No special interest left behind By Curt Andersen News-Chronicle Last Thursday I attended the signing of a junk bill, the so-called “Jobs Creation Act,” at Nicolet Paper in De Pere. I thought this an odd place for a press conference but assumed it would be held in some nice conference room at the mill. Still, I had to ask myself why Governor Doyle would hold a public meeting behind a guarded gate. The “Jobs Creation Act” is a sham, at best, and destructive at worst. The idea, claimed Doyle, was to “streamline” regulations that were written precisely because the paper industry flipped the bird at their civic responsibility to not harm their neighbors. “Streamlining” is a Public Relations word for “get rid of.” The paper industry whines that regulations interfere with its ability to compete with foreign companies, but often these paper companies own their own competition. Another sham! Getting to that signing was an adventure all by itself…even some of the regular press had trouble finding the gate that would allow them to park inside on that blustery, brutally cold day. I was to meet some friends at the meeting to attempt to dissuade Governor Doyle from signing the more appropriately named “No Special Interest Left Behind Act.” A gate guard throwing his weight around would not allow many of my group onto mill property, even though we had written invitations from Governor Doyle’s office, and even though it was called a “public meeting” in the newspaper. How convenient for Doyle, who did not want any wet blankets to break up the festivities. The Doyle Administration is “looking into the matter.” Sure…and the paper industry is protecting us all. Sure. Guests entered a storage building, were given safety goggles, and were guided to the seating area in a heated storage room. Here chairs were set for guests and bill sponsors, with a table set for the signing. It was ironic that Doyle, who referred to himself as an environmentalist during the gubernatorial campaign in 2002, would host the signing of this virulently anti-environmental bill at a paper mill on the polluted Fox River. It boggles the mind that Doyle and his handlers would not catch on to his slap in the face to the environmental community. Guests sat down to hear what Doyle had to say. The acoustics in this echo chamber, with hissing pipes, humming fans, and beep signals over the loudspeaker, forced everyone to lean forward and strain to hear Doyle speak. While not deafening, the sound was distracting and did make it very difficult to hear. I suspected Doyle did not want his words to go on record and so chose this white-noise room. With the governor was a true rogue’s gallery of most of northeast Wisconsin’s misrepresentatives, including normally missing-in-action Assembly Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo/Sun Prairie/Who Knows Where?, Judy Krawcyzk, R-Green Bay, Karl Van Roy, R-Howard, Phil Montgomery, R-Ashwaubenon, and many paper industry representatives. Doyle was in a fine mood as he joked, shook hands with, and slapped the backs of the Republican horde, as though they were all members of some secret society with passwords and a secret handshake. And maybe they are. Prior to becoming Doyle’s Secretary of Administration, Mark Marotta was a partner at Foley and Lardner, one of Wisconsin’s most influential corporate law firms. According to the Wisconsin Ethics Board website, several Foley and Lardner lobbyists represent business interests such as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Doyle began his speech by thanking John Gard and Senate Majority Leader Mary Panzer, R-West Bend, for their hard work, forgetting that they’ve been at each other’s throats since the 2002 election. Old pals! I wondered if Doyle had actually become a Republican or was just sleeping with the enemy for a short spell. Perhaps I should have brought a tiny tape recorder so I could prove that Doyle actually said what he said. Alas, I did neither, but I do remember some incredible statements that he made. Doyle commented that it was “fitting and proper” that he sign this bill on the shores of the Fox River, which used to be a “sewer full of carp, but is now a healthy river.” I am certain that people as far away as Two Rivers heard my jaw smack the floor. This was the same malarkey that Toxic Tommy Thompson used to say…Doyle took that lie right from Tommy’s mouth. The Fox River is still a sewer because the paper mills dumped filth into it for years and years and years. Our DNR was unable, unwilling, or perhaps too politically compromised to do anything about it until it red-lined with PCBs and the public began to demand a cleanup. (Then the DNR went into glacial speed.) Doyle went on to say that the Fox River now was teeming “with walleyes and muskies, which do not tolerate dirty water.” Omigod!!! Only a fool would eat the fish from the Fox River! Years ago, then DNR Secretary George Meyer told me he wouldn’t eat a walleye from the Fox. There are signs all along the river in two languages warning people not to eat them. Doyle mentioned walleye tournaments held on the Fox River and Green Bay, but did not mention that the catch was so toxic that the entire pile of fish had to be taken to a special hazardous waste landfill. As Doyle spoke, the pipes hissed him. When all the speechifying was over, Doyle signed the bill, then shook hands with the Legislators of Darkness, and handed each of them a commemorative pen. (Here’s another place the state could save money…and add to that eliminating trips all over the state to sign bad bills.) In the end, Doyle became a traitor to those who supported him in his election bid. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, which wrote this cockamamie bill, played him for a sucker. They made Gard look like a genius, which he isn’t (he’s just a willing dupe), and made Doyle look like a bootlicker. Not only did the paper industry and the real estate developers get their Christmas wish, Doyle has now angered much of his base. Conservationists, environmentalists, hunters, anglers, and others who know you can’t eat the seed corn and expect to plant next year, are furious. This entire mess is a direct result of tainted money in the political system. With Marotta and Doyle acting as the Fifth Column for business interests, you can bet that your interests will be a non-issue. Jim Doyle…a Republican in sheep’s clothing. He was supposed to support the interests of state citizens but decided to protect his job instead, by signing this horrid bill that rewards polluters.