Protests in Wisconsin are expected to continue today for the third day in a row. Yesterday - Madison, Wisconsin was nearly shut down as ten thousand protestors assembled outside the state capital to protest Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to strip state workers union of their collective bargaining powers in an effort to balance his state’s budget. 40% of teachers working in the Madison school district called in sick to attend the protest – f

While austerity measures are sweeping the nation – and Republican governors like Scott Walker in Wisconsin are going after middle class workers to balance state budgets – Minnesota’s Democratic Governor has a different idea. Instead of balancing budgets on the backs of working families – Governor Mark Dayton is proposing a 5% tax increase on the wealthiest people in Minnesota – or the top 5% of income earners in the state. What Governor Dayto

Progressives in California are turning the tables on Darrell Issa. While the Republican Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee solicits the help of lobbyists and transnational corporations to kill government regulations – an organization known as the Third Lantern is digging up the dirt in Issa’ past – looking into past business and personal relationships.

Egypt isn’t the only site of discontented state workers – Wisconsin is too. Since coming into office in January – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has made it clear – he does not represent state workers. He hasn’t negotiated with these workers once – and has now put forward a plan to break their union, cut their pay, and limit their bargaining rights. With a Republican state legislature – Walker’s plan will be enacted swiftly. And if any labo

74 Members of Congress penned a letter to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asking him to recuse himself should the high court take up the constitutionality of Obamacare. Justice Thomas’s wife – Ginni – recently started a new lobbying firm called Liberty Consulting with the purpose of bringing, “voice to principled citizens and the tea party movement in the halls of Congress through governmental affairs efforts.” Considering she

Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee Darrell Issa finally released the responses he received from private industry on what government regulations he should go after now that he's in charge of a congressional committee. Issa asked businesses what regulations they wanted to get rid of. But surprise, surprise – over half of the responses didn’t come from businesses at all – they came from lobbying organizations.

Republicans in the House are expected to quietly pass legislation today to extend some of the most controversial provisions of the PATRIOT Act through the end of the year. Those provisions include allowing investigators to look at an individual’s library records, to wiretap their phone, and to conduct surveillance on them. The White House - and Democratic and Republican leadership in Congress are trying to figure out a way to extend these provisions through the end of 2013 – but for those of us who are uncomfortable with the clear overreaches of power and destruction of civil li

According to a New York Times report – despite the surge of US troops in Afghanistan – the Taliban is operating secret governments across the country. For example in the Ghazni province – the Taliban is running a shadow government that collects taxes, runs schools, adjudicates civil disputes, and cooperates with villagers in military operations. It looks like the US strategy to weaken the Taliban is failing – and a new report by New York University’s Center for International Cooperation knows why.

Who’s screwed?

According to the Center for Responsive Politics – lobbying money actually went down last year. After a record high of $2.5 billion spent in 2009 to influence Members of Congress – there was a slight drop off in 2010. Does that mean lobbying went down – or was the bar just set too high in the middle of the health reform debate? Or something else that nobody's discussing? The President of the American League of Lobbyists blamed

Republican Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee – and small-time criminal turned into the richest man in Congress – Darrell Issa is outsourcing his job to corporate CEOs. Back in December – Issa asked more than one hundred businesses to outline what federal regulations he should attempt to strike down with his new powers as Chairman. And though Issa intended to keep the responses from the corporate community to his inquiry

Yesterday - A second federal judge ruled President Obama’s health reform law is unconstitutional. Florida Judge Roger Vinson – A Republican appointee – claimed the government has no constitutional grounds to require its citizens to purchase health insurance. Judge Vinson’s ruling is similar to another Republican appointed judge in Virginia who last year also declared the individual mandate within Obamacare unconstitutional. That’s now 2 judges who’ve upheld the health reform law – both appointed by Democrats - and 2 judges who’ve struck down the law – both Republican appoi

Republican Darrell Issa - a former small-time criminal and now the richest man in the House of Representatives - is at it again. Using his post as the Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee – Issa is asking the federal government to hand over the identities of every single American who has filed a Freedom of Information Act request. Issa claims he just wants the information to make sure the government is handling FOIA request

Last week – Common Cause petitioned the Department of Justice to look into possible improprieties on the part of Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia for not recusing themselves from the Citizens United decision. Both Justices had headlined speaking events at political strategy sessions hosted by the billionaire Koch brothers – brothers who certainly benefit from the Citizens United decision. Now – thanks to reporti

President Obama addressed the nation last night in his second State of the Union. He laid out a broad agenda of future government investments in education, infrastructure, clean energy, and technology and innovation. As far as a path forward on debt reduction – the President called for a 5 year freeze on non-defense discretionary spending - and a nearly $100 billion cut to the Pentagon’s budget. He pledged he will end President B