Update: Robert Miranda, executive director of Esperanza Unida, reportedly is leaving soon for his sixth visit to Turkey. No word on how Laura Manriquez, president of Esperanza Unida, feels about the junkets.

This weekend sees the launching of the beginning of the end of the Bush-Cheney-Rove-McCain administration.

But those seeking unity in Wisconsin have to wait two more weeks: Until Sept. 9, Wisconsin primary day.

The most heavily covered Wisconsin Democratic primary race in on Milwaukee’s south side, in which a rightwing Jose Guzman and in-some-wing Laura Manriquez are challenging five-term progressive incumbent, Rep. Pedro Colón.

Manriquez (the board chair of Robert Miranda’s Esperanza Unida, a non-profit taken over by Miranda’s coup a few years back) is echoing the campaign message of Miranda, executive director of Esperanza Unida and editor of the Spanish Journal.

Now, in an unusual campaign charge: (that Colón doesn’t charge enough per diem), Manriquez is looking desperate.

After failing to knock both of her opponents off the ballot, Manriquez is reportedly, how shall I say this, less than well-centered.

So, I want to set the record straight on Miranda, Manriquez, and the do-nothing Republican state Assembly

I cannot be more polite about this: Laura Manriquez and Robert Miranda are liars.

And the list of distortions populating the Internet by Miranda-Manriquez are nothing more than Rovian lies.

Some facts about Pedro Colón that Miranda and Manriquez are not honorable enough to tell you.

Assembly Attendance and the Do-Nothing Republicans

The Republican-led Assembly met only 25 times in the last two years and cancelled twice as many session days as they held in one of the most unproductive sessions in Wisconsin history.

No Wisconsin Assembly in the past decade has met fewer than 40 times.

The fact is Assembly Republicans are so adamant on toeing the line for large corporations and wealthy lobbyists (forgetting about the needs of working families), most of the time they simply refused to show up for work, and since they are in control of the Assembly they set the number of voting days.

So Miranda-Manriquez generate lies about the Democrat Pedro Colón and his work in Madison and his work generally. Some easily ascertainable facts:

State Assembly Voting-Days History for the Last 10 Years

‘97-98: 53 attendance session days
‘99-00: 56 attendance session days
‘01-02: 46 attendance session days
‘03-04: 44 attendance session days
‘05-06: 54 attendance session days
‘07-08: 25 attendance session days

1999-2007 Per Diem Receipts of State Assembly Members

Despite Colón’s seat on the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee where Colón has constantly fought for the people of the district against the corporate-run Republicans (and has a perfect attendance record), Colón has amassed among the lowest taxpayer-paid per diems.

Colón’s 1999-2007 Per Diem Receipts of State Assembly Members

1999 - 14th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2000 – 10th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2001 – 16th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2002 - 11th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2003 - 12th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2004 - 15th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2005 - 19th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2006 - 18th lowest of receipts of 99 members
2007 - 8th lowest of receipts of 99 members

MATC Board Work

All of Colón’s MATC’s absences on the MATC Board have been excused, meaning there were legitimate reasons regarding the attendance at some meetings, like working to ensure that Republicans are not completely screwing over the people of Wisconsin, like Miranda-Manriquez do to the workers at Esperanza Unida, when Miranda (with Board chair Manriquez’ approval) gets on a jet and flies to Turkey and his workers don’t get paid. See, for example, Esperanza Unida's payroll problems continue under Miranda's administration.

Now, for the first time in 14 years Democrats have a chance to take over the state assembly, campaigning against the very do-nothing, Republican-led Assembly with which Miranda- Manriquez make common cause.

Joint Finance Committee Budget Work

Despite the Republican-led, do-nothing state assembly, Colón was still able to work with allies and force the inclusion of the following in Milwaukee in the last budget alone, including (you'll get the picture after a couple of paragraphs in):

New health investments won include:

UCC Latino Geriatric Center (2005-07 State Budget) – $500,000

Sixteenth Street Community Health Center in partnership with the Marquette University Dental Clinic – to serve the uninsured and under-insured residents of the south side of Milwaukee (2007 Joint Finance Committee – 13.10 appropriation) - $500,000

Ensure all school children have access to a school nurse by investing over $1 million to help hire 24 additional school nurses

Provide $100,000 in a one-time grant to the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin to provide HIV infection outreach, education, and referral

Provide $1.2 million increasing funding for grants to AIDS service organizations under the Mike Johnson life care and early intervention services grant program, reflecting the net fiscal effect of revised cost estimates for the HIV/AIDS drug assistance program and the insurance premium subsidy program (2007-09 State Budget)

Provide $2 million over the biennium to fund a 5 percent increase in the uniform foster care rates, effective January 2008 and an additional 5 percent increase in the uniform foster care rates effective January 2009

Governor Doyle directed DHFS to conduct a three-year pilot program, which began January 1, 2008 and which is open to a minimum of 100 participants, under which DHFS would pay premiums for coverage under HIRSP and pay copayments under HIRSP for drugs approved for reimbursement under ADAP, for individuals who satisfy certain eligibility requirements

Expansion of BadgerCare to BagerCare Plus

Through BadgerCare Plus, every Wisconsin resident whose family income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level will have access to health care

Ensure all eligible children are enrolled in BadgerCare Plus through a partnership between the Department of Health and Family Services, Milwaukee Public School system, and Covering Kids and Families – Wisconsin

Provide all BadgerCare Plus families with educational tools to make informed choices and stay healthy

Education and Jobs

-Endorsement of the 2007 centralization of Milwaukee as the primary agency in Milwaukee County for workforce development
-Allocated $1 million for the Summer Jobs Program, creating more than 450 jobs
-Marking $1 million to Project New Hope, creating transitional jobs to more than 200 past offenders
-Investment of $8 million in UW-Milwaukee’s Research Growth Initiative
Definition of a four-square mile portion of Milwaukee as a Premier Resort Area, supporting such tourism attractions as the Eight District’s Three Domes, and surrounding businesses
-Supporting Milwaukee’s Entrepreneurial Network, providing resources to some 500 individuals in the Milwaukee area running their own businesses
-Allocating $500,000 for the Marquette Dental Clinic (2007 JFC – 13.10 appropriation)
-UW-Milwaukee School of Public Health - $500,000 planning money (building program and UW).

UW-Milwaukee (UWM) is in the planning stages of establishing Wisconsin’s first accredited School of Public Health. The new school provides Milwaukee with the unique opportunity to establish itself as a major contributor to public health scholarship and research and to the education of public health professionals.

The new School of Public Health will conduct rigorous and essential public health research that will help build the public health infrastructure in Milwaukee and beyond.

UW Financial Aid and Veterans Tuition Remission - $42 million total
The budget provides a $32 million increase in financial aid (Governor Doyle’s original proposal)

Waitlisted students will now receive their financial aid. Over 5,600 students have been waitlisted for financial aid awards, totaling over $12 million in unawarded aid for students.

The Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) estimated that approximately 6,400 students would be waitlisted and not receive awards for this academic year under the Assembly budget. At UW-Milwaukee, over 1,100 students were waitlisted for Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (WHEG) awards

Additionally, $12 million was invested for Veterans tuition remission Allocating $1.6 million and two positions to the Youth Apprenticeship program, a two-year program that combines academic and technical instruction with mentored on-the-job training for high school students

Reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund, that will allow the protection of environmentally sensitive land for future generations and preservation of land for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation

Increase the recycling tipping fee from $3 to $4 per ton to help deter out-of-state waste and provide additional resources to cities to help fund recycling programs

Provide funding to help reduce farm runoff into our rivers, lakes, and priority watersheds. Provide funds to help clean up contaminants found in the Great Lakes and Milwaukee-area rivers.

UW-Milwaukee will:

- Expand its present Research Growth Initiative by $8 million to permit the campus to compete more successfully for extramural research funds
- Hire faculty in key clusters, such as biomedical and health technologies, advanced manufacturing, and other strategic science and engineering areas, which will significantly impact the region's economic development
- Enhance the level of graduate and undergraduate education, research support, and training
- Allocate monies to UW-Milwaukee School of Public Health - $500,000 planning money (building program and UW)
- Support UW Financial Aid and Veterans Tuition Remission - $42 million total. The budget provides a $32 million increase in financial aid (Governor Doyle’s original proposal)
- Help waitlisted students receive their financial aid. Over 5,600 students have been waitlisted for financial aid awards, totaling over $12 million in unawarded aid for students. The Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) estimated that approximately 6,400 students would have been waitlisted and not eligible to receive awards for this academic year under the Assembly budget, had action not been taken At UW-Milwaukee, over 1,100 students were waitlisted for Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (WHEG) awards