Wisconsin Republicans Should Host Psychological Association Convention

Scott Walker gushed over the weekend about the National Governors Association's adoration for Milwaukee - - host city to the NGA's just-concluded 2013 confab.

Walker saw tall buildings, rode around on a Harley and visited Miller Park as something of an awestruck tourist in the very city (Wisconsin's largest, didja know!) he warned the state just last year not to emulate.

So if Walker has any pull with national conference planners, he'd be wise to bring any available psychological organization's meetings to Wisconsin because he and his party are in need of an intervention.

Evidence?

Beyond his quick turnaround on the value of Milwaukee?

*  Well, consider that at the Govenors' conference, Walker called for more federal-state partnerships on transportation despite having run for office against, and helped derail, a federally-funded Amtrak extension from Milwaukee to Madison - - a project that also came with years of employment, plus a train assembly plant and repair shop for additional work in Milwaukee.

He and his legislative allies also shut down transportation partnership planning and investment for a federally-assisted commuter rail line linking southeastern Wisconsin cities and suburbs with the METRA service at the Illinois border, and a separate federally-funded downtown Milwaukee streetcar system.

*  State authorities are ticketing peaceful people over in Madison for drawing hearts in washable chalk on the Downtown Square sidewalks, or singing the words to the First Amendment in the Capitol rotunda, but state authorities did not cite unlicensed guards carrying assault rifles on public forest land near mining sites up North.

*  Then you've got GOP legislators serving Walker's imperious stance by voting to get rid of local control and decision-making on regional transit systems, public sector collective bargaining, local employee residency laws, certain mining agreements, and other public issues - - but are now the champions of local control when it comes to planning for traffic roundabouts.

Despite evidence that roundabouts reduce accidents and their severity.

And though claiming to be fiscal conservatives, Wisconsin Republican legislators  endorsed Walker's refusal of federal health-care funding for low-income residents, booted tens of thousands of those people from existing coverage and then added millions of dollars to the state budget to cover the additional visits to hospital emergency rooms sure to result.

That's a lot of erratic behavior with negative consequences.

Somebody needs to bring in some professional help.

Admitting the need would be a good first step.