majority of the nation’s children by 2018. The report notes that children raised in economically challenged households and communities face tremendous challenges from day one.

Taxpayers are paying $15,000 in attorneys fees and damages and state Sen. Leah Vukmir is turning over documents to a liberal group as part of a settlement over a lawsuit under the state’s open records law.
The case deals in part with official records on Vukmir’s personal email account. The settlement avoids a showdown over when legislators are immune from open records lawsuits.

The documents stem from Vukmir’s involvement with the American Legislative Exchange Council, which works with corporations and conservatives to write model legislation that can be introduced in state legislatures throughout the country. Vukmir serves as ALEC’s second vice chairwoman, the third-highest position on the board.

The Madison-based Center for Media and Democracy sued the Wauwatosa Republican in June, contending she had violated the law by not turning over ALEC records. Brendan Fischer, legal counsel for the center that sued Vukmir, said the state will pay $12,500 in legal fees and $2,500 in damages.

“It’s an acknowledgment that she withheld records that she shouldn’t have withheld,” Fischer said.