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• Evidence: Documents 31–47
• Evidence: Documents 48–64
• Evidence: Documents 65–67
• Evidence: Documents 68–70
• Letter to the State Elections Board
• Email to Sen. Darling and Rep. Wasserman
• 12-Step Program for More Ethical Government
• Donald Fish Public Statements
• Contact Donald Fish

12-Step Program

FOR MORE ETHICAL GOVERNMENT

Donald Fish proposed October 28, 2002 the following 12-step program to clean up the mess associated with the Wisconsin caucus scandal:

STEP 1

Elect candidates not connected to caucus scandal abuses.

STEP 2

Enact new guidelines for state employees: These should require precise accounting of hours worked and state resources used, as well as new rules, modeled after the federal Hatch Act, restricting political activity by state employees.

STEP 3

Appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate caucus scandal abuses: Jim Doyle, Brian Blanchard and Mike McCann have failed to demonstrate the political courage needed to conduct a fair and complete investigation. Caucus scandal abuses go well beyond those who have been charged, and the investigators may have engaged in selective prosecution to protect the most powerful. A well respected Wisconsin elder statesman should be appointed to lead a comprehensive investigation.

STEP 4

Expand the caucus scandal investigation: Jim Doyle, Brian Blanchard and all other elected officials and state employees against whom there is well-founded caucus scandal evidence should be investigated. No one should be immune or protected from prosecution, no matter how powerful. Let the chips fall where they may.

STEP 5

Jim Doyle and Brian Blanchard should recuse themselves from the caucus scandal investigation.

STEP 6

End taxpayer-funded attorney payments for those under investigation for caucus scandal abuses: These payments are generally viewed as ‘hush money’ and have not only been a national embarrassment for Wisconsin, but may also be an impediment to the caucus scandal investigation.

STEP 7

Wisconsin’s congressional delegation should release their staff’s time sheets and travel expenses: I have provided the State Elections Board with evidence that federal congressional staff and resources may also be uses for electioneering. Wisconsin has a right to know the depth of corruption by its elected officials, and the state’s congressional delegation should voluntarily release time sheets, travel expenses and any other documents relating to how their offices used federal resources during the past five years.

STEP 8

Depoliticize and strengthen the State Elections Board and State Ethics Board: The caucus scandal has demonstrated that these Boards are too partisan and lack the resources and authority needed to effectively act as watchdogs of political wrongdoing. Dramatic changes are needed to depoliticize these Boards, as well as to provide them with the resources and teeth needed for effective enforcement of state campaign finance and ethics laws and regulations.

STEP 9

Act on Donald Fish’s complaint before the State Elections Board: The complaint I filed with the State Elections Board, August 20, 2001, is well documented, but the Board has sat on it for over a year. It is time these allegations are acted on.

STEP 10

Jim Doyle and other Democratic Party candidates should disassociate themselves from DPW voter lists: I have provided evidence to the State Elections Board that Democratic Party of Wisconsin voter lists were developed using state resources and may be in violation of campaign finance law. Until this matter is resolved, Jim Doyle and all other Democratic Party candidates should disassociate themselves from fundraising, GOTV and persuasion calls and mailings associated with these lists.

STEP 11

Citizens should just say ‘NO’: If Jim Doyle or other Democratic Party candidates do not disassociate themselves from the DPW voter lists cited in my State Elections Board complaint (see #10), citizens receiving fundraising, GOTV or persuasion calls or mail for these candidates should vigorously complain and ask that their name be permanently removed from these lists.

STEP 12

MOST IMPORTANT—Politics must change: New rules are useless if Wisconsin elected officials and government employees do not reform themselves—loopholes and better stealth will always be found. There was a time when our leaders ran for office because they wanted to serve the people. Now everything in politics is about winning, and those caught up in it have an infinite capacity for rationalization. This must change. The top priority of our leaders must be democracy and the constituents they serve.

For more information, contact:

Donald Fish