UW Slush Fund

Kevin Reilly, UW System president, has some big time explaining to do.

From the MacIver Institute:

UW System President Kevin Reilly testified in front of the Joint Committee on Employment Relations about the needed personnel at the UW System and UW-Madison. In light of the recent news that the UW System has over $1 billion in cash reserves, legislators strongly questioned Reilly about why he continued to push for massive tuition increases year after year. Reilly tried to rationalize the surplus to the committee, but lawmakers were anything but satisfied with his response.

From Mike Lowe, FOX6 News:

The University of Wisconsin System president faced a panel of outraged lawmakers at the State Capitol on Tuesday, April 23rd. The lawmakers want to know how the UW System has a $650 million surplus at a time when students are being asked to pay more.

“I cannot see a time when we would say, ‘We trust you,’ because the trust has been broken,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

One after another, the state lawmakers wound up and unloaded verbal assaults on UW System President Kevin Reilly.

“I just have to ask the question, what were you thinking?” asked Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.

“I feel like I’ve been played over the last few months,” said State Rep. John Nygren.

“A great lack of transparency is very bad,” said Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca.

Reilly quietly took it on the chin before responding.

“I hear the anger. I think in many ways it’s justified,” said Reilly.

Watch the FOX6 video.

Mike Lowe seems to be accusing lawmakers of abusing Reilly, rather than examining the possible abuse of taxpayers and students.

According to Lowe, "state lawmakers wound up and unloaded verbal haymakers on Reilly."

"Kevin Reilly quietly took it on the chin before responding."

Oh, give me a break!

Where is the oversight? This sort of surplus is something that should raise serious concerns.

But sympathetic Leftist Mike Lowe comes to Reilly's defense.

MIKE LOWE: Were you asking for something that you didn't need when you were asking for tuition increases?

KEVIN REILLY: No, I really don't think so.

LOWE: Reilly says the excess money should really be looked at in three different ways: some of it is restricted — like gifts from donors that have to be spent on specific projects; some is committed, like money in an account that goes to pay bills; and some is saved in a reserve, like money saved for a rainy day.

The outrage expressed by lawmakers, taxpayers, parents, and students is completely justified.

Reilly admitted there were "transparency" issues.

Reilly says the [Board of Regents] was aware of the surplus money and that it is very much needed as a safety net but admitted they didn't do a good job of communicating.

"Let me go back to the who knew what when questions. I think we could have and should have been more transparent about this," said Reilly.

I don't think Reilly realizes that he works for us. That revelation seems to have come as quite a shock to him.

His responses to the lawmakers' questions were inadequate. Reilly contradicted himself, stating with certitude that enrollment is increasing and then claiming that enrollment is on a downward trend and declining.

Not too smart.

Reilly is in over his head.

Tom Barrett Rumor

This is in response to the outlandish rumor about Scott Walker fathering and abandoning a child while at Marquette University.

The Leftists clearly are beyond desperate at this point, hitting an all-time low.

Even Graeme Zielinski isn't tweeting out this one, although I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Lowe reports it tonight.
____________

Have you heard this?

It's not fully substantiated but I'm going to pull a "Mike Lowe" and run with it anyway.

Apparently, when Tom Barrett was on Spring Break while attending UW, he went to Jamaica.

I heard he fathered a child.

Like Dan Bice, my sources will remain anonymous.

The story may be nothing. Then again, it may be a bombshell.

Here's a current photo of the alleged fruit of Barrett's Spring Break in the 70s:



I don't know.

I see a resemblance.

You decide.

I also heard the son Barrett abandoned is likely to be indicted soon.

I also heard that the son is living in a hut on less than a dollar a month.

Oh, wait. It's Obama's brother, George, who lives in a hut. That's a real story.

Barrett - Can't Name Schools Hurt by Walker Reforms

Thank you, Weekly Standard.

Thank you for doing the job that local media in Wisconsin are failing to do.

The Weekly Standard asks questions that our media and professional political reporters like Mike Lowe of FOX6 News aren't asking Tom Barrett.

Thanks to the Weekly Standard for revealing that Tom Barrett has no specific job creation policies for the state of Wisconsin.

It's shocking that the Democrat candidate for governor in this historic recall election is incapable of describing something as fundamental as a plan to create jobs.

Now we learn that Barrett, harsh critic of Act 10's impact on Wisconsin schools, can't name a single school district harmed by Governor Scott Walker's reforms.

From the Weekly Standard:

[Scott] Walker's Democratic challenger, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, acknowledged this morning that the collective bargaining issue was the "flame that started this" recall election, but Barrett couldn't point to a single public school that has been harmed by Walker's reforms.

Here's a transcript from a press conference at Barrett's campaign headquarters in Milwaukee Wednesday morning:

TWS: On collective bargaining, mayor, the governor and his campaign have pointed to a number of... schools across the state that heave benefited from the reforms in Act 10. Which school districts have been hurt in particular, in your view, by Walker's policies and his reforms? Are there any that stand out in your mind?

BARRETT: Well, I support the restoration of collective bargaining rights. And that's what this is all about--whether you support workers' rights. And I support workers' rights.

TWS: But are there any school districts in particular, though, that have been hurt by Act 10?

BARRETT: I have talked to prison guards, I can tell you that, who are concerned about their own public safety because of the changes in the law, and I'm very concerned about that as well

TWS: But no school districts—

BARRETT: We can do an analysis and get back to you on that.

Barrett does not dodge and weave with grace.

When asked to name a school district hurt by Act 10, Barrett says he's talked to PRISON GUARDS!

That is priceless.

Maybe Barrett is thinking of Milwaukee Public Schools and the heavy police presence needed to maintain order. The schools are prisons, not places of education.

Of course, the real reason Barrett stumbles and fumbles on the question is because he knows of no school districts damaged by Act 10.

Governor Walker's reforms are working, and Barrett knows it.

Mike Lowe, FOX 6 - Democrat Hack

I rarely watch FOX6 News at 9:00 PM.

Occasionally, I'll see it when I'm interested in the weather.

Thursday night, storms were on their way.

As a result, we were treated to Mike Lowe's "political reporting."

Actually, Lowe's report was a campaign piece meant to prop up Tom Barrett.

Obviously, Lowe is a Democrat hack. He's very unprofessional. I think he may be hoping to get a job at MSNBC.

So why is he showcased as an allegedly great political reporter on FOX6?

I don't blame Lowe. He is what he is, and he's taking advantage of the platform. I blame FOX6 for allowing its NEWS to be tainted by allowing Lowe to be such a weasel.

Show some journalistic integrity, FOX6.

Scott Walker: Perjury?

Talk about a stretch!

Anti-Scott Walker crusader, Leftist, and "willing partner" Mike Lowe of FOX6 News, asks "Did Gov. Scott Walker lie to a congressional committee under oath?"

Here's the story:

Did Gov. Scott Walker lie to a congressional committee under oath? That’s the latest explosive question in an already charged political atmosphere, and three congressmen are seeking answers.

No one – not even Walker’s opponent in the recall race, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, is ready to call it perjury — but this is the same congressional committee that questioned disgraced baseball player Roger Clemens, who is now facing a perjury trial.

Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia has raised serious concerns about the truthfulness of Gov. Walker’s testimony under oath before a congressional committee.

The controversy centers on two pieces of videotape. The first is from April 14th, 2011. Walker was asked to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about his budget.

Walker was asked by Congresman Connolly: “Have you ever had a conversation with respect to your actions in Wisconsin in using them to punish members of the opposition party and their donor base?” Walker’s response was “no.”

Two weeks ago, video surfaced that was recorded three months prior to Walker’s congressional testimony as part of a documentary called “As Goes Janesville.” Walker speaks to a billionaire businesswoman, and the largest single donor to his campaign, Diane Hendricks.

The exchange was recorded as follows:

Diane Hendricks: “Any chance we’ll ever get to be a completely red state and work on these unions?”

Walker: “Oh, yeah.”

Hendricks: “And become a right-to-work? What can we do to help you?”

Walker: “Well, we’re going to start in a couple weeks with our budget adjustment bill. The first step is we’re going to deal with collective bargaining for all public employee unions, because you use divide and conquer.”

“I’m not accusing the governor of perjury, but I am asking him to explain himself because there’s a blatant contradiction between the two and they’re both on videotape. We now know that three months before that exchange he had just such a conversation with Diane Hendricks, his biggest donor, in which she was asking how do we turn Wisconsin red. He said first we go after collective bargaining and that’s all part of a divide and conquer strategy. Those are his words. That’s on it’s face contradictory to the testimony he provided under oath in answer to my question,” Congressman Connolly said.

Connolly, along with ranking member Elijah Cummings and Congressman Christopher Murphy all signed a letter to Republican Committee Chairman Darrell Issa. The letter asks Issa to press Walker for “an explanation for why his statements captured on videotape appear to contradict his testimony before the committee.”

Congressman Issa’s spokeswoman told FOX6 News in a statement: “Nothing in this letter raises questions about the accuracy of the governor’s testimony. This request has no merit, and can only be seen as intending to influence a state election.”

...FOX6 News spoke with Gov. Walker before this story broke. He spoke generically about his integrity as an elected official. ‘The bottom line is, my integrity. I’ve always had high standards in the state Assembly and in my time as County Executive, and as governor I continue to have those high standards,” Walker said.

Walker’s campaign did not respond to several requests for comment. His official spokesman sent FOX6 News a statement saying: “It`s ironic that Democrats in Washington D.C. criticize Governor Walker for passing a budget, since they have now gone more than 1,000 days without enacting one for our federal government. They should spend less time on political stunts and more time eliminating the crippling burden of debt their lack of action has placed on our next generation.”

“This is very rare because there is that video out there that raises some questions with what he said in Congress as it pertained to that donor. It is so serious to people who have raised this question, that they want to have some follow up,” Barrett said.

I knew Barrett and the Democrats were desperate, but I didn't realize it was this bad.

This is such a non-story it's embarrassing that FOX6 would run it.

"Did Walker commit perjury?"

"Well, no one is willing to call it that, including Barrett."

What ridiculous spin!

"I'm not saying Walker lied under oath to Congress, but there are serious questions."

What a load of NOTHING!

FOX6 News, with Mike Lowe directing the political reporting, has become an arm of the Barrett campaign.

These hacks are destroying their reputations as journalists.

Walker's comments on that video, the one he knew was being recorded, don't indicate that he set out to "punish members of the opposition party and their donor base."

"Punish"?

Having an enemies list and smearing private citizens, like Obama is doing, is punishment.

Hey, if we want to talk about lying and sleazy political tactics and punishment, let's do it.

I think it will be like the Mitt Romney dog issue. It will backfire on the Democrats, big time.

There's no perjury to talk about here.

Walker didn't eat a dog.

Good grief.

Barrett is really revealing a lot about himself in this campaign.

I didn't know the guy would stoop so low. Although I disagree with him politically, I didn't think he was a bad person.

I guess with Barrett's record as mayor of Milwaukee being so abysmal, and his only plan being to take the state backwards, he sees selling his soul as a winning strategy.

It's sad. He's disgracing himself.

I've lost respect for Barrett, the man.

Scott Walker Victory Speech (Video)

Finally, it seems there is light at the end of the tunnel.

In four weeks, this recall idiocy will be history. I will be counting the days.

Watching Governor Scott Walker's victory speech, I was struck by his incredible stamina.

Wisconsin Leftists and their brethren across the country, including the Leftists occupying the White House, have been on the attack for well over a year.

Walker doesn't seem beaten down by the relentless assault. To the contrary, he sounds more energized and more committed than ever.

Here's video of his primary victory speech:



More video of Governor Walker's speech.

Very impressive.

I know support for Governor Walker is solid here in Wisconsin. Still, I'm surprised that so many voted in the primary given that he was certain to win.

Walker got more votes than Tom Barrett and Kathleen Falk COMBINED.

I'm really encouraged by the show of support for Walker.

I'm encouraged by the fact that Walker is so effective at communicating his message, bolstered by his record of success.

Things look bright.

Of course, the Leftist media have a different perspective. They will do what they always do - spin the story and trash conservatives.

Last night, Mike Lowe of FOX 6 did a report following Walker's speech from the victory event. Lowe described Walker as "angry." He said Walker couldn't understand why he was being recalled. Lowe said the speech revealed Walker's campaign strategy - bashing Milwaukee.

Yeah, more than a little slanted there, Mike.

Walker was not angry. He was energized and projected confidence. He has accepted the Leftists' hissy fit and the silliness of the recall. There was no confusion on his part. He's maintained his composure under enormous stress. I don't know what Lowe was talking about. Obviously, his comments reflect a different view - how things look from the Left.

As far as Milwaukee bashing goes, it certainly is fair for Walker to discuss Mayor Tom Barrett's record. If that comes off like Milwaukee bashing, Barrett is to blame for making the city such a mess. Noting reality isn't bashing. It's being honest.

Actually, I think the Leftists, including Lowe, are the angry ones.