Federal Bike Trail Dollars, Thanks To Doyle, Go To County Under Walker: Can You Spell Hypocrisy?

Out on the campaign trail, Scott Walker has nothing good to say about federal funding and the Doyle administration, but just as Walker did with his flip on opposing and then accepting federal stimulus dollars, his county parks system applied for and got big federal bucks for bike trails.

Through a green program to reduce air pollution (a regional problem) and traffic congestion, which the state of Wisconsin DOT manages and which the State of Wisconsin DNR will assist - - agencies under Doyle's control.

Walker supporters recently ridiculed the City of Milwaukee for approving an upgrade to its bike trail system - - and I heard AM 620 WTMJ afternoon conservative radio squawker Jeff Wagner do the same - - but I doubt if the Walker supporters will be consistent and attack Scott Walker and the County for taking that filthy federal lucre that the Doyle administration provided to do the same thing - - improve a bike path system.

I'm glad to see the trail system get upgraded. When I worked for Mayor John Norquist in the late 1990's, he and I walked through the Menomonee Valley with a senior Canadian railroad official to urge the company to make an early donation of an easement and jump-start the not-then-yet-named Henry Aaron State Trail launched.

Expanding the trails has long been a cooperative local, state, regional and federal effort, as it should be - - especially in an area with air quality problems.

What I hate is the hypocrisy, the double-standard, the deliberate, partisan dumbing-down of the public conversation when the right and Republicans shred programs and administrations run by Democrats - - and then pose for holy pictures with the over-sized checks representing millions from those same programs when Democrats release the funds.