• Walker hopes money deflects star power – and facts 
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It is not just rich citizens who can, through third party vehicles and legal glitches like Wisconsin’s, use their money to speak their minds. It is the abuse of anonymity by a few who represent outrageous views. It is the ability of a handful of fairly reprehensible offshore operators, Ayn Rand extremists and heirs to others’ hard-earned fortunes who can hijack open debate with money, fostering myths, exaggerations and lies so frequently via advertising that opponents have little opportunity to be heard against the volume.      View blog reactions

• The biggest suckers wear suits 
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Capitalism  | Bryan Bedford, of Republic Airways Holdings, announced he would turn a bankrupt West Coast company, Frontier Airlines, into the new Midwest Airlines - abandoning long-respected Midwest’s name, to be sure, in favor of Frontier’s more dubious one. But using Milwaukee as a hub, he would save 800 jobs here and add or transfer 800 more. Like the toad who wants to be the handsome prince, the lobbying group disguised as a business association was seduced by romantic Ayn Rand visions of sugar plum profits dancing at the mere idea of a white knight prancing into view. The only trouble? Few industry insiders could make that math work.      View blog reactions

• Frontier Airlines debacle exposes how the biggest suckers wear suits 
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The MMAC -- Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce – in late 2009 swooned over a CEO come to rescue our town damsel in distress. [....] Like the toad who wants to be the handsome prince, the lobbying group disguised a business association was seduced by a romantic Ayn Rand streak, visions of sugar plum profits dancing in their Fruit of the Loom at the mere idea of a white knight prancing into view.      View blog reactions