Saturday, May 14, 2011
Dresser, WI – Polk County, WI
On May 14, 2011, the Polk County Republicans met for their annual Lincoln Day Dinner. Like many Republican Parties across the nation, the Polk County Republicans celebrated one of their greatest leaders by hosting a dinner in honor of our 16th President – Abraham Lincoln.
The dinner’s Master of Ceremonies was Chairman Sandy Fretwell, who introduced several special guests bringing updates from their legislative arenas.
Among them were:
US Congressman Sean Duffy (CD-7)
Assembly Speaker, Representative Jeff Fitzgerald (District 39)
State Senator Sheila Harsdorf (District 10)
Representative Erik Severson (District 28)
Representative Roger Rivard (District 75)
Honored Guests & Speakers
The Polk County Republican Party would like to thank all those who attended, with a special thank to the representatives who traveled to our district to give updates on the status in Washington and Madison.
This is a difficult time in our State and Nation. Republicans have won overwhelmingly, despite the efforts of the liberal left. Given the difficult challenge to balance the state and national budgets, Republicans’ efforts are being hampered by union thugs and liberals who would rather we all be miserable together, than allow businesses to thrive and grow in Wisconsin.
Right out of their playbook, Democrat’s typical tactics of distract & delay – followed by attack and deflect, are causing chaos inside the Capitol in Madison and around the state. The unfortunate victim is the Wisconsin citizens who voted for fiscal responsibility and those who want a balanced budget.
We need to get behind the 6 senators who are being recalled by out of state union organizers – who have sent their ilk into our cities to collect signatures through lies and deceit. We need to protect the conservative majority, whom we elected to do their job – from the socialist agenda of the Democrats in Madison.
It is time to stand up and fight for what is right and bring fiscal responsibility back to Madison!
Contact the Polk County Republican Party for more information on how you can help win this fight.
STATE REPRESENTATIVE•28th ASSEMBLY DISTRICT Update – April 8, 2011 28thAssembly District E-Update
Debt Refinancing Bill Passes
Tuesday, I voted for Special Session Senate Bill 12 (SS-SB 12) which balances Wisconsin’s current budget without raising taxes or laying-off workers. SS-SB 12 passed the Assembly by a vote of 58-36 and was signed into law on Wednesday by Governor Walker. By refinancing our debts, the state is able to end this current fiscal year with a balanced budget. There is still a lot of work to be done in order to ensure fiscal solvency for Wisconsin, but at least we can put the right foot forward by starting this session with a balanced budget. The governor’s proposed budget is still going through the Joint Committee on Finance, and I am confident that we will end the process with a budget that cuts spending and reduces the size of government. We are getting Wisconsin’s fiscal house back in order and sending clear signals that Wisconsin is serious about creating a better climate for job creation.
Repeal of Early Release Program
Earlier this week, I signed on as a co-sponsor to legislation that will repeal the controversial and short-sighted Early Release program. This program was a provision in Governor Doyle’s last budget. Not only is this the type of policy that does not belong in a budget bill, it is bad policy. The Early Release program allows convicted criminals to receive considerably reduced sentences for good behavior. There is no better term to describe this policy than a “Get Out of Jail Free Card.” The decisions to release these criminals back into our communities are made by government bureaucrats, not the hard-working dedicated judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers who protect our communities and uphold our judicial system. This sends the wrong message not only to would be offenders, but to our children as well, that there are little or no consequences for breaking the law. I refuse to sit by while the safety of our communities is threatened by criminals who are allowed to skirt their sentences.
Bear Bill Headed to Assembly Floor
Assembly Bill 24, which I introduced to the Assembly, passed through the Assembly Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday. The bill continues to move forward with bi-partisan support, passing the Committee by a vote of 12-3. I am optimistic that this bill will pass the Assembly soon and then will head to the Senate for a vote. I am a proud supporter of our hunting and fishing communities, two activities that are a way of life for people here at home.
Supreme Court Race Update
Finally I would just like to provide a brief update on the Supreme Court race. As of Thursday morning it appeared there would almost certainly be a recount. According to unofficial results at the time Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg was ahead of Incumbent Supreme Court Justice David Prosser by approximately 200 votes. However late afternoon yesterday a clerical error was discovered in Waukesha county. The result is a lead for Justice Prosser of approximately 7,500 votes. Official tallies will be calculated and sent to the Government Accountability Board. This race has been touted by some as a referendum on the budget repair bill, which is encouraging considering that in the 28thAssembly district; Prosser came out ahead of Kloppenburg. At this point only time will tell how the recount effort plays out. For more information here is a link to a Journal Sentinel article from this morning concerning the clerical error.http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/119410124.html
Recently, Sean Duffy addressed a constituent at a town hall meeting when asked about congressional salaries. He was asked how much he made and if he would move to cut his own salary.
His answer was ‘yes‘.
Yes, he would and had moved to cut his own salary…which was previously established long before he was sworn into office 6 weeks earlier – from the time of the town hall meeting.
Since the publication of the video by the Polk County Republican Party of Wisconsin, liberal bloggers and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have gone out of their way to take segments of the video out of context to slander Congressman Duffy.
Although some bloggers suggested the Polk County Republican Party was trying to cleanse the video from the internet, as if that is possible, few failed to simply call and ask why we took it down in the first place. That is precisely what is wrong with the media today.
The actual reason the video was removed is simple:
When it became apparent that the video was being used recklessly to defame an elected member of Congress from our district, we decided to remove it from YouTube until we could determine a way to keep it from being edited, re-purposed, and used without permission.
Some, however, including TalkingPointsMemo.com, have decided to break DMCA Copyright Law, by infringing on the ownership rights of the videographer who shot the video and blatantly violate the law by republishing the video despite clearly being told they did not have permission to do so.
To protect his intellectual property, the videographer and the Polk County Republican Party asked that it be removed from the Talking Points Memo Blip.TV account. Upon review by Blip TV, the video was found to be in violation of copyright law and removed.
Not long afterwards, TPM posted a shortened version of the video, again in violation of the DMCA copyright law along with another blog with more liberal talking points. But hey, when do organizations like TPM care about silly things like the law anyways?
The Polk County Republican Party supports free enterprise and the legal use of copyright protected material, but not the theft of material owned by others. It has long been the practice of the Democrats to scrape video from other sources and include it in campaign videos.
It should be noted, that at no time before the infringement took place, was the Polk County Republican Party asked if they would be willing to permit use of the video by TPM or any media source.
This is the unfortunate reality of politics in and out of Washington D.C., where focusing on real issues, like the 14 Trillion Dollar Deficit and 1.5 Trillion Dollar spending spree the president and democrats are hurling on the American public, go unmentioned.
It is Congressman like Sean Duffy who are attempting to stop the irresponsible spending in Washington by cutting the budget. It is because of this that the Polk County Republican Party stands behind their Congressman 100%.
Some bloggers and media outlets are falsely reporting that the GOP, Polk County GOP specifically, are trying to keep the video off the internet. They use accusations like this to get people excited and to take the attention away from what their base is doing to ordinary Americans like those of us in Wisconsin.
If you watch the video in its entirety, you’ll soon understand that Congressman Duffy is being mis-quoted out of context and the clips they are using are creating an illusion. The many bloggers who have followed suit by reposting the story over and over, have an agenda! It doesn’t matter if it is the truth; because honesty wouldn’t sell the B.S. the Liberals are shoveling out.
Sadly, even the “real” media failed to recognize the inaccuracy of the reports and further more failed to correct the liberal spin flowing freely on the internet. I guess it is easier to just copy and paste a story than actually investigate the source and write your own version with the facts.
We are reposting the video, knowing that we can’t stop people from breaking the law, but we want everyone to be able to see for themselves what was actually said by Congressman Duffy in context.
You’ll notice that Congressman Duffy’s comments about his finances were in regards to the previous seven months as a candidate – after he chose to resign as the Ashland County DA and not campaign on the taxpayers of Wisconsin’s payroll.
His comments had nothing to do with his congressional salary being enough; he stated clearly that he had only received 1 pay check since being sworn into office. This is much ado about nothing. If liberals want to discuss salaries, have them talk about their own Congressman who gets the same paycheck as Congressman Duffy.
The Polk County Republican Party would like to personally thank Congressman Duffy for standing up for fiscal responsibility and being willing to serve as our congressman from the 7th District. We stand united behind him and what he is doing in Washington for the people of the great state of Wisconsin.
We condemn the tactics of the left wing bloggers and their entourage who drink their kool-aid. We would like to however, thank you for the amazing support you’ve given us as traffic to our site is significantly higher and our membership list continues to grow.
If you would like to become a member of the Polk County Republican Party, click here.
Why is Health Care so expensive and how can we fix it?
Sean Duffy talks about opening up Health Care and insurance to competition and letting the market drive the price. Rather than forcing people to buy something they don’t want, he would like to see people have a choice and let them and their doctors choose what is best for them.
Sean Duffy explains what is happening with the dollar and how our fiscal policies are hurting its value. Borrowing & spending by the administration is decreasing the value of the dollar at record numbers.
Do you remember what it is like to have a Republican in Congress for the 7th District WI
Sean Duffy spent several hours talking to constituents at Town Hall Meetings throughout the district. It was refreshing to see the congressman actually stay for the tough questions and not run out the back door.
A video message from Congressman Duffy encouraging high school students to participate:
“I’m Congressman Sean Duffy and I want to invite all high school students in Wisconsin’s Seventh Congressional District to participate in the 30th Annual Congressional Art Competition, called “An Artistic Discovery.”
“The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2011 and all submissions will be judged by a committee of local art experts. All students who submit artwork will be invited to a special reception where the winner will be announced. The overall winner will also have the opportunity to attend a reception in Washington, DC with every other winner from other Congressional districts.
“The first place winner will have their piece displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year. The second, third, and fourth place winners will have their pieces displayed in my offices in Washington, Wausau and Superior.
“For more information and guidance on participating in this program, you can visit my website at duffy.house.gov or you can call my office at 715-298-9344.
“I hope you’ll participate, and I look forward to seeing your art.” More Information:
Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our congressional district.
The competition is open to high school students only. Exceptions may be made for schools that have 7th through 12th grades on one campus. Artwork must be two-dimensional.
Each piece can be no larger than 28” x 28” x 4” (28 inches high, 28 inches wide, and 4 inches deep), including the frame. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it will be required to be framed and must adhere to the size guidelines.
Artwork cannot weigh more than 15 lbs.
Accepted media for artwork are as follows: o Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc. o Drawings: pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, markers o Collage o Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints o Mixed Media: use of more than two medias such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc. o Computer-Generated Art o Photography
Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws. Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo (other than the student’s own), painting, graphic, advertisement, or any other work produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).
Artwork will hang in the Capitol for the entire year of the exhibition and cannot be returned to the students earlier. Students should, therefore, submit artwork they will not need for other purposes. Artwork must adhere to the policy of the House Office Building Commission. In accordance with this policy, exhibits depicting subjects of contemporary political controversy or a sensationalistic or gruesome nature are not allowed. It is necessary that all artwork be reviewed by the panel chaired by the Architect of the Capitol and any portion not in consonance with the Commission’s policy will be omitted from the exhibit. The panel will make the final decision regarding the suitability of all artwork for the Congressional Art Competition exhibition in the Capitol.
The 2011 student information and release form is available HERE. Please download, fill out and send to:
Office of Congressman Duffy ATTN: Jocelyn Berkhahn, Director of Constituent Services 208 Grand Avenue Wausau, WI 54403.
Wisconsin voters went to the polls last week to decide a number of federal, state, and local races in the midterm election. The results showed a strong desire to change direction in public policy both in Madison and Washington D.C. towards initiatives that will have a direct impact on promoting job growth.
Voters chose Scott Walker to be Wisconsin’s new governor, while Ron Johnson was elected to the U.S. Senate. Two new U.S. Representatives were elected, Sean Duffy and Reid Ribble, in northern Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the State Legislature changed from Democratic to Republican control, with Republican majorities in the State Senate of 19-14 and in the State Assembly of 60-38-1.
Following the election last week, Senate Republicans met to elect new leadership for the 2011-12 legislative session that will begin in January. Governor-elect Walker stopped by our meeting to discuss his plans and priorities for the session, including calling the Legislature into emergency session after he is sworn in to pass legislation to promote job growth. The message sent by voters that jobs and the economy must be job one was heard by those that were elected on November 2. Enacting policies to encourage job creators to expand and locate in Wisconsin is the top priority of the State Legislature and Governor-elect Walker.
The State Legislature will also be charged with addressing the state’s budget deficit, which is currently estimated to be nearly $3 billion. After years of raiding funds, federal bailouts, and shifting spending to balance the state budget, there are no more easy fixes… Read more here.
Sheila Harsdorf is the State Senator representing WI-10. Read Harsdorf columns online, take surveys, and read blogs at: www.harsdorfsenate.com or follow Sheila onFACEBOOK
