Corruption May Turn Friday Scott Walker-Mary Burke into Spectacle

Update: No talk of water, the environment, corruption, race and bigotry. This column's prediction of fireworks was way-off. I'll give this debate a two on a one-to-ten scale.
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Since Scott Walker began his the high-profile chapter of his life-long political career, corruption, misconduct in office and ties to special interests have defined Scott Walker's fetid, authoritarian radicalism.

One would hope tonight's debate will feature a discussion of Scott Walker's many ethical and likely criminal lapses in pursuit of his rightwing vies.

Scott Walker is an extremist. His views should be put to the test.

Just a couple of questions about clean water, high capacity wells, and what we owe to future generations in being good stewards of the environments ought to do it.

From WPR: Walker Contends He's Left Wisconsin's Environment Cleaner Than When He Found It

(Mary Burke's) campaign sent a statement in which she promises to bring together all stakeholders to find the right balance between economic development and our public health and natural resources. Those are welcome words in part of the state troubled by contaminated runoff from big farms.

As is typical of striking a balance projecting the environment and cultivating a sustainable agriculture, retired business consultant and citizen of Rome, Wisconsin has the best stuff out there.

Talk about corruption. Scott Walker is selling out the environment and the health of our children for campaign money from polluting special interests

From citizen Don Ystad:

Concerned citizens,

There's not a lot more to add to Dr. Iwen's message below about this linked video. It's frightening, it's real, and as unpleasant as the message is, you have to view it. Having attended the same public hearing this week that Dr. Iwen attended, I would echo his concerns about the attitudes expressed by the MilkSource Attorney and the shill from the Dairy Business Association.  They are a self-serving bunch who care nothing about what they are doing to our health and well being and will say anything to further the greed of the Big Ag guys who fund them.

Politicians and agency people copied here,

I'm encouraged by the groundswell of public concern regarding this issue. It's unfortunate that you are so slow to take action on our behalf. How many more people will become ill as you pander to these self serving, greedy industrial agriculturists? And how many lakes, streams and wells will be contaminated as you are entertained by their ag lobbyists in Madison? There is a middle ground and the pendulum swings both ways.

Watch the video and judge for yourself.

Don Ystad.
Rome, WI



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: William Iwen
Date: Thu, Oct 16, 2014 at 9:19 PM
Subject: CAFO industry and the spread of super bacteria such as MRSA, E. Coli 0157: H7, Salmonella and much more!

Good evening fellow CAFO fighters,

I hope all of you have watched the PBS presentation referenced below.

If you have not, please google this address below, watch the Video and then consider the added very serious worries that should voiced over the proposed dairy in Richfield....or Kewaunee County or anywhere in Wisconsin or the U.S.

This PBS expose' clearly shows the sheer body of overwhelming and growing evidence and the correlation to increased illnesses in citizens unfortunate enough to be living within the reach of air or water transmission of sewage from a CAFO.  Air and water transportation systems are carrying very dangerous bacteria to the surrounding countryside and to susceptible citizens OF ALL AGES .
Richfield Dairy and every CAFO in the U.S. must be mandated to disclose the amount of antibiotics they use and the State must be disclosing and tracking the super bacteria existing in those areas.   This may appear to be an overwhelming agenda, but we MUST all keep pushing the button of alarm over and over and over with a growing chorus of citizens and a growing urgency.

When attorney DuQuaine (Milk Source lawyer) says the the cumulative well effects have been studied "ad nauseam" he is showing his profound ignorance and indifference "ad nauseam" to the most dangerous elements of this industry and is demonstrating this clearly by merely paying simple minded lip service to his professional "cash cow" and addressing only the High Cap well problem.
When John Holevoet (DBA talking head) utters his nonsense, he too is showing profound ignorance and indifference  to the bigger issue.  His comments are so out of line with reality that he owes the community at large a public apology...unless is so totally ignorant  that he will never understand OR that he really does not care one wit about consequences of an industry founded on the principles of  money, power and greed.

Sincerely,
Bill Iwen

Burke-Lehman Retail Campaign on Environment

Ripon College Democrats hosted State Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine), candidate for Lieutenant Governor on Tuesday night.

Attendees went away impressed. Most people don't want to told their drinking water is not safe to drink, like what happened up north earlier this month.

Wrote attendee Elaine Swanson from Ripon College:

John Lehman came to the Ripon College campus last night.  He spoke about important issues - and left time for questions.  I brought up my neighbor Rosendale Dairy (the largest CAFO in Wisconsin)and the operation's untreated waste spread over fields surrounding homes where people are living; spray irrigation being pushed. 

Senator Lehman responded by telling of the tour he recently had in the central part of the state where a CAFO has been proposed.  He said he met the citizens who are fearful of the impacts on their lakes and streams from high-cap wells.  I was applauding you guys up in Rome & Saratoga for organizing that very important tour!

As I'm remembering, it was a tour of CAFOs in Kewaunee County that indirectly introduced more conservationists to spreading industrial operations in WI - like champion Greg Farnham. Thanks Kewaunee for organizing those tours that create lasting images - and lasting odors!

Wisconsin Assembly District 72 Debate Monday Night Is Citizens Leading

Wisconsin's 72nd Assembly District

State Rep. Scott Krug's (R-Nekoosa) race against disability rights atty Dana Duncan (D-Port Edwards) displays community action that used to define Wisconsin before special interests like the Koch brothers and mining interests began running the Republican Party.

A Monday night, Oct. 6 debate is the most anticipated political event this isolated part of the state has seen in years.

This following analysis is blunt, unlike the people of the 72nd assembly district who epitomize the friendly, open culture of Wisconsin.

Scott Krug is a policy lightweight, lacks an ethical center and doesn't belong in public office.

Krug will say anything to get elected and has, most notably promising in 2010 to serve two terms ("I'm for real") and not accept "one cent" of per diem money because he is so serious about spending Wisconsin taxpayers' money. Krug pocketed over $10,000 per diem money anyway to no shame when asked about his unusual promise.

Krug broke both promises with no explanation exceeding that of a first grader evading a teacher's concern about anti-social behavior. (Bice, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

The political landscape has changed in this district the last two years (gerrymandered though it is) and Krug cannot avoid Monday night's debate sponsored by two citizens' groups, Protect Wood County and Its Neighbors and Rome and Saratoga Friendly (Facebook) without committing political suicide.

This is a testament to the work of citizens deciding the nature of their community where they work, live and seemingly more frequently than most enjoy the company of their grandchildren.

Former Republican-voting citizens in the district now openly display Burke-Lehman signs in their front yards solely because of the clean water-CAFO-tourism-local control issues.

Against this, Scott Krug infamously told a constituent and public forum attendee to "quit your bitching" in 2012 as a Big Ag defiler of the environment (and Krug ally) spoke at the Wisconsin Performing Arts Center.

Citizen action for clean water, tourism and recreation—against the proposed massive Wysocki concentrated agricultural feeding operation (CAFO) and the vectoring of liquid cow manure into waterways and aquifers of the central sands—has forced prospective policymakers to seek an electoral mandate as Krug has raised well over $Six figures (a staggering amount for this district) steered his way from the Wisconsin GOP kings and special interests to fight off his own constituents.

Krug displays in his Wisconsin Bluebook biography that he is a 2012 recipient of the Dairy Business Association (CAFOs' mega lobby and industry drum beater.)

Seventy-four days before Election Day 2014, Scott Krug suddenly announced he is against the siting of the CAFO. (VanEgeren, The Capital Times)

Krug's ally, Scott Walker, well, enough is known about Walker to not elaborate except to note this morning's dailies report Walker still refuses to give a straight answer this late in the campaign and commit to serving a full term should voters reelect him. (Stein, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) (Nichols, The Capital Times)

Dana Duncan

Dana Duncan is the anti-Krug, the anti-Walker.

Earnest, wonkish and brilliant, Duncan is independent, engages voters to the extent that Krug runs from them, and when Duncan commits to events, interviews or forums there is an absolute assurance Duncan will fulfill his commitment, contra Krug.

Duncan has been against the proposed CAFO since it was dropped on the Town of Saratoga in the summer of 2012; Krug pretended he was studying the issue until called out, melting under the political heat.

Duncan speaks in detail about the proposed CAFO, clean water, the environment, tourism and recreation, against Krug's poorly formulated clichés.

Scott Walker, this lifetime politician living on the taxpayers' dole condemns any political citizen in Walker's disfavor benefiting from any aspect of the commonwealth and despite campaigning to lead the most "transparent" administration in Wisconsin history is the most closed-off, still refusing to hold a townhall style listening session.

Krug, though a policy lightweight, praises Scott Walker with adoration and is a member of the corporate bill mill, ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Dana Duncan was not the choice of the Democratic Party's controversial chair, Mike Tate.

Duncan didn't care. He's not running for the Party. Ducan's running for the community.

One hopes coverage of debate is heavy.

A certainty is Wisconsin will be hearing more of the concerns of the people of central Wisconsin who have found allies across the state.

City High-Capacity Well Made Town Water Wells Go Dry, Town May Sue Stevens Point

Updated - Scott Walker made a conscious decision to have the DNR operate in its handing out high capacity water wells like candy at Halloween.

No Republican dissented, certainly not State Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) representing part of the Central Sands region of Wisconsin vulnerable to high capacity wells and application of liquid cow manure.

This last Spring when new, even worse high capacity water well legislation would have been killed in the Senate, some in the Assembly felt safe to vote 'No' for the time being amid the tide of rapidly growing pro-water citizen movements, that will likely vote Krug out of his assembly district drawn to elect Republicans.

Kevin Carr of WSAU has a piece out reporting the Town of Hull is considering suing Stevens Point because the City's high capacity water well caused complete water loss for many Town residents.

Reports Carr:

It's known as Well 11; a high capacity well used by the City of Stevens Point. Not long after it first went online in May of 2012, residents in the Town of Hull started noticing some problems.

"Within 6 months or so, people started losing their water supply," Town Chairperson John Holdridge said.

Aaron Heckel is one of the residents who lost nearly all of his water after Well 11 went online.

"We couldn't shower or cook or do anything. The water would just regenerate a little bit throughout the day," Heckel said.

The well is being blamed for lowering the water supply. Town records show that since the well was first used, almost 40 residents have either been forced to drill new, deeper wells, or experience water pressure issues. Those who chose to replace their wells say it wasn't cheap.

The potential litigation on this two-year-old issue [see Town of Hull Water Issues) follows the new policy instituted in 2011 by Scott Walker's Department of Natural Resources to adopt presumptive approval to high capacity water well applications, as though the Wisconsin aquifers were unlimited in what Walker said is, .

"In a state with about 15,000 lakes and more than a quadrillion gallons of groundwater, it is hard to believe that water could ever be in short supply. Experts say, however, that the burgeoning number of so-called high-capacity wells is drawing down some ground and surface water," reports Kate Prengaman at WisconsinWatch.

Seemingly every week, there is a new story about a river, stream, aquifer or lake being drained or toxify or both.

"The number of these so-called high-capacity wells in Wisconsin has exploded exponentially in recent years due to sprawl, expanding dairy and agricultural operations and dozens of new frac sand mines, note The Political Environment.

Former DNR Secretary George Meyer said the DNR under Scott Walker "has failed to lead the way on studying the health and environmental impacts of rapidly growing industries such as sand mining and the spread of high-capacity water wells." (Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal)

"In Walker’s first year in office he turned the DNR into an 'enterprise agency' with 'increased operating flexibility to enable the agency to improve customer service and business support.' This shifted staff and resources away from monitoring, oversight and compliance with environmental regulations and created the Office of Business Support and Sustainability at a time when two major threats to clean air and water were ramping up: Frac sand mining and massive Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) with thousands of head of livestock," notes Rebecca Kimble in The Progressive Magazine (March 2013).

Hull (population 5,346 ) is adjacent to Stevens Point (population 26,717).

Portage County in central Wisconsin is located where the Northern Highlands region meet the Central Plains or Central Sands region of Wisconsin.