Bad Deeds for 8-6-2011

 

Americans for Prosperity Sends Out Ballots With Late Return Date to Democrats – Something is rotten in the state of Wisconsin — and the Koch-backed advocacy group Americans for Prosperity is behind it.

The second round of state Senate recall elections is scheduled for Aug. 9 — when six Republicans will face Democratic challengers — and voters have been sent absentee ballot applications. The problem is, Democratic voters in a number of districts received mailers advising that they return absentee ballots by Aug. 11 (two days too late to be counted). The misleading notices came from AFP.

“[AFP] has displayed a continued pattern of tampering with the electoral process in Wisconsin with elaborate, illegal and fraudulent schemes designed to suppress Democratic votes,” Margaret Brick of the WDP told Politico.

The mailers specifically targeted Democratic voters in two districts where Republican incumbents face recall on Aug. 9.

AFP claims that the mailers were only sent to its members, despite the fact that those targeted with the ballot notices were nearly all self-identifying Democrats.

Furthermore, a close look at the mailer shows a continuation of irregularities that have already involved conservative groups and absentee ballots in the state. The mailing address for the applications is listed as “Absentee Ballot Application Processing Center, P.O. Box 1327, Madison WI 53701-1327.” A Google search shows that this address is not any sort of government office, but has been used by the conservative group Wisconsin Family Action. In addition, Wisconsin Right To Life previously used the same address for absentee ballot application letters and phone calls that were sent out shortly before the July 12 Democratic primaries, but after the official deadlines for the applications.

 

Good Job Numbers Would have Been Much Better Except for Layoff of Government Workers – The US economy added 117,000 jobs in July, the most since April. The jobless rate improved slightly, to 9.1; it was 9.2 percent in July. However, there were really 154,000 workers were hired in July. But there were also losses in state and local government jobs due to budget shortfalls leading to layoffs in July.

 

Rick Santorum Calls Early Education Programs an Effort ‘to Indoctrinate Your Children’ – Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum criticized early education programs on Tuesday as an effort to “indoctrinate your children,” adding that parents, not federal bureaucrats, must be responsible for the success of students.

During a town hall meeting attended by about 20 people at the Perry Public Library, the Pennsylvania Republican said Americans should demand that the educational establishment start meeting the needs of their children as individuals.

He said that if business people wanted to establish an educational system from scratch they would provide a product that was appealing to parents, and to some degree, to children, to maximize what parents wanted their children to be taught.

(Ah-ah! Business people. So Rick doesn’t want public education, and if you can’t home school, then leave it to the business people. Certainly, corporations wouldn’t indoctrinate your children, would they? – JLV)

 

Rick Perry Wants States Rights Except When He Doesn’t – Last week, Texas Governor Rick Perry, a likely 2012 presidential contender, claimed that Roe V Wade should be overturned so states can pass their own laws about abortion. After all, it’s important for states to make their own decisions.

This week, he’s changed his mind. A federal law should overrule the states. Assuming it’s the right law.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry now says he supports a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution affording legal protection for unborn children. Last week, Perry gave a states’ rights answer when asked about his position on abortion, saying, “You either have to believe in the 10th Amendment or you don’t. You can’t believe in the 10th Amendment for a few issues and then [for] something that doesn’t suit you say, ‘We’d rather not have states decide that.’ … Now, according to a Houston Chronicle report, Perry spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger says the Texas governor and potential Republican presidential candidate, backs a federal amendment.

Regards,

Jim