Tony Palmeri's Opening Statement
Greetings to all blog participants. My name is Tony Palmeri, and I am the Green Party candidate for the 54th Assembly District. I would like to thank Oshkosh News, the League of Women Voters, the Oshkosh Public Library, Professor Miles Maguire, and all others involved in the creation of this blog. I would also like to thank my opponents for participating.
Blogging is a kind of “cutting edge” media activism. As many of you know, I am somewhat of a media activist myself. I operate a daily news website, I write a monthly column of media criticism for the Valley Scene called “Media Rants,” and for many years I produced and co hosted (with former Oshkosh Mayor James Mather) “Commentary,” an award winning public affairs program originating from the Titan-TV studios on the UW Oshkosh campus. (see www.tonypalmeri.com for links to all of the above).
My media activism is in large part responsible not only for my decision to run for the assembly this year, but also my decision to run as a Green Party candidate. Following our legislature very closely in the state’s major media over the last dozen or so years, I have noticed the following patterns:
*The leadership of the establishment, corporate parties (Democrats and Republicans) have become obsessed with raising money.
Madison now features a “pay to play” culture that has given us indictments of top legislative leaders, wealthy special interest hijacking of the state budget, and unconscionable waste of taxpayer money. Want an example? Wisconsin used to pay a state employee about 11 bucks an hour to maintain a road sign inventory. But now, the state pays the HNTB Corp. $80 an hour to do the same job. Why? Top HNTB executives have made $140,000 in campaign contributions to Wisconsin politicians in the last decade, including $46,275 to top recipient Jim Doyle.
*The maverick Wisconsin politician—the man or woman of courage willing to defy party loyalty and vote his or her conscience, has all but disappeared.
Policy is now formulated and moved forward by three key politicians (Governor Doyle, Speaker Gard, Senate Majority Leader Panzer) and special interest lobbyists. The majority of the 99 members of the Assembly and 33 members of the Senate have literally become their leaders’ lapdogs, often voting for measures that have received little or no public input. Want an example? Consider what Attorney General Lautenschlager said about the mislabeled “Jobs Creation Act”: “Not only did those interested in the bill have but one working day to digest and study its multitudinous provisions, but legislative leaders refused to allow an opportunity for further public comment and testimony in regard to the changes that had been made.”
*As the legislature has become less and less responsive to the public’s needs, it has become almost impossible to defeat the incumbents responsible for this mess.
The legislature spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money after the 2000 census to make the legislative districts even friendlier to incumbents than they already were. Half of the incumbents have no opponents and in many of the remaining districts face only token opposition.
Given this pathetic state of affairs, should we find it surprising that Wisconsin faces a billion dollar structural deficit before even beginning to discuss the 2005-2006 budget? Should we find it surprising that a reckless and irresponsible legislature in Madison resorts to gimmicks like raiding the tobacco fund, employing Enron-like accounting methods, and seeking to avoid its responsibility to make tough budget decision by saddling us all with a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights?” Should we find it surprising that major decisions are made in closed partisan caucuses that violate the spirit if not the actual letter of the State’s Open Meetings Laws?
Should we find it surprising that the Democratic Governor and Republican legislature have developed no credible strategy to create jobs (or retain good ones that already exist) in the 54th district? Or that our health care costs continue to skyrocket while the Democratic governor and Republican legislature are held hostage to the private insurance lobby? Or that the Democratic Governor and Republican legislature agreed on a shameful budget deal that resulted in a $250 million cut in the UW budget and subsequent $150 million tuition increase, meaning that students and their families are now paying $150 million more for $100 million less? Should any of this be surprising given what I described above?
The good news is that voters in the 54th District this year have a chance to send a leader to Madison to force a change of course. I say it is TIME FOR TONY!
When you send me to Madison, I will use my skills as a media activist to educate our community about what is happening in the legislature and the Governor’s office, and I will lead a citizens’ movement to force reform. Like a modern LaFollette, I will “call the roll” and let all citizens know what interests are controlling legislators’ votes and actions. When the Democrats and Republicans go into their immoral and possibly illegal closed partisan caucuses, I will hold a Citizens’ Caucus on the steps of the State Capitol. EVERYONE WILL BE INVITED TO MY CAUCUS.
I will meet regularly with the City Council, County Board, and School Board. I will hold regular town hall meetings in a variety of settings. And I will regularly visit our K-12 schools to educate our young people about the importance of citizen activism.
I am currently working full-time, teaching three classes (which include almost 100 students) at UW Oshkosh. But my passion for giving the government back to the people is so strong that I am trying as hard as possible to continue to campaign full-time until November 2nd. If I am slow in posting blogs, it is because my students must come first.
Thank you for the opportunity to communicate with you in this forum.
–Tony Palmeri
Blogging is a kind of “cutting edge” media activism. As many of you know, I am somewhat of a media activist myself. I operate a daily news website, I write a monthly column of media criticism for the Valley Scene called “Media Rants,” and for many years I produced and co hosted (with former Oshkosh Mayor James Mather) “Commentary,” an award winning public affairs program originating from the Titan-TV studios on the UW Oshkosh campus. (see www.tonypalmeri.com for links to all of the above).
My media activism is in large part responsible not only for my decision to run for the assembly this year, but also my decision to run as a Green Party candidate. Following our legislature very closely in the state’s major media over the last dozen or so years, I have noticed the following patterns:
*The leadership of the establishment, corporate parties (Democrats and Republicans) have become obsessed with raising money.
Madison now features a “pay to play” culture that has given us indictments of top legislative leaders, wealthy special interest hijacking of the state budget, and unconscionable waste of taxpayer money. Want an example? Wisconsin used to pay a state employee about 11 bucks an hour to maintain a road sign inventory. But now, the state pays the HNTB Corp. $80 an hour to do the same job. Why? Top HNTB executives have made $140,000 in campaign contributions to Wisconsin politicians in the last decade, including $46,275 to top recipient Jim Doyle.
*The maverick Wisconsin politician—the man or woman of courage willing to defy party loyalty and vote his or her conscience, has all but disappeared.
Policy is now formulated and moved forward by three key politicians (Governor Doyle, Speaker Gard, Senate Majority Leader Panzer) and special interest lobbyists. The majority of the 99 members of the Assembly and 33 members of the Senate have literally become their leaders’ lapdogs, often voting for measures that have received little or no public input. Want an example? Consider what Attorney General Lautenschlager said about the mislabeled “Jobs Creation Act”: “Not only did those interested in the bill have but one working day to digest and study its multitudinous provisions, but legislative leaders refused to allow an opportunity for further public comment and testimony in regard to the changes that had been made.”
*As the legislature has become less and less responsive to the public’s needs, it has become almost impossible to defeat the incumbents responsible for this mess.
The legislature spent millions of dollars of taxpayer money after the 2000 census to make the legislative districts even friendlier to incumbents than they already were. Half of the incumbents have no opponents and in many of the remaining districts face only token opposition.
Given this pathetic state of affairs, should we find it surprising that Wisconsin faces a billion dollar structural deficit before even beginning to discuss the 2005-2006 budget? Should we find it surprising that a reckless and irresponsible legislature in Madison resorts to gimmicks like raiding the tobacco fund, employing Enron-like accounting methods, and seeking to avoid its responsibility to make tough budget decision by saddling us all with a “Taxpayer Bill of Rights?” Should we find it surprising that major decisions are made in closed partisan caucuses that violate the spirit if not the actual letter of the State’s Open Meetings Laws?
Should we find it surprising that the Democratic Governor and Republican legislature have developed no credible strategy to create jobs (or retain good ones that already exist) in the 54th district? Or that our health care costs continue to skyrocket while the Democratic governor and Republican legislature are held hostage to the private insurance lobby? Or that the Democratic Governor and Republican legislature agreed on a shameful budget deal that resulted in a $250 million cut in the UW budget and subsequent $150 million tuition increase, meaning that students and their families are now paying $150 million more for $100 million less? Should any of this be surprising given what I described above?
The good news is that voters in the 54th District this year have a chance to send a leader to Madison to force a change of course. I say it is TIME FOR TONY!
When you send me to Madison, I will use my skills as a media activist to educate our community about what is happening in the legislature and the Governor’s office, and I will lead a citizens’ movement to force reform. Like a modern LaFollette, I will “call the roll” and let all citizens know what interests are controlling legislators’ votes and actions. When the Democrats and Republicans go into their immoral and possibly illegal closed partisan caucuses, I will hold a Citizens’ Caucus on the steps of the State Capitol. EVERYONE WILL BE INVITED TO MY CAUCUS.
I will meet regularly with the City Council, County Board, and School Board. I will hold regular town hall meetings in a variety of settings. And I will regularly visit our K-12 schools to educate our young people about the importance of citizen activism.
I am currently working full-time, teaching three classes (which include almost 100 students) at UW Oshkosh. But my passion for giving the government back to the people is so strong that I am trying as hard as possible to continue to campaign full-time until November 2nd. If I am slow in posting blogs, it is because my students must come first.
Thank you for the opportunity to communicate with you in this forum.
–Tony Palmeri
posted by Miles Maguire at 1:40 PM
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