Talk:Tommy Thompson

message: Maybe someone should pare down the section on v-chip in this article. (unsigned comment by User:162.129.236.17)
*The vchip section is sloppily written and in need of wikification, but it is the only attempt made so far in this article to provide political balance.  The rest of it is pretty laudatory.--Hraefen 20:37, 9 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: V-chip

message: There doesn't seem to be any mention of the ~$3 billion debt Tommy Thompson left Wisconsin with when he went to Washington, even though it was a major point of the successor elections that brought Doyle to power.  Personally, I think the massive debt is what Thompson is most remembered for around here. --64.24.181.157 23:53, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Yeah, debt.  Hmmm, would you have any sources on that? $3 Billion. Are you talking debt (Bonds, and state borrowing) or (as I suspect) are you talking of a "structural deficit". Wisconsin state law requires that the budget be balanced, and it is.  The 'but' is that each governor since at least Lucey has built-in a certain "structural deficit". It wasn't anywhere near $3 billion under Thompson and I suspect its not more than $1.5 billion now.  However you may have a good citation.  We all look forward to your next post.-- 70.226.145.36 00:40, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Debt? 

message: Hello. Did we find Tommy Thompsons camapign website? If someone finds it, please add it. I can not seem to find it anywhere. Thanks, Asher Heimermann 02:31, 24 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I saw it.  It is www.tommy2008.com.70.226.159.181 01:38, 29 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Campaign Website 

message: This section has severe accuracy problems:
Additionally, HHS falsely reported the cost of the Medicare reform by over $150 billion. Thompson’s appointee, Tom Scully, threatened to fire staff if they revealed to Congress the true cost. Investigators determined that the data was improperly hidden from Congress, and that Scully’s threat to fire the actuary was in violation of federal appropriations law. Accordingly, federal money could not be used to pay Scully's salary after he made the threats to the actuary in May 2003 [6]
1. HHS did not falsely report the cost - it was a dispute over estimated costs. If you go back and look at the actual costs, the actuary's costs were far off. In fact, the New England Journal of Medicine has a story this month (no link, as it is a fee service) that says the first year was $13 billion less than those estimates - due to lower drug costs.
2. The New York Times story that is linked to the Scully item does not say that Scully broke the law. The inspector general said she could not determine if laws were broken. Federal money DID pay Scully's salary after May 2003. This is simply wrong.
3. Finally, the title of this section: "Medicare Mismanagement and Conflict of Interest" is highly misleading. Medicare wasn't mismanaged. This was a dispute with Congress over costs of a bill - not an actual program. At the time of the dispute it was still a proposal. As for conflicts of interest, he was not in office at the time he advocated changes to the Medicare law. He was a private citizen working for private companies. He has every right to advocate for changes beneficial to whomever he pleases.
Galloway28 05:38, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Accuracy Issues 

message: I have just tagged this article for clean-up, since with him announcing presumably there will be more people checking the article. Could somebody do this who despises the man less than I do? This isn't a license to cover up scandals, but as a patriotic citizen of Wisconsin I fear for my ability to avoid NPOV violations on the.... expletive deleted... fellow. --Orange Mike 01:57, 5 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Clean-up 

message: A piece in The Cincinnati Post this morning (Aug. 11) misattributed a comment from Gov. Thompson to former Sen. Fred Thompson, who wasn't even at the event in question. 'Cancer touches all of us' McGehee 14:18, 11 August 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Candidate Confusion 

message: Does anyone else find,as I do that this is not a valid criticsm?
Here is the crux of the issue;  Thomspson (a political appointee) chose not to appoint an opponent of his boss to a governmental board. This was a political and governmental creation. By definition those appointed to it would be political.  This was NOT an academic board or 'pure' science foundation board.  This was a governmental board created to give advice to politicians.  No one should be SHOCKED, SHOCKED to find politics in such an environment.
And, truthfully, no one was. The Union of Concerned Scientists expessed outrage.  It was the pro forma press release of what is admittedly a liberal pressure-group. 
This hardly merits being allowed in the criticism secction at all,much less the FIRST listed criticsm. 
Where is the discussion of "Vanna White" Vetos, massive deficits, profligate spending etc...? Those are valid criticisms.  This 'controversy' seems more like the personal grudge of someone who didn't get appointed.70.226.139.69 00:58, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree about many of the other items you mention (the Vanna White/Frankenstein veto, though, crosses party lines). Nonetheless, most folks in the scientific community agree that he was eager to politicize science, and that the board in question is supposed to be above such political biases; that is the purpose of the board. --Orange Mike 18:15, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Can't comment on the relative importance of this issue, but I added this section initially, and I can assure you I have no connections or interest in the issue beyond being a scientist and being concerned! I'd be grateful if anonymous users could stop trying to smear other users with unsubstantiated innuendo. Or are you a politician too, User 70.226.139.69? Famousdog 14:04, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, Famousdog, I note that anon commenter said that "it seems more like a personal grudge" not that it was indeed a personal grudge. With apologies, I also personally believe that this is a weak criticism.  Why do I suggest that? I judge the relative value of a criticism on two key areas. 1.  Is this central to to wikipedia's biographical sketch of the individual? 2. (In the case of a political figure)Was this a major (multi-day/multi-week, recurring) scandal or issue. On both of these this criticsm falls short. Particularly if you compare to the other criticisms.  They were prominent and continuing issues, the politicization of science just wasn't.  I think we ought to drop this one off the page and insert something more central. What that might be perhaps could be debated.Capitalismojo 20:50, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I see your point regarding the centrality of this issue to Thompson's biog, but why must an issue be recurring or ongoing to merit inclusion? That seems rather arbitrary. Bill Clinton only had his "cigar smoked" by Monica once, yet it defined his presidency. Haven't checked, but I'm guessing that's on his page. Criticism of Thompson's office for these events is ongoing in concerned circles (but maybe not on CNN) and was seen as a politically-motivated slap in the face to several extremely experienced scientists including one Nobel Laureate. If that's not important enough for you, then gee, I dunno what to say... Famousdog 03:01, 8 November 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I checked; the "cigar smoked" isn't on Bill Clinton's wiki page. It isn't even on the more detailed "Lewinsky Scandal" page (where it arguably should be). So that argument really doesn't work.    This wasn't an "ongoing" criticism of Thompson when he was Secretary, it wasn't in Nov of 2007, and it is obviously not now. This is really an argument about Bush's 'politicization of science' not Tommy Thompson's.  Lets move it to Bush's page.Capitalismojo (talk) 19:41, 17 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Politicization of Science 

message: Is "Tommy" his given first name?  Surely he is "Thomas"? john k (talk) 04:19, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: His legal name is Tommy, not Thomas. We're not very pretentious here in Wisconsin.--Orange Mike  |  Talk 04:33, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Firstly: any evidence of this?  Secondly, even given that it's now his legal name, is it the name he was born with, though? My understanding is that Jimmy Carter is more or less legally "Jimmy Carter," but we still mention the "James Earl Carter, Jr." in the article.  (And how is the name "Thomas" pretentious?) john k (talk) 05:00, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: It's the only legal name he ever had. All I meant by "not pretentious" was that a lot of folks in rural areas have names like that. My father's legal given name was Jim, not James. --Orange Mike  |  Talk 05:03, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

text: To be meticulous, his full legal name is and was Tommy George Thompson. --Orange Mike  |  Talk 05:09, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Okay, fair enough.  (Source, though, would be useful). john k (talk) 13:09, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: New York Times good enough?  --Orange Mike  |  Talk 14:01, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

text: Where does it say directly that he was born with the name "Tommy"? john k (talk) 07:52, 28 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  Where does it say—directly, indirectly, or otherwise—that he wasn't?  -- Zsero (talk) 13:28, 28 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Indeed it does not.  I'm not saying we should call him "Thomas" unless we can prove otherwise - obviously, if we can't find any sources that call him "Thomas," we can't call him that.  But it would be nice to find a source which explicitly says that "Tommy" was his given name, the name on his birth certificate, whatever. john k (talk) 17:25, 28 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: In Wisconsin candidates must put their legal name on the ballot. OrangeMike is entirely correct when he says that the legal name is "Tommy". That is what appeared on statewide ballots each of the four times he ran for Governor.  Furthermore Tommy's official library at Marquette University has a good biography http://www.marquette.edu/library/collections/archives/Mss/TGT/TGTbionote.htm in which it refers to his full name 'Tommy George Thompson' 71.82.217.63 (talk) 19:47, 26 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Name 

message: This article seems thin. We have one line indicating Thompson was Sec. of HHS.  Did nothing happen in the four years he was there? I seem to recall the prescription drug bill passing.  This is not my area of expertise but, the article seems very light. Those who follow that area (HHS) might consider adding some content. Capitalismojo (talk) 22:54, 9 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Additional Information 

message: Thompson was on the Amtrack board when he was Governor not when he began his business career. He was appointed to the board by President Clinton and served as Chairman until he became Sec of Health. This should be moved into his time as Governor.Capitalismojo (talk) 14:20, 2 September 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Amtrak  

message: I came here to add his recent Medicare statement to the "Political positions" section, but to my surprise there was none.  I'll begin it, but it obviously needs a lot of fleshing out to cover other major issues. JamesMLane t c 08:22, 6 October 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Political positions 

message: The ALEC addition is undue. Moreover using Bill Moyers as the source is interesting. Moyers has come under whithering criticism for improperly paying the people and organizations that appeared in this very piece. He is a prominent Democrat engaging in what is percieved as partisan opinion efforts. There are undoubtedly other sources to use than Moyers. Capitalismojo (talk) 18:40, 10 October 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  ALEC addition is undue 

message: Reading through the article and then talk page, it seems to me that there is a clear bias undertone here. I am NOT a fan of his nor am I from anywhere near Wisconsin, so there is no bias on my side. The intro about his controversies and gaffes has no source, and I can't find one indicating people feel it is relevant to the the Governor in any way. George Bush and Joe Biden are well known for gaffes, yet neither have it mentioned in their intros. In addition, this article contains an entire section headed "Criticisms" with no balanced section of Achievements. Almost every comment is made by persons of the opposing political party of this subject or magazines and newspapers well-known to be politically slanted. The discussion page is another indicator. It is so obvious it is embarrassing for this Wiki editor to read, even by an Independent with little to no interest in politics. This article should be heavily revised or deleted altogether. Again, it is potentially libelous and in violation of Wiki's policies on maintaining a neutral viewpoint.MavsFan28 (talk) 05:42, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: Also, I wanted to get this in before people start jumping making assumptions that I'm biased in any way; as I said, I'm not a Republican nor a Wisconsin resident. Also, if this had anything to do with politics, I would have requested this way before the week of the election. Again, I just want fairness here.MavsFan28 (talk) 05:44, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Biased and Unbalanced Info 

message: During the election season a criticism section sprung up.  Wikipedia frowns on such sections. We should take the information in those sections and insert them into relevant chronological sections rather than have a stand-alone "criticism" section. Capitalismojo (talk) 22:02, 30 March 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Criticism section 

message: ...is a polite way to describe this bio. Is it a Wikipedia article or an Attack ad? I have no personal interest in this person, I only came across this page while looking up the 2001 anthrax attacks. This bio is nothing more than a blatent Smear campaign by a person(s) with some sort of personal grudge. This article needs to be completely re-written, and perhaps an attempt should be made to weed out the unneccessary negative additions and have the rest basically summarized in a Controvesy section. (This bio presently does not have a controversy section - the entire article  is a controversy section) - thewolfchild  03:44, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: We discourage the creation of "controversy" or "criticism" sections in articles. --Orange Mike | Talk 13:26, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: For the most part, it was sarcasm. But, just the same, many articles do have "Controversy" sections. What do you propose be done with these already existing sections? And, when you say "We discourage...", Who is "we" and what you all doing to "discourage" the creation of new sections? Thanks.  - thewolfchild  17:40, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: "We" is Wikipedians as a whole. We try to catch such sections, and disperse the valid content into the appropriate sections, whether thematic or purely chronological, just as we do with favorable content. It's something which some editors specialize in, and others ignore. See :WP:SOFIXIT and :WP:OTHERSTUFF. --Orange Mike | Talk 18:20, 15 July 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry, didn't mean to offend. I just sometimes question the generic "We", and/or when it appears that one editor has presumed to speak for all wikipedians. I'm sure you were speaking in good faith on behalf of many like-minded editors. Anyways, as for controversy or criticism sections, perhaps WP:Controversy sections could apply to articles like this one, if used appropriately.  - thewolfchild  19:36, 15 July 2013 (UTC)

text: I agree that there is too much criticism in the article. It is undue. Begin to improve the article. Capitalismojo (talk) 04:50, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Ridiculous

message: Discuss...  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Thewolfchild (talk • contribs) 04:07, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree that there is too much criticism in the article. It is undue. Begin to improve the article. Capitalismojo (talk) 04:50, 16 June 2013 (UTC)
thread_title: Article neutrality

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thread_title:  External links modified 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Was trying to add this information to his profile but I was getting an error message. His start date is July 1th: https://fox6now.com/2020/06/19/former-governor-tommy-thompson-to-serve-as-uw-system-interim-president/  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:401:100:2165:B06B:1BEF:B1BC:3634 (talk) 20:56, 19 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:   Intern President of the University of Wisconsin System designate 

message: Just wanted to send a note to Tommy Thompson.   First of all thank you for all you have done for our state.  I live in  wilton wi neighboring town from your hometown  lol I wanted to reach out to you and was hoping that you could give a voice to  the committee that governor Evers has developed to help our veterans.   There is an up coming meeting in May I believe to set up an adjenda to start helping our veterans.   It seems at times it is a  disgrace that our veterans cannot get the help that is needed and quickly.   I have an uncle that was diagnosed one year ago with dementia and is only 65 he dedicated his whole life to protect us and now cant get any help!! Thank you for your time 184.100.231.62 (talk) 01:22, 26 April 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Just wanted to send a note to Tommy Thompson.   First of all thank you for all you have done for our state.  I live in  wilton wi neighboring tiwn from your hometown  lol I wanted to reach out to you and was hoping that you could give a voice to  the committee that governor Evers has developed to help our veterans.   There is an up coming meeting in May I believe to set up an addenda to start helping our veterans.   It seems at times it is a  disgrace that our veterans cannot get the help that is needed and quickly.   I have an uncle that was diagnosed one year ago with dementia and is only 65 he dedicated his whole life to protect us and now cant get any help!! Thank you for your time