This is becoming an unfortunate pattern

Believe it or not, I very desperately want to believe that the audiences at the last few Republican presidential debates do not represent the majority of their party. Even in the face of the wild accusations during the health care reform debate and even after reading all of those horribly offensive tea party signs, I still want to believe that the majority of Republicans are not this nasty and hateful.

The allegedly "pro-life" party wildly cheering record numbers of executions in Texas.

Yelling to affirm that a young man in a coma should be allowed to die simply because he can't afford his own health insurance.

And now the party that pretends to have cornered the market on patriotism, actually booed a solider CURRENTLY SERVING IN IRAQ, simply because he is gay.

Yes, I desperately want to explain away these nasty reactions but this is becoming a most unfortunate pattern. What may be much worse than the nastiness itself is the lack of convincing and universal condemnations of it.

A Little More Equality for Christmas

I joined the Army National Guard when they still did "ask" and I served for 7 years under "Don't Ask Don't Tell" which wasn't much better. However, I am still proud of my own service and I am very proud that all will now be able to finally serve openly and honestly. Once again the US Military leads the way for the rest of our society. Now we can all enjoy just a little more equality for Christmas.

Walker Changes Reason for Vetoing Fairness

In an email to their subscribers, Wispolitics is reporting on Scott Walker's new reason for vetoing fairness last year. If you will recall, he vetoed the idea of conducting a study for extending benefits to county workers in domestic partnerships. According to today's Wispolitics report, he says that he vetoed that measure because of some phony concern related to the constitutional amendment passed in 2006. So is he lying now or was he lying at the time that he vetoed equality? Because at that time he claimed he was doing it purely for financial reasons. Now he is suddenly "coming out of the closet" revealing that he really did it because of the constitutional amendment (you know, the constitutional amendment whose dishonest supporters claimed wouldn't interfere with such benefits?). Typical and extreme Scott Walker, he will say anything and everything to further his political ambitions. Even if it conflicts with his own words. This supposed "values" crowd clearly doesn't value honesty.

Feeding Log Cabin Delusions

The new issue of the Wisconsin Gazette includes the feature story, "Scott Walker's Gay Dilemma". For me it clearly points to a typical theme: Scott Walker saying and doing anything to get elected. On one hand he has his a small handful of LGBT staffers that seem convinced that he accepts them but then on the other hand we have all of the gay-hating groups that are convinced that he will act against the LGBT community every time. Given both Walker's campaign rhetoric and his actual record, you would have to be delusional to think that he is actually supportive of LGBT families in any real or substantive way.

Here is a perfect example of this delusion from the story:

"...other gay Walker supporters believe his personal openness signals that, if elected, he would not pursue the conservative social positions he’s adopted on the stump."

Newsflash: Scott Walker actually has a track record as an elected official right now, and it shows that he will not hesitate to make LGBT families first class taxpayers but second class citizens. Just last year Walker successfully vetoed a measure that sought to simply study the idea of treating the families of all Milwaukee County workers equally. The study would have focused on the actual costs of allowing LGBT families to take advantage of the same benefits as every other family of a county employee (including Walker's). We don't even know what the costs for fairness would have been and Walker clearly didn't want to know. Likewise, Walker also has repeatedly sought to cut funding for things like important programs at the Aids Resource Center of Wisconsin. Those are only two examples of him actually pursuing "the conservative social positions he's adopted on the stump."

The desperate delusions about Walker then transfer into equally delusional attacks against Democrats who have repeatedly stood up for LGBT families. It was the Democratic minority in the legislature that did every single thing that they could to keep the Republican majority from putting the discriminatory constitutional amendment on the ballot in 2006. It was our Democratic governor and a Democratic majority in the legislature that gave LGBT domestic partners basic rights and protections through the creation of the state registry (rights that Scott Walker has specifically promised to take away). It was Democrats that sought to protect LGBT and other youth by including bullying language in a school security bill earlier this year. Republicans like Leah Vukmir followed the lead of the most rabid anti-gay voices and voted against it. I could go on and on to list the endless efforts of Wisconsin Democrats that have been outstanding partners with the LGBT community.

I hate to break it to Log Cabin Republicans, but what you are seeing is Scott Walker being Scott Walker. He is saying what you want to hear while talking to you and saying (not to mention actually doing) the exact opposite while talking to those that rabidly fight equality. Again, with this issue as with so many others, Scott Walker will say and do anything to get elected. In this specific case that appears to include the feeding of "log cabin" delusions that he will at some point change his pattern of anti-LGBT policies.

Attacking LGBT Families Nets Nothing for Walker

True to form Scott Walker has been pandering to the most extreme elements of the right wing. This kind of thing seems to happen every time that he approaches any election (especially one for governor). One of the groups that he apparently has been trying to court are those that have a sick obsession with gay people.

Last year Scott Walker vetoed an effort to treat the families of all Milwaukee County workers equally. Actually the measure sought to simply study the idea of allowing domestic partners to have access to the same benefits package as everyone else. Walker claimed that his veto was about money but everyone knew that it was really about blowing a right wing dog whistle. This year he also said that if he were elected governor he would oppose the state’s domestic partner registry and any benefits for the same-sex partners of state workers.

What has Walker's pandering on this issue really brought him? Well, in the middle of a heated primary, Walker's flirting with the gay-obsessed has done very little. Today the PAC for the loudest gay-hating group in Wisconsin issued their endorsement for governor. They endorsed both Scott Walker and Mark Neumann. Perhaps it is not a major surprise since Neumann did say that he wouldn't hire a gay person and if he were "elected God" homosexuality wouldn't be "permitted".

Appling and Co. must have not received the Walker/Republican Party of Wisconsin memo. They were supposed to fall in line and endorse the coronated candidate. Even after all of Walker's anti-gay extremes they still didn't pick him over his primary opponent. But I would guess that his running to the extreme right on this issue certainly hasn't helped his image with fair-minded independents. I would suggest that Walker's pandering on this hasn't just been a net loss but it has also turned into an epic FAIL.

Wisconsin Weekend Events Abound

This weekend the Democratic Party of Wisconsin will hold its convention. I will be there attempting to break the world record for passing out business cards. If you are not attending, you can check out the various speeches at the link above.

Once again on the very same weekend, Wisconsin's LGBT community will be celebrating at Pridefest. The headliners this year will include Kathy Griffin (Friday), Patti LaBelle (Saturday), and Joan Rivers (Sunday).

Honoring Everyone's Sacrifice and Service

LGBT members of the armed forces have served and sacrificed for our country throughout our history. This Memorial Day those that have followed in their footsteps are much closer to serving proudly, openly and without fear.

A New "Don't Ask Don't Tell" for the Senate?

The best part of this bit starts at 3:55 when Jon Stewart and John Oliver talk about the idea of banning "old people" from serving in the Senate.

"Its not about the old person as an individual, its about the people that have to work beside him. It affects Senate cohesion".

A Few Gay Men & Women

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Send a Bill to Milwaukee County

Yesterday the Milwaukee County Board failed to override Scott Walker's veto of a study. Specifically, the study was to provide an accurate number for the cost of providing the same benefits to all Milwaukee County workers. Walker and at least 7 Supervisors pretended that they were against this measure because treating workers equally would be too expensive. An absurd point to be sure, but even more absurd since we don't even have an accurate assessment of how much it would cost. And that is why equality-minded supervisors called for a study in the first place. Clearly Walker and at least 7 supervisors would rather remain in ignorance on the issue.

One vote would have provided a successful override of Walker's veto. If everyone that originally voted for the study, would have voted the same way, it would have moved forward. When a veto proof majority originally voted for the study, Walker bragged that he was going to flip the one person that he needed to prevent an override. He was successful and it is no surprise that Lynne De Bruin was the one to flip. Apparently her reputation for caving at the slightest hint of pressure is justified. Apparently she now thinks that studying the cost of equality is just a little too expensive.

LGBT families and others that should be/but aren't treated equally should send a bill to Milwaukee County. Did everyone else get their property tax bill recently? Did you see the portion that is paid to Milwaukee County? Might I suggest that people send a bill to Milwaukee County asking for reimbursement of that amount? Why should any group of people be required to be a first class taxpayer but second class citizens?

You may also want to contact Scott Walker and the supervisors that believe equality is too expensive, and ask them the following: 1. Are you and your family carried on the Milwaukee County benefits system? 2. How much is that costing Milwaukee County Taxpayers? 3. Will you repay Milwaukee County for those costs and remove yourself from the benefits system?

Here is the contact info if you want to send your bill to Milwaukee County and/or ask these officials to give back their expensive taxpayer funded benefits:

County Executive Scott Walker

Email: countyexec@milwcnty.com

Milwaukee County Courthouse 901 North 9th Street, RM 306
Milwaukee, WI 53233

Phone: 414-278-4211 Fax: 414-223-1375

Milwaukee County Supervisors

Lynne De Bruin, Joe Sanfelippo, Joseph Rice, Paul Cesarz, Mark Borkowski, James Schmitt, Michael Mayo

Milwaukee County Courthouse
901 North 9th Street, RM 201
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Phone: 414-278-4222 Fax: 414-223-1380

Why Can't You Just Say, "He's Wrong"?

Today the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorialized that the full Milwaukee County Board should override a Scott Walker veto today. The veto was meant to stop a study that would look at the actual costs of treating all Milwaukee County employees equally. Specificly, that LGBT families would have access to the same benefits as their heterosexual co-workers. So the study that Walker doesn’t want is about how much extending those benefits will/or won’t cost.

The good part about the editorial is that the MJS says that the Walker veto should be overridden. The part that makes me crazy is how they have to qualify any and every criticisim of Walker with “he has a point” kind of language. NO! HE DOESN’T HAVE A POINT! HE IS WRONG! Why can’t the MJS just say so?

I know that the MJS has invested a lot of their own “capital” into Scott Walker but this kind of thing is getting so absurd. I really think that Scott Walker could propose using the Park East land to build a massive puppy mill and the MJS would somehow manage to find a “good point” in it.

The last time that I can remember the MJS Editorial Board saying that Walker was flat out wrong about something was when his administration closed the pools early in the middle of a heat wave and then scapegoated his managers when he saw the public outrage. Other than that 2003 incident, I simply can’t remember the MJS simply saying “He’s wrong” about anything.

The measure is only asking for a study of the benefits in question. We want to the know the real costs and Walker wants to keep us in the dark. The likely outcome of a study will be that they will not cost that much more. Then Walker and friends will have to admit that the real reason for fighting this is rank discrimination and pandering to an extreme base. That is why he vetoed the study and that is flat out (come on, you can say it) W-R-O-N-G!

A Potpourri of Shameless

Just in time for the holidays, we are all getting a complimentary potpourri from Milwaukee County! Unfortunately it is a potpourri of shameless, and it doesn't look half as lovely as the festive one pictured here.

Not only did Scott Walker successfully send a group of modestly paid workers to the unemployment line for the holidays, but he then bragged about it as a "win" for himself. As if that wasn't bad enough, this week we found out that the majority of the workers that he threw out were African-American. I don't think that I need to remind people how much worse the unemployment rate is for the African-American community as compared to the population as a whole. Maybe Scott Walker will send those families a Christmas card thanking them for helping him score a short lived political point. He deserves the national coverage that he is getting about his inability to control his toilets.

This week we also saw five of the seven people on the Milwaukee County Board's Personnel Committee vote to sustain Scott Walker's veto against LGBT families. The measure was only calling for a study to analyze the impact of offering benefits to the families of LGBT Milwaukee County workers. But why would they want a study when they can just cite some made up estimate that Walker's underling pulled out of thin air? If they actually got the results of a reliable study, then they might have to admit that this has nothing at all to do with money. It has everything to do with catering to Walker's extreme base.

I renew my call for Walker, David Arena and all five of those supervisors to give up their benefits because they are costing taxpayers too much! If they don't give up their benefits, then they should at least fully disclose how much their benefits are costing taxpayers.

As an aside, it was particularly galling to see Lynne De Bruin live up to her reputation and reverse herself at the slightest hint of pressure. I think members of the LGBT Community should start sending their property tax bills to her and ask her to pay the county portion of it. After all, why should the LGBT Community be first class taxpayers but second class citizens in Milwaukee County?

Just when you think your potpourri of shameless is complete, Scott Walker comes along with something new to add! I didn't think he could do it, but I think that Walker has come down on yet another side of the federal stimulus issue. Who knew that there were so many sides to it! Capper has the details, and believe me, they are the very definition of shameless.

Vetoes Targeting LGBT is All the Rage

It looks like Scott Walker isn't alone in issuing vetoes to make LGBT taxpayers second class citizens. One governor recently issued a veto targeting those "being gay dead".

Cue Colbert:

The Word - Skeletons in the Closet

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Slippery Scott Doesn’t Want a Study

So Scott Walker vetoed a proposal to simply study the idea of treating Milwaukee County workers equally? From a totally cynical and hyper-political point of view (we are talking about Slippery Scott here) everyone understands exactly what he is doing. Both he and his various yes men have been trying to kill the idea based on their imagined figure of the benefits costing $4 million. An actual study on the subject would most likely confirm that they pulled that purposefully over bloated figure right out of nowhere. Then, heaven forbid, Walker may have to actually stand by his real reasoning for his actions.

As we already know, the City of Milwaukee decided 7 years ago to treat all of their worker's families equally. Seven years later, the city only expects equality to cost about $200,000 (if you really want to put a price tag on it). If the board overrides Walker's veto of the study, it will likely force him to confirm what we already know. His veto has nothing to do with numbers or financial matters at all and has everything to do with appealing to the right wing fringe dwellers and homophobes that make up too much of his base. A study would just prove their opposition is really about bigotry and Walker's is really about rank political maneuvering. I'm not sure that this veto came because Walker himself is a bigot, because frankly I am not sure that he really believes in anything other than advancing his own political career.

If this is really about the financial impact of benefits and not about anti-gay bigotry then why doesn't Walker and Company lead by example? Why don't they take their own families out of the Milwaukee County benefits system? Taxpayers would save money wouldn't they? That is the alleged goal isn't it? The last thing that we need in this kind of economy is offering more benefits to career politicians, isn't that right Scott? So lead by example and forgo the taxpayer funded benefits that you enjoy. Or do you think that you are just a little bit better than everyone else and their families? If you do, I wish that you would just get it over with and say it already.

Obviously I don't expect Walker to give back his own benefits for at least two reasons: 1. He apparently thinks that he should be treated better than the average county employee and 2. This veto is not about finances at all, it is totally about Slippery Scott's endless political calculations and endeavors.

UPDATE: It looks like issuing anti-gay vetoes is all the rage. Now a sitting governor has issued a veto against "being gay dead".

First Class Taxpayer, Second Class Citizen

I borrowed the title of this blog from a sign that I saw in a photo from the national equality march last month. I remember seeing that sign and thinking that it really just says it all. Members of the LGBT community are certainly expected to pay the same taxes as their straight counterparts, yet they and their families are treated as second class citizens in many respects. Thanks to the actions County Supervisors Christopher Larson and Marina Dimitrijevic, Milwaukee County LGBT workers and their families have moved a little closer to equality. Today the full Milwaukee County Board voted 13-6 to draft domestic partner revisions to the county health plan.

Naturally Scott Walker, personnel director David Arena, and at least Supervisors Sanfelippo and Cesarz all publicly read from the same talking points before the actual vote. They are willing to pretend that this is a financial issue but I don't think that anyone really believes that it is that cut and dry with these particular officials.

The ever tasteless Sanfelippo said that it was "almost a slap in the face to our employees" because he is asking them to take pay cuts and furloughs right now. I have a clue for the clueless supervisor: a portion of "our employees" are LGBT people and your comments are a "slap in the face" to them. So not only does Sanfelippo want LGBT county employees to give up pay and work time but he also wants them to give up any hope of providing the same benefits for their families as the rest of "our employees". He says that "we have to draw the line somewhere" and apparently he is drawing that line at "the gays".

As I said, the aforementioned naysayers in Milwaukee County Government pretend that this is a financial issue and resist the benefits publicly for that reason. David Arena supported his boss by putting out what appear to be hyper inflated numbers. He said that it would cost $3.9 million a year, but the City of Milwaukee, which has had domestic partner benefits for seven years, plans to spend only $216,000 on them next year (0.3% of the $75 million that the city pays in overall health care costs for employees).

Just to put some of these numbers into some context, there were 78 children of Milwaukee County workers that were born or adopted into the benefits system last year. By comparison, in the City of Milwaukee after seven full years of offering domestic partner benefits, they only have 30 workers that are taking advantage of them.

Scott Walker said that they shouldn't even consider new benefits and if anything that they should be more bold in benefit cuts. If he really believes that then why doesn't he start with his own benefits? Does Walker carry any members of his family on the Milwaukee County benefit plan? If he does then he should lead by example because his family isn't any better than any other employee of Milwaukee County. But then again we already know that he is not one to hold himself to the same standards that he expects from other public employees.

Thursday morning I sent a request to David Arena asking if he, Walker, Sanfelippo and Cesarz all carry their respective spouses on the county benefit plan. I have not heard from him today and don't know if I ever will but the point is very clear. They apparently believe that LGBT families should be treated as first class taxpayers but second class citizens. Thankfully, (so far) a veto proof majority of the board disagrees.

Equality March but no Equality in Coverage

Queer and Loathing in D.C.

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National Equality March in DC

Initial reports say that tens of thousands participated in the march, including at least two buses from Wisconsin. America Blog and Huff Post have more pictures and the AP has raw video. CSPAN has video of speakers at the post-march rally which was at the Capitol.

When Do the Witch Trials Start?

Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen has officially started his reelection campaign and it is on the backs of the LGBT Community in Wisconsin (as if that is a surprise). Although he is the Attorney General and is supposed to defend the State of Wisconsin in court, he has refused do so now that some of his fellow fringe dwellers are suing the state over very limited domestic partner benefits. Van Hollen is wildly extreme and he has already proven that he has no problems with misusing his office for political/ideological gain. Trying to silence others by filing a frivolous law suit days before an election, chasing out law enforcement professionals for partisan cronies, strategically trying to obstruct certain voters, and now refusing to do his job because he would rather display his own extreme personal beliefs.

Others have already made some very interesting observations on Van Hollen's latest abuse of his office:

One Wisconsin Now points out Van Hollen's hypocrisy after comparing his last campaign statements with his actions today.

Emily at the Lost Albatross observes that Van Hollen apparently has dismissed his own job description.

Illusory Tenant points out that Van Hollen has absolutely no authority as AG to attack a state statute. (btw, doesn't this make him an activist AG?)

Capper adds a few more examples of Van Hollen's questionable actions as AG.

I don't have much to add to these insights except this one question…when can we expect the Van Hollen-led witch trials to start?

Some Executives Lead the Way

Earlier this week the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia held a hearing on domestic partnership benefits legislation. The hearing consisted of three panels of experts including Wisconsin's own Rep. Tammy Baldwin. Her presence was certainly no surprise since she was the one to introduce the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009 (DPBO). Baldwin was also joined by an executive from American Airlines, who helped make the case for full benefits for gay and lesbian employees and their partners. In many ways American Airlines has led the way in this specific area and the executive encouraged that the government do the same for its employees.

In the area of domestic partnership benefits and LGBT equality, a good portion of corporate America is certainly leading the way. For example, in the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) annual Corporate Equality Index report, 260 companies scored a 100 percent. For comparison, only 13 scored that high back in 2002 when HRC first published the report. Two of those 260 are corporations that are headquartered in Wisconsin. Those two are Milwaukee-based law firm Foley and Lardner and Racine's S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. Wisconsin corporations scoring a 100 percent on the Equality Index were behind all of our neighboring states with the exception of Iowa.

Illinois 22

Minnesota 12

Michigan 8

Wisconsin 2

Iowa 0

Surly there are other Wisconsin-based corporations that would do just as well on the Equality Index, perhaps they simply didn't know how to participate. One would think that organizations such as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), that purport to represent these corporations, would make it their job to inform their members of such honors (especially if they have earned them through outstanding policy). On the other hand, WMC was found severely lacking when the question of equality came in the form of the discrimination amendment of 2006. Perhaps the new Wisconsin Business Council will do a better job for Wisconsin and its membership in this area. Perhaps they will see the value in following the strong national trend toward equality for LGBT workers.

Read the full 2009 Corporate Equality Index (large pdf)

Latest Brief Filed in Fight Over Amendment

Yesterday a brief was filed in the case William C. McConkey v. J.B. Van Hollen. The case is a challenge to the discrimination amendment that was passed in Wisconsin in 2006. Michael Leon gives us the details in the following blog posting at MAL Contends today.

Brief Looks to Doom Wisconsin Gay Marriage Ban

The Attorney General's reply is due on August 13. It will be interesting to watch him try and make the argument that the discrimination amendment didn't violate the "single subject" rule provided in our state constitution.

Happy Pridefest Milwaukee!

Headliners

Friday: Cyndi Lauper

Saturday: Brandy

Sunday: Etta James