WI Governor Scott Walker to cut DMV centers in Democratic districts
Posted: July 23, 2011 Filed under: Education, Politics, Tea Party, Wisconsin 33 Comments »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.
This story shows just how stupid neoconservatives think the public really is. Walker and his ilk pass a bill requiring voters to present valid photo identification at the polls. Then, in the same breath, Walker and his ilk propose a bill to close the identification issuing centers (the DMV’s) in the Democratic districts, making ID’s more difficult for low-income voters to obtain.
And then, when the Democrats call foul, Walker and his ilk shrug and claim their motivation is purely economic, not political. And we just shake our heads and move on, because, really, what can we do?
Voter Disenfranchisement Law in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Voter Suppression Laws
These people are evil monsters. Take them ALL down Wisconsin
Go to court and sue for equal right, voter suppression.
bwahahaha!!! Im sure there is more to the story though. perhaps declining population in democratic areas, something that is happening across the state and country.
Michael Shatz, this is a FALSE representation of what the DMV in Wisconsin is doing…you are trying to find a conspiracy where THERE IS NONE!
If what you are representing is true, then please complete and post an overlay map and accompanying table showing exactly the “phenomenon” you are trying to claim here!
I happen to know several workers from area DMV’s right here in Wisconsin — don’t know where you’re from — and they’ve given me more than enough “insider” info on this adjustment to the DMV hours to CATEGORICALLY DISPROVE what you’re trying to put out there just to get yourself re-posted and linked to all the lefty hotspots.
Voter ID’s most easily court-challenged concept is “AVAILABILITY of ID cards” from the DMV…so, to make sure that nobody can claim this, this new plan will establish a MINIMUM of 20 hours a WEEK of open DMV hours in ALL 72 COUNTIES in the state. Formerly, some counties were only able to access a DMV in their county LESS THAN 8 HOURS EVERY TWO MONTHS!! Let’s see, do the math, Michael…over 160 HOURS EVERY TWO MONTHS vs. LESS THAN 8 HOURS EVERY TWO MONTHS?? I’d say those residents in those counties, both Rep. and Dem., are going to be more than pleased with all that extra availability!
Furthermore, many counties in WI have tiny satellite DMV offices open very infrequently, as noted above. Closures to some of these will actually consolidate those services to a more central location in those counties and again, ensure that OVER 20 hours a week are available for everyone, as opposed to trying to figure out if it was the “third Tuesday of ODD months” that our local DMV is open? Many people MISS the chance to come in, based on all the scattered scheduling under the old system, and will be overjoyed to know that EVERY FREAKIN’ WEEK they can access their DMV, rather than waiting and hoping they “hit” the right day that they happen to come into town, or that the info in their newspaper isn’t outdated about when the DMV is actually in their town.
So, please stop trying to make a big hit for lefty cred in your writing by finding some vast conspiracy where there is NONE! Until you can show the district-by-district effect of any changes in hours at the WI DMV, pipe down!!
Oh, by the way, this plan ADDS 625,000 HOURS a year in DMV open-hours for everyone in Wisconsin, and THIS FACT WAS IN THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE TO WHICH YOU ARE REFERRING….BUT YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO JUST “LEAVE THAT OUT?”
Sad wanna-be “journalism” from you…
” many counties in WI have tiny satellite DMV offices open very infrequently, as noted above. Closures to some of these will actually consolidate those services to a more central location in those counties”
Yeah, like 60 miles away from the poor parts, you mean. This is the most pathetic justification I’ve ever seen. I guess these mini-DMVs didn’t have answering machines or a sign on the door, huh?
And will these new DMV locations and hours be advertised in poor neighborhoods? Or is it just the fault of the poor if they don’t realize that your plan to ‘help’ them has resulted in their disenfranchisement, given that the Walker junta has also increased the required residency period — another move that they’ve tried their best to keep under wraps. They’ve also limited days for early voting, but I guess you’ll say that voters were ‘confused’ by having so many days in which to vote, and now that voting takes place in a shorter time span, their tiny minds will be so much happier.
Pathetic.
Your name says it all.
but why just from the democratic side? why not take a little from both, therefore equalizing the costs/cut backs without making it a political issue? I don’t believe he’s trying to say there’s a conspiracy theory, that would be giving too much credit to the wisconsin politicians. I think he’s simply saying that this is just plain wrong, no matter which side of the issue you happen to vote on.
One correction to my post….the number of EXTRA hours of DMV service statewide is going to go up 625 hours a WEEK, and that will add up to 32,000 HOURS per year of extra open-time at DMV’s statewide….I mistakenly used the 625 and the Thousand together, not having the article in front of me, and transposed them. Apologies.
One addition: Currently, ONLY 30 of Wisconsin’s counties have 20 hours a week of DMV service; and the new Voter ID plan will make ALL 72 counties have 20 hours a week!
So, it’s very hard to see your scathing indictment as having any basis in truth…the plan is NOT restricting availability to voter ID documents — it’s INCREASING all voter’s ability to be in compliance before every election.
Period.
Hey, Ice-Brain – all those extra hours don’t mean a damn thing if nobody can get to those DMV offices during open hours. Obviously you’re not a logistics guy.
Think about it: you work 9AM to 5PM and have no car, and there’s a drugstore 15 minutes away from both home and work that’s open from 8AM to 6PM, you have either that 8-9 AM or 5-6 PM hour to get what you need. Now let’s say the parent comany of that drugstore announces it’s closing that location and extending hours at other locations – which are an hour or two away via public transportation, however – to 6AM to 8PM, are you REALLY better off simply because that parent company is expanding one of its stores open an extra 20 hours a week?
If you say “yes,” then you are either a complete idiot or a blatant liar. Which is what brings me to Scott Walker and his (your?) Republican cohorts in the state legislature: if you haven’t figured it out, Walker is doing EXACTLY what the drugstore is: he’s expanding DMV office hours of districts whose residents have much better means of traveling long distances to go to the DMV while forcing lower-income residents who have little to no means of traveling long distances in a timely manner to do exactly that – all while claiming (with his trademark pasty, straight face) that these closures are not politically motivated because there will be more open DMV hours overall for “all voters.”
Again, Ice-Brain, you either have to be a complete idiot or a blatant liar to believe these proposed DMV closures are anything but politically motivated.
Obvious voter suppression – call in the DOJ – we can & will do more than shake our heads. This will not stand! People have already been challenged to produce an ID in June when we had the special election & it isn’t even in effect until next spring. These RWers are beyond evil, they have stupid on their side too.
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Indiana has many more DNVs, and has centers operating during the weekends. Sue the hell out of Walker!
You might want to watch this video I received over the weekend, showing how the DMV workers handle the requests for the WI voter ID cards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0G01zbHGM8
Next they will be doing credit checks for voters…
Why dont all you that cry foul at every opportunity understand that you will have it better if you don’t always blame others. OUR Gov’t. was built on majority makes the rules. However, the Left sees the Government responsible for taking care of the minority problems. If one person does not have the same as others they are somehow considered downtrotten and the first thing the Left wants to do is sue. (see idiotic comments above) What ever happened to working for what you need? Nowhere in the Constitiution does it say that the “super-rich” (guess the Dems. arent happy with just labeling people “rich” works anymore) need to give up their earnings to help the hand-out nation we are witnessing. Yes, there are people hurting in our Country and we should. But to create generations of families that “rely” on the rest of the hard-working people is just wrong! Here is the reality: Milwaukee leans Left so it is consdered Democratic, right? There are also two areas in Milwaukee where DMV centers are within 4 miles of one another. I DONT think that the “poor” family having to decide between Walgreens and the DMV because they take public transportation even need to worry about that because you can literally walk the difference within the hour. We need to stop the entitlements, run away spending and start working on figuring out ways to once again build a prosperous nation. Crying and blaming others doesnt do anyone any good including your own self-esteem. Scott Walker actually seems to be working hard for YOUR benefit and you cant even open your eyes to see it. Hmmmm, seems like were growing jobs, the budget will have a surplus and school systems that did NOT re-negotiate seem to be able to balance their budgets….just like he said he would. And all you want to do is sue. huh?
Go to sleep Mr. Walker.
forever…
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[...] insult to injury, Walker is now finalizing plans to close DMV’saround the state in primarily Democratic areas making it even harder for those seekingproper identification to comply with Walker’s own voter [...]
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