Date: 10/30/2008 6:02 PM
By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) _ The financial meltdown has come down hard on the nation’s housing finance agencies, which provide tens of thousands of mortgages to first-time poor and moderate-income home buyers.
West Virginia has stopped going to market with bond sales, as has Illinois’ housing development authority. Ohio canceled a long-planned $150 million bond sale after the credit markets froze. Wisconsin suspended its entire loan program.
California temporarily suspended two of its long-term loan programs and removed two other down payment assistance programs.
“The banks are getting all this money and we don’t have access to anything,” said Ken Giebel, spokesman for the California Housing Finance Agency. “The people who were part of the problem, which we weren’t, are getting support and being bailed out and we can’t do our programs.”
At issue is the ability of the housing agencies to borrow the money they need to process mortgages by selling bonds at affordable interest rates. As the financial crisis exploded, it was virtually impossible to sell bonds at all, especially those associated with mortgages. As the markets have opened up, some sales are possible but at higher interest rates, which mean higher costs to taxpayers.
New York’s housing finance agency sold $110 million in bonds a week ago, for example, but at more than a full percentage point higher than earlier this year.
The squeeze on credit is also coming at a time when unemployment is rising and revenue from property, sales and other taxes is falling — in some cases sharply.
State HFAs helped finance 119,920 mortgages in 2006, according to the most recent data. That’s a fraction of the 6-plus million homes sold a year, but represents an important segment of the housing market: first-time homeowners who may not be wealthy but have money for down payments and good credit histories.
The agencies offer only traditional, fixed-interest, long-term mortgages and often require home buyers to undergo counseling about home buying before receiving a loan.
The agencies also play a role alleviating part of the foreclosure problem, since many people taking out loans used them to buy foreclosed properties.
“Now many of those borrowers don’t have capital to purchase those homes,” said Rachel Basye, spokeswoman for the Colorado Housing Finance Authority, where one in three of the agency’s loans this year went to homeowners purchasing foreclosures.
Getting the housing finance agencies back on their feet is crucial to restarting the housing market, said Pat Begg, director of secondary marketing at Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bancshares.
“To get the housing market off the ground you’ve got to get the first-time buyer off the fence and back into the market,” Begg said.
One of the biggest problems is trying to sell bonds for housing in a market whose crash originated, at least in part, with the mortgage industry.
“When you see the word mortgage, it’s almost toxic,” said Joseph Knopic, finance director for the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. “Now you have to tell your story — ‘Here’s what we do. We don’t have those kinds of mortgages.'”
The agency issued about $800 million in housing bonds in 2007 compared to about $400 million so far this year. The Pennsylvania agency, which normally processes about 7,000 loans a year, has only done 4,000 so far this year.
In Wisconsin, the state Realtors association says the suspension of the state loan program, while not beneficial, is not the end of the world.
The test will come the longer the program is off line and the longer the overall housing market takes to bounce back.
“But the mortgage market in general, for people who are qualified, have a down payment and good credit history, is still there,” said Joe Murray, government affairs director for the Wisconsin Realtors Association.
State and local governments across the country are having trouble raising capital, the Government Finance Officers Association said in its October newsletter.
This week, the national associations of mayors, counties and local housing finance agencies wrote to Congress and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson asking them that to direct the government conservators of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to resume buying tax-exempt single-family and multifamily housing bonds.
In Kansas, the city of Topeka went ahead with a planned sale of $41 million in bonds and notes Oct. 7, only to receive an interest rate 1 percentage point higher than normal. The result: an additional $150,000 annual cost to taxpayers to pay off the debt.
Alarm bells went off earlier this month when California said it might need federal government help with access to short-term credit to cover operating costs for schools, nursing homes and police.
Massachusetts had to twice delay selling $750 million in short-term cash-flow notes to pay state bills because of the poor credit market.
But it eventually sold the notes Oct. 8 at a healthy 2.2 percent rate, giving California confidence the state wouldn’t need a federal leg up.
The state sold $5 billion in short-term notes last week, prompting credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s to lift a negative watch on the state’s general obligation bonds.
HFA executives say some of the government’s recent actions, including the injection of money directly into banks, put the housing finance agencies at further disadvantage.
“We can’t access the capital as favorably as Fannie Mae can,” said Roy Alexander, executive director of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority.
“They now have an advantage they didn’t have before,” he said. “We would love to be able to go directly to the treasury to get funding for our programs.”
Treasury had no immediate comment.
In Ohio, the housing finance agency temporarily suspended its loan program assisting people with down payments. It also canceled a planned $150 million bond sale rather than to go to market and see it fail.
“That’s another negative — it’s like, ‘Now what?'” said Brad Knapp, president of the Ohio Association of Realtors. “First time home buyers are the spark plug that gets things going for us.”
Ohio’s HFA sold a smaller $72 million package Oct. 29.
“If we can’t issue tax-exempt bonds, that means we don’t have the capital that we need to fund the mortgages,” said Bob Connell, the Ohio agency’s debt management director.
___
On the Net:
National Council of State Housing Agencies: http://www.ncsha.org
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
US House candidates in Wisconsin
Date: 10/25/2008 1:55 PM
By The Associated Press
Biographical information about the candidates seeking election Nov. 4 in Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts:
1st District
NAME — Paul Ryan, incumbent
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 38
RESIDES — Janesville
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics, Miami University in Ohio, 1992.
CAREER — Worked on the staff of then-U.S. Rep. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., in 1995-96 and then on Brownback’s U.S. Senate staff in 1997. He also worked as a marketing consultant at RYAN Inc. Central, a Janesville-based construction company started by his great-grandfather and now owned by his cousins. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998.
PERSONAL — Married, three children.
NAME — Marge Krupp
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Pleasant Prairie
EDUCATION — Graduated from Racine’s Horlick High School, earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1978 and an MBA in marketing and finance from Northwestern University in 1983.
CAREER — She worked for S.C. Johnson and Son Inc. in Racine and in 1990 joined Abbott Laboratories, managing projects that included adding research and development of laboratory space at the company. She resigned from a marketing job to run for Congress, her first campaign for public office.
PERSONAL — Married, one son.
NAME — Joseph Kexel
PARTY — Libertarian
AGE — 43
RESIDES — Kenosha
EDUCATION — Graduated from Bradford High School in Kenosha in 1983; attended University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
CAREER — He is self-employed as an information technology consultant with his company called Vikkex. This is his first run for public office. He believes in personal liberty and supports a smaller role for the federal government in Americans’ lives.
PERSONAL — Married, two daughters.
___
2nd District
NAME — Tammy Baldwin, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 46
RESIDES — Madison
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and political science, Smith College in Northampton, Mass., 1984; law degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1989.
CAREER — Elected to the Dane County Board in 1986 and served four years. She was elected to the state Assembly in 1992 as the youngest woman in the Wisconsin Legislature. She was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998 and is the only openly gay woman in Congress.
PERSONAL — Has partner.
NAME — Peter Theron
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Madison
EDUCATION — Raised in Connecticut and earned a bachelor of arts degree in statistics at Princeton University. In 1980, he enrolled in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Ph.D. in mathematics.
CAREER — He has taught statistics, mathematics and computer science at UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and Beloit College. He has created commercial software for the educational and entertainment industries, and consulted with companies on software and web site design. For the past eight years he has taught industrial programming courses for computer professionals. He is making his first run for public office.
PERSONAL — Married.
___
3rd District
NAME — Ron Kind, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 45
RESIDES — La Crosse
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in government and economics, Harvard University, 1985; master’s degree, London School of Economics, 1986; law degree, University of Minnesota, 1990.
CAREER — La Crosse County assistant district attorney, 1992-96. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1996.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Paul Stark
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 47
RESIDES — Eau Claire
EDUCATION — Graduated from high school in Tempe, Ariz., in 1979. He earned a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a masters degree in business taxation from the University of Minnesota.
CAREER — He says his first job was at age 14 as a “cleanup boy” for a Milwaukee doughnut shop. He worked as a certified public accountant before founding his own construction company in Eau Claire in 2003. He is a member of the National Association of Home Builder and the National Association of Realtors. He is making his first run for public office.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Kevin Barrett
PARTY — Libertarian
AGE — 49
RESIDES — Lone Rock
EDUCATION — Bachelors degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981; masters degrees in English literature and French from San Francisco State University in the early 1990s; doctorate degree in African languages and literature in 2004.
CAREER — UW-Madison lecturer; works as radio journalist with Genesis Communications Network, No Lies Radio, Republic Broadcasting Network and We the People Radio Network; believes the U.S. government, not al-Qaida, orchestrated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
___
4th District
NAME — Gwen Moore, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 57
RESIDES — Milwaukee
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in political science, Marquette University, 1978; certified in credit union management at Milwaukee Area Technical College, 1983.
CAREER — She worked a series of government jobs and spearheaded an effort to establish a credit union in her neighborhood. She was elected to the state Assembly in 1988 and was the first black woman elected to the state Senate in 1992.
PERSONAL — Single, three children.
NAME — Michael LaForest
PARTY — Independent
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Milwaukee
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, Ferris State University, 1986; master’s degree, UW-Superior, 1991.
CAREER — Job counselor, Lac Courte Oreilles Community College, 1992-1996; job training counselor, Oneida Nation 1997, 1998-1999; state Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, 1997-1998, 1999-2005; part-time organic fruit, vegetable and poultry farmer and substitute teacher. He is a foster parent. This is his third run for public office. He was an unsuccessful candidate for state secretary of state in 2006 and for the Milwaukee City Council in 2008.
PERSONAL — Single, with partner.
___
5th District
NAME — James Sensenbrenner, incumbent
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 65
RESIDES — Menomonee Falls
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, Stanford University, 1965; law degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1968.
CAREER — He was a staff assistant to then-Rep. J. Arthur Younger of California in 1965. He practiced law, then served in the Wisconsin Assembly, 1969-75, and the state Senate, 1975-79. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1978.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Robert Raymond
PARTY — Independent
AGE — 54
RESIDES — Shorewood
EDUCATION — Attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for two years, 1974-75.
CAREER — He owns Raymond Contractors, a roofing company in business for more than 25 years. He ran unsuccessfully against Republican incumbent Jim Sensenbrenner in 2002. He was executive director of the Coalition for Independent Americans, an inactive organiz ation that focused on reducing government regulations and abolishing the income tax.
PERSONAL — Divorced, two children.
___
6th District
NAME — Tom Petri, incumbent
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 68
RESIDES — Fond du Lac
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, Harvard University, 1962; law degree, Harvard University, 1965.
CAREER — He served in the Peace Corps in Somalia, 1966-67, and was an aide in the White House in 1969. He began practicing law in Fond du Lac in 1970 and served in the state Senate, 1973-79. He was first elected the U.S. House in a 1979 special election.
PERSONAL — Married, one child.
NAME — Roger Kittelson
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Lomira
EDUCATION — Graduated from Goodhue, Minn., High School in 1975. He earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics and political science in 1980 and a masters of science degree in 1988 from the University of Minnesota.
CAREER — He unsuccessfully ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives as the Democratic Farmer Labor candidate in 1982. He has spent 26 years in agricultural business, including nine years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a dairy marketing specialist. For seven years, beginning in 1985, he served on the school board for Our Lady of Peace Catholic Elementary School in Minneapolis. He got 62 percent of the vote in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary to defeat Mark Wollum, a physical therapist from Beaver Dam.
PERSONAL — Divorced, four children.
___
7th District
NAME — David Obey, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 70
RESIDES — Wausau
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1960; master’s degree, UW-Madison, 1962.
CAREER — He worked as a real estate broker and served in the Wisconsin Legislature, 1962-69. He was first elected to the U.S. House in April 1969 in a special election.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Dan Mielke
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 53
RESIDES — Rudolph
EDUCATION — Graduated from DeForest High School in 1972. He attended Bear Valley School of Preaching in Denver, Colo., in biblical studies for two years. The school, now called the Bear Valley School of Biblical Studies, was associated with Bear Valley Church of Christ.
CAREER — Mielke says he has been a self-supporting minister since 1975. He worked in factories for five years and has been self-employed since 1979. He operates an organic vegetable and berry farm, owns a woodworking business, sells goods at summer farmers markets and is a state-certified property assessor. This is his fourth run for public office. He lost a 2004 race for the Wisconsin Assembly in District 70, a 2006 race for Portage County executive and a 2007 race for the Town of Linwood Board.
PERSONAL — Married, three children.
___
8th District
NAME — Steve Kagen, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 58
RESIDES — Appleton
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1972; medical degree, UW-Madison, 1976.
CAREER — He founded Kagen Allergy Clinics in Appleton, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 2006, winning 51 percent of the vote, giving the seat to a Democrat for the first time in eight years. Republicans have held the seat for most of three decades.
PERSONAL — Married, four children.
NAME — John Gard
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 45
RESIDES — Suamico.
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in public administration and political science, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 1986.
CAREER — He worked as a legislative aide from 1986 to 1987 before being elected to the state Assembly representing a northern Wisconsin district in 1987. He became Assembly speaker in 2003. Narrowly lost 2006 8th District race after President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned for him. He runs Gard Business Group, a consulting firm that works with businesses to grow their company and create jobs.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
Source: Candidates
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By The Associated Press
Biographical information about the candidates seeking election Nov. 4 in Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts:
1st District
NAME — Paul Ryan, incumbent
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 38
RESIDES — Janesville
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics, Miami University in Ohio, 1992.
CAREER — Worked on the staff of then-U.S. Rep. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., in 1995-96 and then on Brownback’s U.S. Senate staff in 1997. He also worked as a marketing consultant at RYAN Inc. Central, a Janesville-based construction company started by his great-grandfather and now owned by his cousins. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998.
PERSONAL — Married, three children.
NAME — Marge Krupp
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Pleasant Prairie
EDUCATION — Graduated from Racine’s Horlick High School, earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1978 and an MBA in marketing and finance from Northwestern University in 1983.
CAREER — She worked for S.C. Johnson and Son Inc. in Racine and in 1990 joined Abbott Laboratories, managing projects that included adding research and development of laboratory space at the company. She resigned from a marketing job to run for Congress, her first campaign for public office.
PERSONAL — Married, one son.
NAME — Joseph Kexel
PARTY — Libertarian
AGE — 43
RESIDES — Kenosha
EDUCATION — Graduated from Bradford High School in Kenosha in 1983; attended University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
CAREER — He is self-employed as an information technology consultant with his company called Vikkex. This is his first run for public office. He believes in personal liberty and supports a smaller role for the federal government in Americans’ lives.
PERSONAL — Married, two daughters.
___
2nd District
NAME — Tammy Baldwin, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 46
RESIDES — Madison
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in mathematics and political science, Smith College in Northampton, Mass., 1984; law degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1989.
CAREER — Elected to the Dane County Board in 1986 and served four years. She was elected to the state Assembly in 1992 as the youngest woman in the Wisconsin Legislature. She was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998 and is the only openly gay woman in Congress.
PERSONAL — Has partner.
NAME — Peter Theron
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Madison
EDUCATION — Raised in Connecticut and earned a bachelor of arts degree in statistics at Princeton University. In 1980, he enrolled in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Ph.D. in mathematics.
CAREER — He has taught statistics, mathematics and computer science at UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and Beloit College. He has created commercial software for the educational and entertainment industries, and consulted with companies on software and web site design. For the past eight years he has taught industrial programming courses for computer professionals. He is making his first run for public office.
PERSONAL — Married.
___
3rd District
NAME — Ron Kind, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 45
RESIDES — La Crosse
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in government and economics, Harvard University, 1985; master’s degree, London School of Economics, 1986; law degree, University of Minnesota, 1990.
CAREER — La Crosse County assistant district attorney, 1992-96. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1996.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Paul Stark
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 47
RESIDES — Eau Claire
EDUCATION — Graduated from high school in Tempe, Ariz., in 1979. He earned a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a masters degree in business taxation from the University of Minnesota.
CAREER — He says his first job was at age 14 as a “cleanup boy” for a Milwaukee doughnut shop. He worked as a certified public accountant before founding his own construction company in Eau Claire in 2003. He is a member of the National Association of Home Builder and the National Association of Realtors. He is making his first run for public office.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Kevin Barrett
PARTY — Libertarian
AGE — 49
RESIDES — Lone Rock
EDUCATION — Bachelors degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981; masters degrees in English literature and French from San Francisco State University in the early 1990s; doctorate degree in African languages and literature in 2004.
CAREER — UW-Madison lecturer; works as radio journalist with Genesis Communications Network, No Lies Radio, Republic Broadcasting Network and We the People Radio Network; believes the U.S. government, not al-Qaida, orchestrated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
___
4th District
NAME — Gwen Moore, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 57
RESIDES — Milwaukee
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in political science, Marquette University, 1978; certified in credit union management at Milwaukee Area Technical College, 1983.
CAREER — She worked a series of government jobs and spearheaded an effort to establish a credit union in her neighborhood. She was elected to the state Assembly in 1988 and was the first black woman elected to the state Senate in 1992.
PERSONAL — Single, three children.
NAME — Michael LaForest
PARTY — Independent
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Milwaukee
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, Ferris State University, 1986; master’s degree, UW-Superior, 1991.
CAREER — Job counselor, Lac Courte Oreilles Community College, 1992-1996; job training counselor, Oneida Nation 1997, 1998-1999; state Department of Workforce Development, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, 1997-1998, 1999-2005; part-time organic fruit, vegetable and poultry farmer and substitute teacher. He is a foster parent. This is his third run for public office. He was an unsuccessful candidate for state secretary of state in 2006 and for the Milwaukee City Council in 2008.
PERSONAL — Single, with partner.
___
5th District
NAME — James Sensenbrenner, incumbent
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 65
RESIDES — Menomonee Falls
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, Stanford University, 1965; law degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1968.
CAREER — He was a staff assistant to then-Rep. J. Arthur Younger of California in 1965. He practiced law, then served in the Wisconsin Assembly, 1969-75, and the state Senate, 1975-79. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 1978.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Robert Raymond
PARTY — Independent
AGE — 54
RESIDES — Shorewood
EDUCATION — Attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for two years, 1974-75.
CAREER — He owns Raymond Contractors, a roofing company in business for more than 25 years. He ran unsuccessfully against Republican incumbent Jim Sensenbrenner in 2002. He was executive director of the Coalition for Independent Americans, an inactive organiz ation that focused on reducing government regulations and abolishing the income tax.
PERSONAL — Divorced, two children.
___
6th District
NAME — Tom Petri, incumbent
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 68
RESIDES — Fond du Lac
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, Harvard University, 1962; law degree, Harvard University, 1965.
CAREER — He served in the Peace Corps in Somalia, 1966-67, and was an aide in the White House in 1969. He began practicing law in Fond du Lac in 1970 and served in the state Senate, 1973-79. He was first elected the U.S. House in a 1979 special election.
PERSONAL — Married, one child.
NAME — Roger Kittelson
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 52
RESIDES — Lomira
EDUCATION — Graduated from Goodhue, Minn., High School in 1975. He earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics and political science in 1980 and a masters of science degree in 1988 from the University of Minnesota.
CAREER — He unsuccessfully ran for the Minnesota House of Representatives as the Democratic Farmer Labor candidate in 1982. He has spent 26 years in agricultural business, including nine years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a dairy marketing specialist. For seven years, beginning in 1985, he served on the school board for Our Lady of Peace Catholic Elementary School in Minneapolis. He got 62 percent of the vote in the Sept. 9 Democratic primary to defeat Mark Wollum, a physical therapist from Beaver Dam.
PERSONAL — Divorced, four children.
___
7th District
NAME — David Obey, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 70
RESIDES — Wausau
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1960; master’s degree, UW-Madison, 1962.
CAREER — He worked as a real estate broker and served in the Wisconsin Legislature, 1962-69. He was first elected to the U.S. House in April 1969 in a special election.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
NAME — Dan Mielke
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 53
RESIDES — Rudolph
EDUCATION — Graduated from DeForest High School in 1972. He attended Bear Valley School of Preaching in Denver, Colo., in biblical studies for two years. The school, now called the Bear Valley School of Biblical Studies, was associated with Bear Valley Church of Christ.
CAREER — Mielke says he has been a self-supporting minister since 1975. He worked in factories for five years and has been self-employed since 1979. He operates an organic vegetable and berry farm, owns a woodworking business, sells goods at summer farmers markets and is a state-certified property assessor. This is his fourth run for public office. He lost a 2004 race for the Wisconsin Assembly in District 70, a 2006 race for Portage County executive and a 2007 race for the Town of Linwood Board.
PERSONAL — Married, three children.
___
8th District
NAME — Steve Kagen, incumbent
PARTY — Democrat
AGE — 58
RESIDES — Appleton
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1972; medical degree, UW-Madison, 1976.
CAREER — He founded Kagen Allergy Clinics in Appleton, Green Bay, Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 2006, winning 51 percent of the vote, giving the seat to a Democrat for the first time in eight years. Republicans have held the seat for most of three decades.
PERSONAL — Married, four children.
NAME — John Gard
PARTY — Republican
AGE — 45
RESIDES — Suamico.
EDUCATION — Bachelor’s degree in public administration and political science, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, 1986.
CAREER — He worked as a legislative aide from 1986 to 1987 before being elected to the state Assembly representing a northern Wisconsin district in 1987. He became Assembly speaker in 2003. Narrowly lost 2006 8th District race after President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned for him. He runs Gard Business Group, a consulting firm that works with businesses to grow their company and create jobs.
PERSONAL — Married, two children.
Source: Candidates
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
2 charged in death of Virgin Islands law clerk
Date: 10/29/2008 5:23 PM
By JUDI SHIMEL
Associated Press Writer
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ A missing lawyer who had recently moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands and became a judge’s clerk was found slain Wednesday along a dirt path in St. Thomas following an apparent robbery. Two people were charged in his death.
Authorities recovered the body of Gabriel Lerner, a clerk for a Superior Court judge in the U.S. island territory, in the rural western part of the island, a day after he was reported missing and four days after he was last seen, Police Commissioner James McCall said.
“We accomplished a lot in a short period of time,” McCall told reporters. “Unfortunately, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to.”
The police spotted Lerner’s car Tuesday afternoon and started a chase that ended when the car crashed into a police cruiser. The suspects fled into the nearby forest but were captured two hours later by Superior Court marshals, police said.
The two suspects — Devon Frett, 22, and a 17-year-old whose name was not released — were being held on charges that included murder, robbery and kidnapping. They were held without bail.
Lerner, 27, a native of the Milwaukee area, was working as a clerk for Superior Court Judge Brenda Hollar. He was last seen alive on Saturday.
Family members said Lerner, a Georgetown University Law School graduate, moved to the St. Thomas in January to take a job with a law firm before becoming a clerk and was sworn into the territory’s bar last week.
“He was offered a job down there … and thought how can you pass up an opportunity to work down in paradise, instead of cold Wisconsin,” said his sister, Arielle Lerner of Milwaukee. “We were all very jealous.”
The family planned to bury him in St. Thomas, she said.
_______
Associated Press writer Carrie Antlfinger contributed to this report from Milwaukee.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By JUDI SHIMEL
Associated Press Writer
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) _ A missing lawyer who had recently moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands and became a judge’s clerk was found slain Wednesday along a dirt path in St. Thomas following an apparent robbery. Two people were charged in his death.
Authorities recovered the body of Gabriel Lerner, a clerk for a Superior Court judge in the U.S. island territory, in the rural western part of the island, a day after he was reported missing and four days after he was last seen, Police Commissioner James McCall said.
“We accomplished a lot in a short period of time,” McCall told reporters. “Unfortunately, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to.”
The police spotted Lerner’s car Tuesday afternoon and started a chase that ended when the car crashed into a police cruiser. The suspects fled into the nearby forest but were captured two hours later by Superior Court marshals, police said.
The two suspects — Devon Frett, 22, and a 17-year-old whose name was not released — were being held on charges that included murder, robbery and kidnapping. They were held without bail.
Lerner, 27, a native of the Milwaukee area, was working as a clerk for Superior Court Judge Brenda Hollar. He was last seen alive on Saturday.
Family members said Lerner, a Georgetown University Law School graduate, moved to the St. Thomas in January to take a job with a law firm before becoming a clerk and was sworn into the territory’s bar last week.
“He was offered a job down there … and thought how can you pass up an opportunity to work down in paradise, instead of cold Wisconsin,” said his sister, Arielle Lerner of Milwaukee. “We were all very jealous.”
The family planned to bury him in St. Thomas, she said.
_______
Associated Press writer Carrie Antlfinger contributed to this report from Milwaukee.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Battle for state legislatures carries high stakes
Date: 10/28/2008
By ROBERT TANNER
AP National Writer
Political control of several key state legislatures could change hands on Election Day, raising the chance for one-party domination of swing states Michigan and Pennsylvania, booming Nevada and Northeast giant New York.
Democrats are cautiously optimistic that enthusiasm and turnout for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign will help their candidates far down the ticket. Republicans hope to steer clear of the national mood that has turned against the GOP and focus instead on local issues.
Though state legislative races draw far less attention than contests for the White House, Congress and governor, the party that controls the legislatures has an outsized role nationally — crafting domestic policy, drawing congressional districts and laying the foundation for political stars in the future.
Obama himself is only four years removed from a stint in the Illinois Legislature. Democratic control there first gave him the spotlight and the chance to pass legislation that he often cites on the campaign trail.
Nationally, Democrats already hold their strongest majority in more than a decade, controlling the legislatures in 23 states. Republicans dominate in 14 states. Twelve states are split, and Nebraska is nonpartisan.
In some ways, Democrats are suffering from too much of a good thing: The party’s victories since 2004 eroded GOP gains from the 1990s but made it that much harder to find opportunities for growth now.
“We’re doing a little more defense than we have, and a little less offense,” said Iowa Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, chairman of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a national group that has raised more than $6 million to spend on legislative races in the past two years.
Republicans see cause for hope, though they make a point to avoid national issues because polls show widespread dissatisfaction with President Bush and Republicans in Congress.
“You certainly can’t omit or be unaware of the national environment. But if you run your race on local issues, you can separate yourself very easily,” said Carrie Cantrell with the Republican State Leadership Committee, which provides cash and other resources to help win legislative seats.
Forty-four states will hold legislative elections next month, with 5,824 seats — or 79 percent of all legislative seats — before the voters.
“In an environment that seems to favor Democrats across the board in 2008, legislatures could deliver a bright spot for Republicans,” said Tim Storey, an elections expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “If Democrats do gain seats, it will truly reflect a landslide by the party and would really be an indicator of this turnout machine.”
Among the most closely watched states:
— New York, where Democrats are only two seats away from a majority in the state Senate. If they win, it would be the first time Democrats have held all three decision-making parts of government — governor, Assembly and Senate — since 1935.
— Pennsylvania, where Republicans need only to pick up one seat to take back control of the House and dominate the entire Legislature.
— Montana, where control could flip either way or remain split. Democrats lead the Senate with a two-seat margin, while Republicans hold the House by just one seat.
Other states where one party could take control include Delaware, Indiana, Michigan and Oklahoma. Democrats also see opportunities to gain power in the Ohio House and Wisconsin Assembly.
In New York, Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith said Obama is having a “tremendous impact” on the effort to gain two seats and take power, citing voter registration and Democratic enthusiasm in four critical districts. “This is our best chance,” he said.
The interest spreads beyond state lines. For instance, national groups that advocate for gay rights and their supporters have contributed money to the state Senate effort. Both the Assembly and Democratic Gov. David Paterson have expressed support for same-sex marriage.
In conservative Texas, Republicans hold the Legislature and all statewide offices, and polls show strong support for John McCain. But Democrats say their candidates are doing well, and there is a chance to win the House.
These contests also attract national attention and cash because of the power state legislatures have to redraw the maps of Congress. Though redistricting won’t begin in earnest until after the 2010 Census, when population changes require new congressional lines, maneuvering has already begun.
Gronstal said he has already been in “very serious discussions” with Democratic leaders in Congress about which states should be targeted now and in the 2010 election for redistricting purposes. “I describe it as who gets to get the crayons to draw the lines.”
In New England, every state legislature is now in Democratic hands. But in Maine, Republicans see a chance to pick up one seat and take power in the Senate.
Among other issues, GOP candidates in Maine are running on frustration with the state’s health care reform, championed by the Democratic governor. Shortfalls in the program spurred new taxes on beer, wine and soft drinks. The tax increase passed 18-17, with majority Democrats and minority Republicans voting in blocs.
“We have a formula that works, which is local race, local issues. Stay completely away from this nationalization of the races,” said Roy Lenardson, a political consultant for Republican candidates. That seems wise, considering that recent Maine polls put the Democratic presidential ticket ahead by an average 16 percentage points, according to realclearpolitics.com.
“This notion of the Obama rain washing in all the Democrats, I think that’s a secret fear,” he said. “On the other hand … this notion that Maine is a down-ticket place, where once you pick Obama you go down the ballot — no.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By ROBERT TANNER
AP National Writer
Political control of several key state legislatures could change hands on Election Day, raising the chance for one-party domination of swing states Michigan and Pennsylvania, booming Nevada and Northeast giant New York.
Democrats are cautiously optimistic that enthusiasm and turnout for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign will help their candidates far down the ticket. Republicans hope to steer clear of the national mood that has turned against the GOP and focus instead on local issues.
Though state legislative races draw far less attention than contests for the White House, Congress and governor, the party that controls the legislatures has an outsized role nationally — crafting domestic policy, drawing congressional districts and laying the foundation for political stars in the future.
Obama himself is only four years removed from a stint in the Illinois Legislature. Democratic control there first gave him the spotlight and the chance to pass legislation that he often cites on the campaign trail.
Nationally, Democrats already hold their strongest majority in more than a decade, controlling the legislatures in 23 states. Republicans dominate in 14 states. Twelve states are split, and Nebraska is nonpartisan.
In some ways, Democrats are suffering from too much of a good thing: The party’s victories since 2004 eroded GOP gains from the 1990s but made it that much harder to find opportunities for growth now.
“We’re doing a little more defense than we have, and a little less offense,” said Iowa Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, chairman of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, a national group that has raised more than $6 million to spend on legislative races in the past two years.
Republicans see cause for hope, though they make a point to avoid national issues because polls show widespread dissatisfaction with President Bush and Republicans in Congress.
“You certainly can’t omit or be unaware of the national environment. But if you run your race on local issues, you can separate yourself very easily,” said Carrie Cantrell with the Republican State Leadership Committee, which provides cash and other resources to help win legislative seats.
Forty-four states will hold legislative elections next month, with 5,824 seats — or 79 percent of all legislative seats — before the voters.
“In an environment that seems to favor Democrats across the board in 2008, legislatures could deliver a bright spot for Republicans,” said Tim Storey, an elections expert at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “If Democrats do gain seats, it will truly reflect a landslide by the party and would really be an indicator of this turnout machine.”
Among the most closely watched states:
— New York, where Democrats are only two seats away from a majority in the state Senate. If they win, it would be the first time Democrats have held all three decision-making parts of government — governor, Assembly and Senate — since 1935.
— Pennsylvania, where Republicans need only to pick up one seat to take back control of the House and dominate the entire Legislature.
— Montana, where control could flip either way or remain split. Democrats lead the Senate with a two-seat margin, while Republicans hold the House by just one seat.
Other states where one party could take control include Delaware, Indiana, Michigan and Oklahoma. Democrats also see opportunities to gain power in the Ohio House and Wisconsin Assembly.
In New York, Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith said Obama is having a “tremendous impact” on the effort to gain two seats and take power, citing voter registration and Democratic enthusiasm in four critical districts. “This is our best chance,” he said.
The interest spreads beyond state lines. For instance, national groups that advocate for gay rights and their supporters have contributed money to the state Senate effort. Both the Assembly and Democratic Gov. David Paterson have expressed support for same-sex marriage.
In conservative Texas, Republicans hold the Legislature and all statewide offices, and polls show strong support for John McCain. But Democrats say their candidates are doing well, and there is a chance to win the House.
These contests also attract national attention and cash because of the power state legislatures have to redraw the maps of Congress. Though redistricting won’t begin in earnest until after the 2010 Census, when population changes require new congressional lines, maneuvering has already begun.
Gronstal said he has already been in “very serious discussions” with Democratic leaders in Congress about which states should be targeted now and in the 2010 election for redistricting purposes. “I describe it as who gets to get the crayons to draw the lines.”
In New England, every state legislature is now in Democratic hands. But in Maine, Republicans see a chance to pick up one seat and take power in the Senate.
Among other issues, GOP candidates in Maine are running on frustration with the state’s health care reform, championed by the Democratic governor. Shortfalls in the program spurred new taxes on beer, wine and soft drinks. The tax increase passed 18-17, with majority Democrats and minority Republicans voting in blocs.
“We have a formula that works, which is local race, local issues. Stay completely away from this nationalization of the races,” said Roy Lenardson, a political consultant for Republican candidates. That seems wise, considering that recent Maine polls put the Democratic presidential ticket ahead by an average 16 percentage points, according to realclearpolitics.com.
“This notion of the Obama rain washing in all the Democrats, I think that’s a secret fear,” he said. “On the other hand … this notion that Maine is a down-ticket place, where once you pick Obama you go down the ballot — no.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Lawyer Ads: Regulating Taste
Date: 10/26/2008
Lawsuit seeks to block tough La. lawyer ad rules
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ Personal injury attorney Morris Bart has spent millions of dollars to make “one call, that’s all” his familiar refrain for television viewers, but new lawyer advertising rules in Louisiana may ruin the return on his investment.
Catchy phrases and mottos like Bart’s have been seen and heard on televisions across the country, prompting some states to silence what have been called deceptive, misleading ads that have eroded the industry’s reputation.
Louisiana is the latest state to take action, preparing to implement some of the nation’s toughest rules on attorney advertising.
But Bart, one of his competitors and a national consumer advocacy group have sued to block the rules from going into effect Dec. 1, claiming the new limits go too far.
“You can regulate speech that is false, deceptive and misleading, but you can’t regulate taste,” he said. “When you put blanket bans on speech, you’re on dangerous ground.”
The rules prevent Louisiana lawyers from promising “results” or referring to “past successes.” They also can’t use nicknames or mottos that imply an ability to get results. A handbook issued by the Louisiana Bar Association cites “the winning law firm,” ”losing is not an option” and “the cash machine legal clinic” as hypothetical examples that would violate the new rules.
A committee will review the ads’ contents, and attorneys who break the rules could suffer professional sanctions.
Bart’s lawsuit claims the rules also impose a broad ban on the use of client testimonials, actors’ endorsements and re-enactments. Ads also won’t be allowed to portray a judge or jury or compare one lawyer’s services to another.
“They’re definitely one of the most restrictive set of rules for advertising in the country,” said attorney Greg Beck of Public Citizen Inc., the nonprofit group that filed similar suits in New York last year and in Florida this year over lawyer advertising rules.
A federal judge in Syracuse, N.Y., ruled in July 2007 that some of that state’s new restrictions were unconstitutional and blocked New York’s attorney disciplinary authorities from enforcing them. The state is appealing that ruling.
Elsewhere, a committee formed by the Missouri Bar Association earlier this year proposed stricter requirements for disclaimers in lawyer ads. A few years ago in South Carolina, lawyers were told they could no longer to call themselves the “heavy hitter” or the “strong arm” after that state passed stricter ad rules.
In contrast, New Mexico lifted a requirement four years ago that all lawyer ads be screened in advance by a bar association committee.
“There really hasn’t been much consistency from state to state,” said Micah Buchdahl, chairman-elect of the American Bar Association’s law practice management section. Buchdahl said efforts to restrict lawyer ads are typically grass roots movements within the profession and not part of a national campaign led by outside interests.
In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that lawyer ads are a form of commercial speech entitled to some First Amendment protection, a decision that spawned a proliferation of attorney ads and periodic attempts to rein them in.
The Louisiana Bar Association, which recommended the new rules adopted by the state’s Supreme Court, said the limits are designed to protect consumers and respond to concerns that some ads give the profession a bad reputation.
“We’re not here to arbitrate taste,” said association president Elizabeth Erny Foote. “Our first goal is to protect the public.”
Chief Justice Pascal Calogero Jr., through a court spokesman, wouldn’t comment on the new restrictions. But the court’s 25-page order issuing the rules said they balance “the right of lawyers to truthfully advertise legal services with the need to improve the existing rules in order to protect the public from unethical forms of lawyer advertising.”
One of Bart’s competitors, attorney William Gee III, has run ads featuring actor Robert Vaughn, who starred in the 1960s TV spy series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Gee thinks the new restrictions will prevent him from using the actor as a paid spokesman.
Gee believes the state’s existing rules, which bar “false, misleading or deceptive communications” in advertising, are good enough.
“It’s our position that these rules go far enough in protecting the public,” said Gee, who has been practicing personal-injury and maritime law since 1984.
Bart, whose firm spends more than $5 million annually on ads in seven television markets in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, claims the rules are part of an anti-consumer movement to shield “big business and corporate America” from costly litigation.
“Big business doesn’t like lawyers like me advertising because we represent consumers and working people that bring claims against big business,” he said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
www.wis-law.com
Lawsuit seeks to block tough La. lawyer ad rules
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ Personal injury attorney Morris Bart has spent millions of dollars to make “one call, that’s all” his familiar refrain for television viewers, but new lawyer advertising rules in Louisiana may ruin the return on his investment.
Catchy phrases and mottos like Bart’s have been seen and heard on televisions across the country, prompting some states to silence what have been called deceptive, misleading ads that have eroded the industry’s reputation.
Louisiana is the latest state to take action, preparing to implement some of the nation’s toughest rules on attorney advertising.
But Bart, one of his competitors and a national consumer advocacy group have sued to block the rules from going into effect Dec. 1, claiming the new limits go too far.
“You can regulate speech that is false, deceptive and misleading, but you can’t regulate taste,” he said. “When you put blanket bans on speech, you’re on dangerous ground.”
The rules prevent Louisiana lawyers from promising “results” or referring to “past successes.” They also can’t use nicknames or mottos that imply an ability to get results. A handbook issued by the Louisiana Bar Association cites “the winning law firm,” ”losing is not an option” and “the cash machine legal clinic” as hypothetical examples that would violate the new rules.
A committee will review the ads’ contents, and attorneys who break the rules could suffer professional sanctions.
Bart’s lawsuit claims the rules also impose a broad ban on the use of client testimonials, actors’ endorsements and re-enactments. Ads also won’t be allowed to portray a judge or jury or compare one lawyer’s services to another.
“They’re definitely one of the most restrictive set of rules for advertising in the country,” said attorney Greg Beck of Public Citizen Inc., the nonprofit group that filed similar suits in New York last year and in Florida this year over lawyer advertising rules.
A federal judge in Syracuse, N.Y., ruled in July 2007 that some of that state’s new restrictions were unconstitutional and blocked New York’s attorney disciplinary authorities from enforcing them. The state is appealing that ruling.
Elsewhere, a committee formed by the Missouri Bar Association earlier this year proposed stricter requirements for disclaimers in lawyer ads. A few years ago in South Carolina, lawyers were told they could no longer to call themselves the “heavy hitter” or the “strong arm” after that state passed stricter ad rules.
In contrast, New Mexico lifted a requirement four years ago that all lawyer ads be screened in advance by a bar association committee.
“There really hasn’t been much consistency from state to state,” said Micah Buchdahl, chairman-elect of the American Bar Association’s law practice management section. Buchdahl said efforts to restrict lawyer ads are typically grass roots movements within the profession and not part of a national campaign led by outside interests.
In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that lawyer ads are a form of commercial speech entitled to some First Amendment protection, a decision that spawned a proliferation of attorney ads and periodic attempts to rein them in.
The Louisiana Bar Association, which recommended the new rules adopted by the state’s Supreme Court, said the limits are designed to protect consumers and respond to concerns that some ads give the profession a bad reputation.
“We’re not here to arbitrate taste,” said association president Elizabeth Erny Foote. “Our first goal is to protect the public.”
Chief Justice Pascal Calogero Jr., through a court spokesman, wouldn’t comment on the new restrictions. But the court’s 25-page order issuing the rules said they balance “the right of lawyers to truthfully advertise legal services with the need to improve the existing rules in order to protect the public from unethical forms of lawyer advertising.”
One of Bart’s competitors, attorney William Gee III, has run ads featuring actor Robert Vaughn, who starred in the 1960s TV spy series “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Gee thinks the new restrictions will prevent him from using the actor as a paid spokesman.
Gee believes the state’s existing rules, which bar “false, misleading or deceptive communications” in advertising, are good enough.
“It’s our position that these rules go far enough in protecting the public,” said Gee, who has been practicing personal-injury and maritime law since 1984.
Bart, whose firm spends more than $5 million annually on ads in seven television markets in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, claims the rules are part of an anti-consumer movement to shield “big business and corporate America” from costly litigation.
“Big business doesn’t like lawyers like me advertising because we represent consumers and working people that bring claims against big business,” he said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
www.wis-law.com
The Milwaukee Journal Set to Endorse Obama
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endorsed Obama in an editorial set for publication on Oct. 26:
Obama’s vision and potential to be that change agent trump his relative lack of experience, though the experience he possesses is valuable. The maturity and calm demeanor he has exhibited these past two years in the public spotlight and earlier, speak to able, careful, inclusive leadership. And he is simply the better of the two on the issues. …
McCain, an early supporter of the invasion, was later a critic of how the war was being waged, supporting a surge that Obama opposed. But McCain now fails to recognize that Americans want something different than his open-ended approach. …
And he also has squandered his claim to one of his supposed assets — his experience, as a military man and member of Congress for 26 years. Simply, he has displayed deplorable judgment in key instances that call into question the value of his overall judgment.
In Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 72-year-old candidate with a history of melanoma picked a woefully unqualified running mate — as she continues to prove day after day. And both he and she have conducted a campaign that has careened from inept to offensive.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Obama’s vision and potential to be that change agent trump his relative lack of experience, though the experience he possesses is valuable. The maturity and calm demeanor he has exhibited these past two years in the public spotlight and earlier, speak to able, careful, inclusive leadership. And he is simply the better of the two on the issues. …
McCain, an early supporter of the invasion, was later a critic of how the war was being waged, supporting a surge that Obama opposed. But McCain now fails to recognize that Americans want something different than his open-ended approach. …
And he also has squandered his claim to one of his supposed assets — his experience, as a military man and member of Congress for 26 years. Simply, he has displayed deplorable judgment in key instances that call into question the value of his overall judgment.
In Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 72-year-old candidate with a history of melanoma picked a woefully unqualified running mate — as she continues to prove day after day. And both he and she have conducted a campaign that has careened from inept to offensive.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
The Stevens Point Journal Endorses Obama
Date: 10/24/2008
The Stevens Point (Wis.) Journal endorsed Obama on Friday:
“This is a unique time in the history of United States of America, one that presents tough challenges, and that’s why Barack Obama is our choice for president.
Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois, is the candidate who will allow us to present a new face to the world, one that will regain a respect we have lost in recent history. Seeing this man of mixed race who spent part of his youth in Hawaii and Indonesia as our leader could go a long way toward healing some of those wounds.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
The Stevens Point (Wis.) Journal endorsed Obama on Friday:
“This is a unique time in the history of United States of America, one that presents tough challenges, and that’s why Barack Obama is our choice for president.
Obama, the Democratic senator from Illinois, is the candidate who will allow us to present a new face to the world, one that will regain a respect we have lost in recent history. Seeing this man of mixed race who spent part of his youth in Hawaii and Indonesia as our leader could go a long way toward healing some of those wounds.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Drug industry spends $13 million on thank-you ads
Date: 10/23/2008 6:24 PM
By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The pharmaceutical industry is underwriting one of the biggest issue ad campaigns of the election season — a $13 million televised thank-you to 28 lawmakers, most of them Democrats, who supported legislation last year to expand a children’s health insurance program.
Insured children are more likely to have access to treatment and preventive care, the ads note.
Only three Republicans, all locked in tight races for re-election, are singled out by the flattering ads: Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon and Susan Collins of Maine, and Rep. Phil English of Pennsylvania.
Some of the Democrats are not up for re-election this year, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and many of them are expected to win handily, such as Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
But others benefiting from the ads are in tough races, including Reps. Gerald McNerney in California, Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire, Paul Kanjorski in Pennsylvania and Steve Kagen in Wisconsin.
The group responsible for the ads is “America’s Agenda: Health Care for Kids Inc.” It’s comprised of business and labor interests, said the organization’s spokeswoman Nicole Korkolis.
However, it’s the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America that bankrolled the campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records cited by The Center for Public Integrity, an organization that keeps close tabs on the drug industry’s spending.
Korkolis said the three-member board of America’s Agenda, which includes one representative from PhRMA, decided where the ads should be aired. The primary factor was how lawmakers voted on a bill to more than doubled spending on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to $12 billion a year. President Bush vetoed the bill twice and supporters couldn’t get a two-thirds vote in the House to override him.
“They considered who supported it in the past and who might be under pressure to change their vote,” Korkoris said. “The ads are designed to shore up that continued support.”
Korkolis said the campaign was not designed to support individual candidates. “It’s strictly an issues campaign.”
The ads say the lawmakers got it right by voting for the legislation. The ads also tell viewers to call the lawmaker cited and tell them to keep fighting “to insure our kids.”
Massie Ritsch, a spokesman for The Center for Responsive Politics, said the ads put supporters of the legislation in a positive light during the campaign season, but also serve the interests of the drug industry.
“Obviously, the drug industry has an interest in anything that will provide a steady stream of government money to pay for their products,” said Ritsch, whose organization tracks campaign donations and spending.
Ken Johnson, a PhRMA vice president, said the bill’s emphasis on prevention could do away with the need for prescription drugs for many children. “The bottom line is we don’t want kids to be our customers because they don’t get the care that they need,” he said.
The legislation would have gradually increased enrollment in the children’s health program from 6 million to 10 million. The revenue needed for that enrollment increase would have come from a 61-cent increase in the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes, as well as comparable tax increases on other tobacco products.
Critics said the bill would encourage too many families to replace private insurance with government-subsidized health coverage. Some said the bill did not go far enough to prevent adults from participating in the program, and some also criticized higher tobacco taxes as a means to pay for the expansion.
___
On the Net: http://www.americasagenda-kidshealth.org/our-media.html
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The pharmaceutical industry is underwriting one of the biggest issue ad campaigns of the election season — a $13 million televised thank-you to 28 lawmakers, most of them Democrats, who supported legislation last year to expand a children’s health insurance program.
Insured children are more likely to have access to treatment and preventive care, the ads note.
Only three Republicans, all locked in tight races for re-election, are singled out by the flattering ads: Sens. Gordon Smith of Oregon and Susan Collins of Maine, and Rep. Phil English of Pennsylvania.
Some of the Democrats are not up for re-election this year, such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and many of them are expected to win handily, such as Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
But others benefiting from the ads are in tough races, including Reps. Gerald McNerney in California, Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire, Paul Kanjorski in Pennsylvania and Steve Kagen in Wisconsin.
The group responsible for the ads is “America’s Agenda: Health Care for Kids Inc.” It’s comprised of business and labor interests, said the organization’s spokeswoman Nicole Korkolis.
However, it’s the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America that bankrolled the campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records cited by The Center for Public Integrity, an organization that keeps close tabs on the drug industry’s spending.
Korkolis said the three-member board of America’s Agenda, which includes one representative from PhRMA, decided where the ads should be aired. The primary factor was how lawmakers voted on a bill to more than doubled spending on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to $12 billion a year. President Bush vetoed the bill twice and supporters couldn’t get a two-thirds vote in the House to override him.
“They considered who supported it in the past and who might be under pressure to change their vote,” Korkoris said. “The ads are designed to shore up that continued support.”
Korkolis said the campaign was not designed to support individual candidates. “It’s strictly an issues campaign.”
The ads say the lawmakers got it right by voting for the legislation. The ads also tell viewers to call the lawmaker cited and tell them to keep fighting “to insure our kids.”
Massie Ritsch, a spokesman for The Center for Responsive Politics, said the ads put supporters of the legislation in a positive light during the campaign season, but also serve the interests of the drug industry.
“Obviously, the drug industry has an interest in anything that will provide a steady stream of government money to pay for their products,” said Ritsch, whose organization tracks campaign donations and spending.
Ken Johnson, a PhRMA vice president, said the bill’s emphasis on prevention could do away with the need for prescription drugs for many children. “The bottom line is we don’t want kids to be our customers because they don’t get the care that they need,” he said.
The legislation would have gradually increased enrollment in the children’s health program from 6 million to 10 million. The revenue needed for that enrollment increase would have come from a 61-cent increase in the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes, as well as comparable tax increases on other tobacco products.
Critics said the bill would encourage too many families to replace private insurance with government-subsidized health coverage. Some said the bill did not go far enough to prevent adults from participating in the program, and some also criticized higher tobacco taxes as a means to pay for the expansion.
___
On the Net: http://www.americasagenda-kidshealth.org/our-media.html
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Judge tosses Wis. AG’s suit demanding voter checks
Date: 10/23/2008 4:17 PM
By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ A judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit by Wisconsin’s attorney general demanding that state elections officials confirm hundreds of thousands of voters’ identities before Election Day.
Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi ruled that neither federal nor state law makes the checks Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen seeks a condition for voting. She said Van Hollen has no standing to sue and should have made a complaint to the state Government Accountability Board rather than going to court.
Van Hollen spokesman Kevin St. John said the state Department of Justice plans to appeal, perhaps directly to the state Supreme Court. The agency will continue to pursue the case beyond Election Day if it must because an accurate list of registered voters is crucial to future elections, he said.
“The attorney general believes that he has the ability and the authority, even the duty, to enforce state election law in state court,” St. John said.
Van Hollen, a Republican and co-chair of GOP presidential candidate John McCain’s Wisconsin campaign, argued that the federal Help America Vote Act requires the accountability board to check the names of everyone registered to vote since Jan. 1, 2006, against driver’s license and Social Security data and remove any ineligible voters from the rolls.
The state Republican Party joined the lawsuit, asking that any non-matches be red-flagged as needing identification at the polls.
The board says it couldn’t get its cross-check software online until August, when preliminary runs revealed a 22 percent non-match rate. Most of those non-matches resulted from typos or other innocuous differences between the databases, board staff said.
The board ordered local election clerks to cross-check only voters who register from Aug. 6 onward and let non-matches vote without consequence.
The board argued, and the judge agreed, that the Help America Vote Act doesn’t say what states should do with anyone whose information doesn’t match.
Sumi said the board used the discretionary power it was granted by the Legislature when it decided to impose checks on only new registrants. She said only the U.S. attorney general can bring a court order to enforce HAVA, and that anyone else with a complaint, including Van Hollen and the state GOP, must make an administrative appeal directly to state elections officials.
Government Accountability Board attorney Lester Pines said Sumi was “exactly correct on every single point.”
Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus called the ruling disappointing. He said it raises the possibility that Wisconsin won’t have a fair election.
“It’s looking worse by the minute, I guess,” Priebus said.
State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke called Sumi’s decision strong.
“What are you going to appeal?” he said. “Appeal to the Republican base, I guess.”
Democrats have accused Van Hollen and Republicans of trying to disenfranchise voters and keep turnout low. St. John has repeatedly denied any partisan motivation, saying the attorney general wants only to enforce the law. Republicans have said they are trying to protect the integrity of the election.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ A judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit by Wisconsin’s attorney general demanding that state elections officials confirm hundreds of thousands of voters’ identities before Election Day.
Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi ruled that neither federal nor state law makes the checks Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen seeks a condition for voting. She said Van Hollen has no standing to sue and should have made a complaint to the state Government Accountability Board rather than going to court.
Van Hollen spokesman Kevin St. John said the state Department of Justice plans to appeal, perhaps directly to the state Supreme Court. The agency will continue to pursue the case beyond Election Day if it must because an accurate list of registered voters is crucial to future elections, he said.
“The attorney general believes that he has the ability and the authority, even the duty, to enforce state election law in state court,” St. John said.
Van Hollen, a Republican and co-chair of GOP presidential candidate John McCain’s Wisconsin campaign, argued that the federal Help America Vote Act requires the accountability board to check the names of everyone registered to vote since Jan. 1, 2006, against driver’s license and Social Security data and remove any ineligible voters from the rolls.
The state Republican Party joined the lawsuit, asking that any non-matches be red-flagged as needing identification at the polls.
The board says it couldn’t get its cross-check software online until August, when preliminary runs revealed a 22 percent non-match rate. Most of those non-matches resulted from typos or other innocuous differences between the databases, board staff said.
The board ordered local election clerks to cross-check only voters who register from Aug. 6 onward and let non-matches vote without consequence.
The board argued, and the judge agreed, that the Help America Vote Act doesn’t say what states should do with anyone whose information doesn’t match.
Sumi said the board used the discretionary power it was granted by the Legislature when it decided to impose checks on only new registrants. She said only the U.S. attorney general can bring a court order to enforce HAVA, and that anyone else with a complaint, including Van Hollen and the state GOP, must make an administrative appeal directly to state elections officials.
Government Accountability Board attorney Lester Pines said Sumi was “exactly correct on every single point.”
Wisconsin Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus called the ruling disappointing. He said it raises the possibility that Wisconsin won’t have a fair election.
“It’s looking worse by the minute, I guess,” Priebus said.
State Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke called Sumi’s decision strong.
“What are you going to appeal?” he said. “Appeal to the Republican base, I guess.”
Democrats have accused Van Hollen and Republicans of trying to disenfranchise voters and keep turnout low. St. John has repeatedly denied any partisan motivation, saying the attorney general wants only to enforce the law. Republicans have said they are trying to protect the integrity of the election.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Wisconsin goes after Texas man over wild pigs
Date: 10/23/2008 3:23 AM
By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press Writer
SENECA, Wis. (AP) _ Southwestern Wisconsin in October is close to paradise: crimson-tinged bluffs, rolling ridge-top fields, peace and quiet. But haunting the hollows is something, big, mean and ugly.
For years, dozens of giant, hairy hogs have run wild through its valleys and bottoms, rooting up trees, devouring crops before they sprout and keeping residents indoors. Now state investigators say they know who brought the beasts here, and they want him to pay.
According to them, the culprit is former Gays Mills elk farm owner Robert S. Johnson. They believe he hauled 31 wild hogs from Texas to Wisconsin in 2002 and let them loose near the Kickapoo River in Crawford County.
Johnson was charged in February with illegally stocking wild animals, a civil infraction. A trial to determine whether he’s liable began Sept. 5 in Prairie Du Chien and then delayed. Proceedings are expected to resume Friday.
The state Department of Justice, which is handling the case, wants at least $31,000 in forfeitures — $1,000 for each pig — as well as money to cover environmental damages from Johnson.
Introducing a wild animal that’s not indigenous to Wisconsin can cause a huge amount of damage, said Assistant Attorney General Cynthia Hirsch.
Leonard Olson, who farms near Seneca, said the pigs devoured 90 percent of the corn seed over 14 acres he rented last year and were a big reason he didn’t rent it again this year. The pigs also got at corn on another 118 acres he farms, costing him about $20,000, he said.
“It ticks you off, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” Olson said. “If someone purposely introduced them to us, that’s pathetic.”
Johnson’s attorney, Mark A. Peterson, of Prairie Du Chien, didn’t return messages. According to court documents, Johnson, who lists a San Marcos, Texas, post office box as his address, planned to testify that he had nothing to do with the pigs.
Feral hogs are descended from escaped domestic pigs Spanish explorers brought to the Americas from Europe. Biologists estimate about 4 million of them roam at least 25 states.
They’re not pretty critters. They weigh 80 to 450 pounds, sport coarse hair that ranges from black to red and have tough snouts, with tusks that can grow up to 9 inches long. They’ll eat anything, but they especially like to use their noses to root out food from underground. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the hogs cause about $800 million damage to the nation’s farm industry annually.
“They are digging machines,” said Vance Haugen, Crawford County’s University of Wisconsin Extension agent.
Wild pigs showed up in Wisconsin around 2000, said Dave Matheys, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist based in Viroqua.
They’ve been reported in at least a dozen counties, although no one has any idea how many are here or how much damage they’ve caused. State agriculture officials offer no reimbursement for crop damage caused by pigs.
But concern over their effects on the environment and the possibility they could spread diseases to livestock are growing — last year USDA officials said pseudorabies in two Clark County swine herds was likely linked to exposure to wild hogs — and the DNR has declared open season on them.
Crawford County is a pig hot spot. The county is nearly 50 percent forested, crops are plentiful and its steep ridges and ravines provide natural cover. Matheys estimates about 275 pigs have been killed in the county, yet 30 to 50 pigs still roam the area.
Roger Benzing, a 66-year-old farmer who raises corn, hay and alfalfa outside Seneca, calls the pigs devils. He said they’ve cost him about $20,000 in crop damage. His wife, 63-year-old Diann Benzing, said she’s given up hunting for spring mushrooms because she’s so afraid.
“You know they’re always out there,” she said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By TODD RICHMOND
Associated Press Writer
SENECA, Wis. (AP) _ Southwestern Wisconsin in October is close to paradise: crimson-tinged bluffs, rolling ridge-top fields, peace and quiet. But haunting the hollows is something, big, mean and ugly.
For years, dozens of giant, hairy hogs have run wild through its valleys and bottoms, rooting up trees, devouring crops before they sprout and keeping residents indoors. Now state investigators say they know who brought the beasts here, and they want him to pay.
According to them, the culprit is former Gays Mills elk farm owner Robert S. Johnson. They believe he hauled 31 wild hogs from Texas to Wisconsin in 2002 and let them loose near the Kickapoo River in Crawford County.
Johnson was charged in February with illegally stocking wild animals, a civil infraction. A trial to determine whether he’s liable began Sept. 5 in Prairie Du Chien and then delayed. Proceedings are expected to resume Friday.
The state Department of Justice, which is handling the case, wants at least $31,000 in forfeitures — $1,000 for each pig — as well as money to cover environmental damages from Johnson.
Introducing a wild animal that’s not indigenous to Wisconsin can cause a huge amount of damage, said Assistant Attorney General Cynthia Hirsch.
Leonard Olson, who farms near Seneca, said the pigs devoured 90 percent of the corn seed over 14 acres he rented last year and were a big reason he didn’t rent it again this year. The pigs also got at corn on another 118 acres he farms, costing him about $20,000, he said.
“It ticks you off, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” Olson said. “If someone purposely introduced them to us, that’s pathetic.”
Johnson’s attorney, Mark A. Peterson, of Prairie Du Chien, didn’t return messages. According to court documents, Johnson, who lists a San Marcos, Texas, post office box as his address, planned to testify that he had nothing to do with the pigs.
Feral hogs are descended from escaped domestic pigs Spanish explorers brought to the Americas from Europe. Biologists estimate about 4 million of them roam at least 25 states.
They’re not pretty critters. They weigh 80 to 450 pounds, sport coarse hair that ranges from black to red and have tough snouts, with tusks that can grow up to 9 inches long. They’ll eat anything, but they especially like to use their noses to root out food from underground. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates the hogs cause about $800 million damage to the nation’s farm industry annually.
“They are digging machines,” said Vance Haugen, Crawford County’s University of Wisconsin Extension agent.
Wild pigs showed up in Wisconsin around 2000, said Dave Matheys, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist based in Viroqua.
They’ve been reported in at least a dozen counties, although no one has any idea how many are here or how much damage they’ve caused. State agriculture officials offer no reimbursement for crop damage caused by pigs.
But concern over their effects on the environment and the possibility they could spread diseases to livestock are growing — last year USDA officials said pseudorabies in two Clark County swine herds was likely linked to exposure to wild hogs — and the DNR has declared open season on them.
Crawford County is a pig hot spot. The county is nearly 50 percent forested, crops are plentiful and its steep ridges and ravines provide natural cover. Matheys estimates about 275 pigs have been killed in the county, yet 30 to 50 pigs still roam the area.
Roger Benzing, a 66-year-old farmer who raises corn, hay and alfalfa outside Seneca, calls the pigs devils. He said they’ve cost him about $20,000 in crop damage. His wife, 63-year-old Diann Benzing, said she’s given up hunting for spring mushrooms because she’s so afraid.
“You know they’re always out there,” she said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.