Free Republic

CAMPBELLSPORT – On Friday, 6th District Congressional candidate Glenn Grothman (R-Campbellsport) slammed Joe Leibham (R-Sheboygan) for accepting a maximum limit contribution from a progressive trade union. More: Stroebel, Leibham Trade Barbs Over Voter ID According to records from the Federal Elections Commission, Leibham accepted $5,000 from the Laborers Union International North America (LIUNA) PAC on July 15, 2014. The LIUNA was very evident during the 2011 protests against Governor Scott Walker over Act 10 which was upheld by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court and the federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The LIUNA has 500,000 members that are represented in...

MADISON, Wis. -- A court-ordered change to Wisconsin's photo identification law that's designed to cut down on voter fraud is creating confusion and may even open the door to the very type of behavior Republican lawmakers were trying to prevent. Policy makers, attorneys and voter ID experts were struggling Friday with how to interpret a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling from a day earlier, which mandated a change to the law in order to make it constitutional. The court said the state can't require applicants for state-issued IDs to present government documents that cost money to obtain, such as a copy...

Representative Paul Ryan has a bold, ambitious proposal “Expanding Opportunity in America,” to completely remake the American welfare state. Along the way he would also change the federal government’s approach to education, revamp what we are doing in our prison system and much more. Here is a surprise. Although Ryan’s approach is based on well-known conservative ideas, some on the left are actually praising parts of the proposal – including the editorial page of the Washington Post. Ryan’s plan shows something I have believed for a long time. All the innovative thinking on how to solve public policy problems for...

Earlier this year, congressman and former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan released a proposed budget for 2015. It contains an impressive list of cuts projecting a $5.1 trillion savings over ten years. It is also the height of political stupidity and an example of everything that cripples Republicans in their battles with the left.If you are going to make budget cuts, you do it. You don’t telegraph it. Paul Ryan can’t even make budget cuts unless Republicans win the White House and he has just made it harder for them to do it.For starters, Ryan’s list of cuts includes the...

One of two preteens accused of stabbing a classmate 19 times to please a fictional horror character was ordered Friday to receive treatment rather than stand trial, based on doctors' testimony that she claims to see and have conversations with things others cannot - including unicorns and a Harry Potter villain. Judge Michael Bohren ordered the 12-year-old girl evaluated and treated either in a hospital or in a juvenile detention center, where she currently is being held. Doctors have a year to get the girl to a point where she can help with her defense and go to trial. If...

Shorewood — A Shorewood man has been charged with 13 counts of voter fraud, allegedly using other peoples' names and addresses — even driving to Indiana — to cast multiple ballots in multiple elections. According to a criminal complaint, 50-year-old health insurance executive Robert Monroe cast two ballots in the April 2011 Supreme Court election between David Prosser and Joann Kloppenburg, two ballots in the August 2011 recall election between Alberta Darling and Sandy Pasch, five ballots in the Gov. Scott Walker recall election in June 2012, one illegal ballot in the August 2012 partisan primary election and two ballots...

Madison — The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld Gov. Scott Walker's signature labor legislation Thursday,delivering an election-year affirmation to the governor in one of the three major rulings issued by the justices on union bargaining, election law and same-sex couples. In addition to ruling Walker's labor law constitutional, the state's highest court also upheld the state's voter ID law and a 2009 law providing limited benefits to gay and lesbian couples, leaving liberals with one consolation to soften the sting of the two larger conservative victories. "Our courts have continued to give deference to our Legislature and in all three of...

He endured massive protests and a contentious 2012 recall election, but Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has been vindicated in his efforts to curb union power in the state. The Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld his collective bargaining reforms he enacted in 2011, ruling them constitutional (via Associated Press): The fight over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's signature policy achievement, a law effectively ending collective bargaining for most public employees, ended Thursday with the state Supreme Court declaring it to be constitutional. … The 5-2 state Supreme Court ruling is another major victory for Walker as he heads into the statewide...

MADISON, Wis.—Wisconsin's highest court upheld a law ending most collective-bargaining rights for government employees in the state, a blow for public-sector unions that have been stymied in their efforts to reverse the controversial measure championed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a state law requiring voters to have photo identification to cast a ballot, although the law remains blocked by an earlier ruling by a federal judge that it is unconstitutional. The court wrote in its decision that providing a photo identification at the ballot box does not create a substantial burden to the voter, as claimed by the plaintiffs in the case. "Photo identification is a condition of our times where more and more personal interactions are being modernized to require proof of identity," the court wrote.

The teachers’ union representing the Douglas County school system has lost one-quarter of its membership since last year, signaling a growing frustration within the ranks that dues are used to finance politics instead of professional development. The significant drop in membership of the Douglas County Federation (DCF) was revealed in a July 21 letter from the board of education to Courtney Smith, union president, and was based on the union’s most recently released tax returns. The letter pointed to the drop in membership as undeniable proof that teachers had chosen the district over the union and the need for major...

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the 2011 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers, sparked massive protests and led to Republican Gov. Scott Walker's recall election and rise to national prominence.

The Justice Department on Wednesday sided with challengers of voting laws in Wisconsin and Ohio, saying in court filings that measures in those states unfairly affect minority voters. The department criticized a Wisconsin law that requires voters to present photo identification at the polls and an Ohio law that limits when voters can cast an early ballot. The court papers from the federal government are aimed at persuading judges that the laws, which are being challenged in court, are discriminatory and block access to the ballot box. […] The Justice Department has warned of legal actions against states after the...

A low-profile Google Group used by over 1,000 state and national leftwing leaders and activists has been discovered thanks to Wisconsin’s open records law. A Media Trackers inquiry into the actions of a University of Wisconsin professor turned up records and communications from “Gamechanger Salon,” an online community that provides a forum for leftwing activists and leaders to share tactics, strategies and opinions. Operating as a closed Google Group, much of what the network does is unavailable for public review. However, a document listing the network’s membership and a policy manual describing the mission and ground rules for the entity...

MADISON – The campaign of Governor Scott Walker issued a new campaign ad on Monday accusing former Commerce Secretary Mary Burke of a botched deal that may put taxpayers on the hook for $25 million dollars. More: Burke Campaign Issues New Ad over Outsourcing Charge The ad called “Bondoogle” expands off an earlier ad issued by the Walker Campaign that blasted Burke for engaging in a deal with Abbott Laboratories valued at $12.5 million in an attempt to create jobs in Wisconsin. The lot of vacant land that was part of the deal remains vacant to this day according to...

MADISON – Monday begins the first day for early voting in the State of Wisconsin leading up to the August 12th Statewide Primary election. This will be the first election that will feature early voting with more uniform hours due to changes enacted into law earlier this year. Early voting will be done on Mondays to Fridays from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM with no weekend hours. There were divisions between both sides for and against the bill earlier this year. Proponents of the bill say it would create a more standardized process for early voting while opponents say it...

Greetings in Freedom, Ordinarily a County Sheriff's election wouldn't be notable for the larger state. In this case however, I'd like to share what is going on in Milwaukee County because the Sheriff's race here has drastic implications for the entire state and country. Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke rocked the boat here in SE Wisconsin and nationally when he issued public service announcements in 2013 that encouraged people to take responsibility for their own safety including training to use a firearm in self defense. His public service announcements went viral because while self-defense is only common sense, its extremely...

President Barack Obama is "sitting on the sidelines" in the Ukraine and Gaza crises, making him little more than "President Nero" fiddling "while the world burns," Sen. Ron Johnson charged Friday. The Wisconsin Republican and member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee blasted the president for attending fundraisers in New York on Thursday night, the same day of a "barbaric" attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and Israel's push into Gaza. Johnson told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV that Obama's priorities are "outrageous." "I'm hoping Americans are watching as President Nero fiddles while the world burns," Johnson said....

The feud between Campbell, Wisconsin, Police Chief Tim Kelemen and local Tea Party Leader Greg Luce began last fall, when Luce started organizing protests against Barack Obama on an interstate overpass. Kelemen objected to the protests, claiming they disrupted traffic. So, he did what any responsible police chief would do: he persuaded the town board to pass an ordinance banning signs on the bridge. Oh, and he also signed Luce up on homosexual dating, pornography and federal healthcare websites. Via Police One: Kelemen told investigators ...........

Changes are coming to Wisconsin's Do Not Call Registry effective Aug. 1, the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection said Friday. Users will no longer be required to register their phone numbers every two years, and their numbers will be placed on the national list aimed at preventing unwanted telemarketing calls and text messages. Consumers can sign up once and not have to worry about whether their registrations lapse. Also, new registrations will be handled by the Federal Trade Commission's national Do Not Call list, and those registrations will become effective the following day rather than weeks later,...