Blogger Rips Off Taxpayers and People in Need to Spew Big Government

Taxpayer Subsidized Speech isn’t Free to Taxpayers

Milwaukee County employee Christopher Liebenthal’s “extensive blogging activity, including blogging of a  of political nature” from his taxpayer-funded computer may not be a felony, but it’s an outrage against the taxpayers and those he is paid to serve.


If he has any self-respect, he should resign his job as a county social worker or he should be fired for forcing taxpayers to subsidize his big-government tripe.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney had earlier seized the Liebenthal computer from his county office based on a complaint issued by Orville Seymer of Citizens for Responsible Government. Despite what Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf, who investigated the case, called “extensive blogging activity ... of a political nature” at taxpayer expense on his county computer, the DA’s office declined to issue criminal charges citing a narrow interpretation of state statutes that would require such online activity to solicit a direct campaign contribution or service (read memo from DA's office).

Well we all have a First Amendment Right to pop off online about anything we want.

We don’t have the right to make taxpayers pay for it.

Liebenthal is an unabashed liberal who whines on his three blogs about being overworked at his $48,000 per year government job.

More appalling than his ripping off taxpayers is the fact that he was being paid as a social worker to help those most in need.

This is like Robin Hood in reverse. He’s taking from the poor to help his posh-pensioned government worker buddies.

He has no right to take the taxes we pay to aid those in need and spend them on his political crusades.

Liebenthal has been active in Milwaukee County First and AFSCME Local 48. He has blogged or maintained web pages for those groups as well as his own. Blogging under the name “Capper,” Liebenthal writes for three political blogs called Milwaukee County First, Cognitive Dissidence and Whallah!

Go read that stuff. It’s out there.

Now Liebenthal must do what is right and submit his resignation.