Because of course he is.
Wisconsin’s new Voter ID laws require voters to present a state-issued photo ID card at the polling booth. It’s a pain in the ass, but doable, right? Just head to your local DMV, wait in line for eleventy-three days, and presto! You have an ID card!
Not so fast.
Now, Scott Walker’s Wisconsin criminal syndicate has devised a plan to make it reaaaaaally hard for Democrats to obtain the requisite ID cards. It’s quite stunning in its boldness, really: Wisconsin is planning to close DMVs in Democratic districts and use the money it will save by doing so to expand hours at DMVs located in Republican districts.
Uh-huh:
The Wisconsin legislature is finalizing a bill to close ten Department of Motor Vehicle centers located in Democratic districts within the state. The money saved will be used to extend operating hours at DMV centers in Republican districts. These cuts come on the heels of new voter ID laws that require voters to present a state-issued photo identification card at the poll booths.
The Wisconsin Republicans, led by Governor Scott Walker, have passed a myriad of unpopular bills that have alienated the public, specifically the public employees whose right to collectively bargain was stripped, their pensions cut and many of their jobs lost. Walker, who has strong ties to Koch Industries, Americans for Prosperity and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has served as the poster child for conservative policy in the nation.
Honestly, I feel like I’m taking crazy pills:
One Democratic lawmaker said Friday it appeared the decisions were based on politics, with the department targeting offices for closure in Democratic areas and expanding hours for those in Republican districts.
A high-ranking DOT official rejected that claim, saying the changes were based on economics, not politics.
Rep. Andy Jorgensen, D-Fort Atkinson, called on the state Department of Transportation to reconsider its plants to close the Fort Atkinson DMV center. The department plans to expand by four hours a week the hours of a center about 30 minutes away in Watertown.
Jorgensen said he was concerned doing that would discourage people from Fort Atkinson from participating in elections.
“What the heck is going on here?” Jorgensen said. “Is politics at play here?”
Gee whiz, ya think?!
Sweet and sour Jesus soup — these people have hit moustache-twirling levels of evil, haven’t they?
What will they think of next? Here’s my guess: the night before election day, GOP operatives will pump Colon Blow through the municipal water systems in Democratic districts and force a toilet paper shortage.
We laugh to keep from crying.
(H/T rikyrah!)
[via progressivetoo]
[cross-posted at Balloon Juice]
Have you seen this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0G01zbHGM8&feature=player_embedded , in which a mother helping her son get a voter ID card at the DMV videotaped her interactions. Among the details: they had to bring a bank statement, and the clerk scrutinized it and commented on the lack of activity (can you say, invasion of privacy? and are people required to be heavy spenders to vote?); they almost charge them for the ID, which is supposed to be free, and the DMV won’t ever tell that it’s supposed to be free if you don’t already know; it would be virtually impossible for a homeless person to vote (apparently they can get an ID with a letter from a shelter on shelter stationery [how many shelters have stationery?]; if the person doesn’t have a relationship with a shelter, then they’re disenfranchised). Bear in mind that this happened in Madison, where the DMV staff tend to be well informed and helpful, so I can just imagine the runaround people will be getting in other parts of the state.
Thanks stopthemadness/abl! Excellent presentation of Wisconsin’s fascism.
I cross posted this on DFP.. http://democratsforprogress.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=7715