Fatal Flaw In Modified Mining Bill Fails To Fix Fitzgerald Fiasco

The Journal Sentinel offers a detailed account of possible changes to be proposed in the mining bill blown up in a fit of special-interest parliamentary mania by the recall-threatened Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.

Here is a link to the story.

And while it is clear that some Senators are trying to satisfy and mollify the industry-compliant State Assembly while also absorbing repeated signals from federal officials that wholesale changes to existing law just won't pass muster - - perhaps a contradiction too big to be resolved during Fitzgerald's tiny and politically-created window established for approval - -  I don't see, nor have I heard, that any authentic effort is being made to work with the people most affected by this entire uproar- - the Bad River Ojibwa  who live and grow wild rice near land and on waterways close to the site of the proposed iron ore mine in Northwestern Wisconsin that produced the mining bill and the fearful Fitzgerald's fiasco and hissy fit in the first place

No doubt whatever bill passes is going to produce challenges in court over environmental, procedural, legal and fiscal issues - - delaying any new mine in Wisconsin for untold years - - but why are legislators and other officials still ignoring the Ojibwa and the treaties they signed, nation-to-nation, with the Federal government more than 150 years ago?

And thus adding another level of delay.

This entire process - - from the Assembly's secretive bill writing with industry insiders at the table - - in light of revelations of secretive redistricting bill drafting, not so unusual for this group of Republicans, eh? - - to Scott Fitzgerald's imperious hijacking of the established hearing and drafting procedures last week - - has served to highlight the decline of the content, process and especially the leadership - - led by the brothers Fitzgerald - - in the Legislature.

It began when Republicans won both houses a year ago and went on a one-party rampage at the public's expense that began with Walker's collective bargaining dropped bomb and continues, as we speak, with the Fitzgerald Family fiasco.