GarveyBlog by Ed Garvey

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December 22, 2005
Absurd, deeply offensive, coincidental, appalled, outrageous, ridiculous
Those adjectives have been uttered in the past month by spokespeople for Governor Doyle, the PSC and the utilities to explain why large amounts of cash were given to the governor's re-election fund by utilities camped out on the doorstep of the PSC.

Kerry Spees of Wisconsin Public Service, Inc. explained his company's interest in an unintended condemnation of the corruption in government. "It is not evil. You support people who are your friends."

WPS gave $20,000 to help the friendly governor. Nice friends, I say. (Other "friends" who received money from PSC, Inc. include John Gard and Mark Green. Consistency? Nah, big tent provided by the utilities.)

The Wisconsin Insurance Alliance gave $40,000; Johnson Controls $35,000; Oneida Tribe $10,000; Foley & Lardner $7,500; Adelman Travel $20,000; Utilities $43,000--indirectly contributed to governor Doyle.

It is amazing. The Doyle administration supports the utilities in almost every request, takes their contributions, and then says, "Hey, don't blame us for high heating bills, the PSC is an independent body," and he says that with a straight face.

If the PSC is "independent" or, as Dan Leistkow, the Governor's spokesman said, "The PSC is an independent agency that acts like a court." Paahhhhleeezze! Would a court hold a fundraiser for lawyers the night before oral argument? Do any judges sit in on Governor Doyle's cabinet meetings? Of course not, but Ave Bie attended Governor McCallum's cabinet meetings and reportedly, Dan Ebert, the new chair of PSC, sits in on Doyle's cabinet meetings.

Like a court? I don't think so.

The time for reform is now.




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