Walker The Vindictive

What Scott Walker's 2013-'15 budget tells us is that there is one vindictive former Milwaukee County Executive sitting in the Governor's Mansion now.

Walker continues to rob Milwaukee Public Schools - - the state's largest school district, and the one with the most minority and poor students - - while showering public dollars on choice, private, charter and home schools that can be far more selective in student body composition than the public schools.

And in further 'stick-it-to-Milwaukee' premeditation, Walker proposes a ban on local governments' creation of residency requirements for municipal employees.

In one fell swoop, Walker - - once a big opponent of mandates from Madison - - would preempt local decision-makers and any hope of negotiating the content in or end of such agreements - - with the impact falling most heavily and negatively on the state's largest city and public school system.

In other words - - push the consequences on localities, from Madison, where Father Knows Best.

This is pure payback for the city of Milwaukee, its Mayor Tom Barrett and his voters (read: Democrats) for twice standing tall in elections against Walker and right-wing governance.

Walker won, but he needs more.

He is wants to use the state budget process to tell Milwaukee and other local governments how to operate, sandbagging the people whom Paul Ryan dissed as 'urban voters' while boosting the tax base, housing values and populations in already-upper-scale Wauwatosa, Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Franklin and other near-Milwaukee suburbs.

At Milwaukee's expense.

And what about public works, police and fire department employees called in for emergency duties from farther away addresses?

What about local control and grassroots' decision-making?

Not Walker's problem. He's got scores to settle.