In This Issue:
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1. The Boutique Energy
Job Destruction Act
2. Rules of the (Rail)road
3. Close Enough for
Government Work
4. Voter Fraud
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The Boutique Energy Job Destruction Act
 Anyone looking for a weapon to sabotage the economy would have a hard time improving on the Clean Energy Jobs Act—whose authors are clearly oblivious to irony.
Three months ago they agreed the bill couldn’t pass. Amid much talk of compromise and accommodating people’s concerns, they retired to closed-door negotiations on a redraft. It’s now apparent that their idea of compromise is to discard a few ideas no one took seriously anyway and retain the most punitive and costly ones.
The bill still requires we obtain 25 percent of Wisconsin’s electricity from renewable sources by 2025, with 40% of the 25% from in-state sources.
So what does this mean? It means higher electric rates and “public benefits” fees on energy consumers to subsidize stupidities like:
1) More wind turbines in less suitable locations instead of fewer turbines in more suitable ones;
2) Bribing utilities to choose smaller, less useful generation systems as opposed to more efficient ones;
3) Forsaking the comparatively small land-use footprint of traditional energy infrastructure for at least 3,000 new wind turbines scarring countless square miles of Wisconsin’s landscape.
If this sounds like a hefty price to subsidize the liberal daydream of taking science-fair projects to an industrial scale, bear in mind that it won’t come close to accomplishing the stated objective of cutting carbon dioxide emissions. The strongest proponents of this nonsense have publicly called it “a tiny step” toward CO2 reductions.
As for the falsely-advertised job-creation, if someone’s figured out how to grow an economy and create jobs by making energy cost more, it will be an all-time first.
Aspiring environmental totalitarians understand this bill is expensive symbolism and they will be back almost immediately, demanding more.
Rules of the (Rail)road
 Wisconsin’s high-speed rail experience probably has a long way to run before it reaches the end of the line. But even though it’s early, there are lessons ready to be learned.
One key lesson is that when government messes with the private sector economy, you shouldn’t assume it will play by the rules; not even its own.
An existing local bidder preference won’t apply to refurbishing Milwaukee’s former Tower Automotive site for the Talgo project. That’s because the City of Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority thought it might be inconvenienced by a lawsuit if the year-old ordinance was allowed to give contractors within the city a five percent bidding preference. So out it goes, as the Redevelopment Authority last week amended the bidding rules.
Litigation over the bids could have gummed things up, as the terms of a lease agreement with Talgo specify the site has to be ready by July 1. But it’s worth asking whether the strategy to avoid potential litigation could create a fresh problem. Deputy City Attorney Katherine Block said last week everything is okay, different bidding rules apply to the Authority so there’s nothing to worry about. Even the sponsor of the local preference ordinance is said to be fine with ignoring it for the Talgo project.
To be clear, we’re no fans of carve-outs and set-asides, but we are fans of playing by the rules. Watching the rules change to suit the convenience of government is part of the price when private enterprise is harnessed to government’s agenda.
Close enough for government work
 The Census Bureau sent out a press release last week announcing it would mail at least 1.5 million new forms to households in Wisconsin and nearby states, even if they’ve already sent in their census questionnaires for 2010.
We can’t begin to guess how many households will fill out the new forms and get counted a second time and how many will simply become examples of “government waste,” but the Census Bureau has a prepared defense: it will save money because it will cost taxpayers an average of $57 for every household the census tracks down on foot.
The government’s approach to the census is a lot like the Democrats’ election strategy: If you can’t get someone to vote, get someone else to vote for them.
Elections Reform Bill Opens Door to Voter Fraud
By Van Wanggaard
 Recently The (Racine) Journal Times ran an editorial touting the merits of a flawed election reform bill that is quickly being pushed through the state Legislature. As I watch this complex bill (SB640) get fast-tracked through the legislative process, I am concerned that Wisconsin voters have not been adequately informed on exactly what the bill proposes.
The most glaring provision in the bill is the one that automatically registers people to vote when they receive a driver's license. Have you or someone you know ever had to try and correct errors on Division of Motor Vehicles records?
If this system were put into place, Wisconsin would be the first state in the country that takes the responsibility to register away from its citizens and places it into the hands of government bureaucrats. Proponents of the bill claim it will help to streamline the registration process. If anything, utilizing lists from the DMV will lead to more confusion, mistakes, and duplications, while simultaneously opening the door to widespread voter fraud.
Does anyone really believe that this is a good idea?
State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, certainly thinks it is, as he has voted for this bill twice in committee hearings over the past two weeks.
SB640 actually reduces scrutiny on potentially fraudulent registrations as it puts the power of enforcement in the hands of those who are not authorized, not trained and lack the resources to enforce the law.
This bill contains other highly questionable items such as restricting citizens' abilities to challenge ineligible votes and allowing election officials to set up "special" satellite polling locations at places like college campuses.
The plan is being pushed under the guise of increasing voters' access to the polls. That claim lacks merit, as Wisconsin has some of the most relaxed registration laws in the country. Current law says that Wisconsin voters don't even have to register ahead of time. They can just show up to the polls on Election Day and have a friend "vouch" for their credentials.
Voter fraud is the real issue state legislators should be addressing. Instead of trying to take responsibility out of voters' hands, the Legislature should be taking action to ensure that law-abiding citizens aren't having their eligible votes canceled out by fraudulent ones.
I support implementing the "Voter ID" proposal, which would require an individual to show proof of identity at the polls. It's simple, effective, and has overwhelming public support. Unfortunately, it has been passed by the Legislature on three separate occasions but subsequently vetoed by Gov. Doyle all three times.
Implementing "Voter ID" would be a common sense move, because it is not too much to ask that people are who they say they are when they show up at the polls. Sen. Lehman opposes "Voter ID" because he claims it disenfranchises people from voting. In reality, it would discourage those who are attempting to vote illegally from doing so.
Voting is the most fundamental right of freedom on which our democracy is built. Protecting the integrity of the voting process is of the greatest importance, and SB640 does the opposite. It breaks down essential voter fraud safeguards, while at the same time putting citizens' voting eligibility into the hands of an inefficient and bureaucratic government agency.
I urge residents of the 21st Senate District to contact their state representatives (Sen. Lehman and Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine) who voted for this ill-conceived bill and hold them accountable for their support.
Van Wanggaard, a Racine County Board member, is running for the 21st state Senate District seat against incumbent Sen. Lehman.
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