Money trail leads to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce By Dave Zweifel

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What's pitiful about too many legislators these days is that they simply ignore what used to be conflicts of interest. So it's not surprising that two legislators with personal connections to real estate interests and who are beneficiaries of real estate money would author a bill to make sweeping changes to the state's landlord-tenant laws.

The Democracy Campaign reported that the co-authors of yet another bill to tilt the playing field to property owners over tenants, former real estate broker Frank Lasee, a GOP senator from De Pere who only a few weeks ago took a plush state job and stepped down from the Legislature, and real estate agent David Craig, a GOP state representative from Big Bend, collected more than $41,000 from the real estate lobby. Lasee also happens to be a landlord with more than passing interest in making life better for landlords.


One of my favorite parts of the bulletin is its naming of the "Influence Peddler" of the month. The February-March issue gives the "award" — again — to Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, which specializes in buying influence with governors, legislators and state Supreme Court justices.

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[Wellstone ruled]

1. Thank You Dave,

you have found the true money Onion in Wisconsin. Just go to the nearest Library and dig out State College Year Books from the Sixties. Keep going,Dave,there is a ton of info in those Old Annuals.