In politically-degraded WI, local democracy a punchline
This blog has tried to keep up with the many restrictions on local government and grassroots decision-making which Walker and The Authoritarians have adopted since 2011 - - here's a golden-oldie back to the beginning - - but now the Legislative Fiscal Bureau has helpfully released a full count - - 99 to date, with another 21 pending, including more of those pass-the-buck unfunded spending mandates laid down on local taxpayers already squeezed by state-imposed fiscal limits and resulting service restrictions.
In 2014, the total was 64, so the local control haters have been busy.
Also pending: letting out-of-state corporations buy your local water and sewer utility, adding a profit for investors and shareholders to your bill.
Robin Vos, the GOP Assembly Majority Leader and key architect of State Capitol intrusion into everything once-upon-a-time local from preserving a pristine watershed and miles of hills near lake Superior to public employe contract negotiations to zoning & development to highway contracting to the distance from your borders which police officers and fire fighters may live says it's OK to have a statewide standard "once in a while."
In top-down, one-party ruled Wisconsin these days, local democracy is little more than a punchline.
In 2014, the total was 64, so the local control haters have been busy.
Also pending: letting out-of-state corporations buy your local water and sewer utility, adding a profit for investors and shareholders to your bill.
Robin Vos, the GOP Assembly Majority Leader and key architect of State Capitol intrusion into everything once-upon-a-time local from preserving a pristine watershed and miles of hills near lake Superior to public employe contract negotiations to zoning & development to highway contracting to the distance from your borders which police officers and fire fighters may live says it's OK to have a statewide standard "once in a while."
In top-down, one-party ruled Wisconsin these days, local democracy is little more than a punchline.
5 comments:
Yes, democracy has been reduced to a punch line in Wisconsin. They have been systematically taking power away from local communities and either moving it to the state level, giving it to private business, or eliminating it completely. They are effectively taking away the public's right to be involved in their local governments. Can't the people see that this happening all over the state or is everyone wearing blinders. Seems that at least once a week, if not more, they are taking away local control from one community or another. Is this their way of shrinking government? Or are they just systematically privatizing government services hoping not too many people will realize it until it is too late?
We are beginning to see local units of government -- counties, towns, cities, school districts -- pushing back on these egregious GOP power grabs and the bad decision-making that follows. Here's an associated issue:
The Koch political operation already has begun delving into selected local elections, such as the time in 2014 that it tried to pack the Iron County Board of Supervisors (it failed that time, fortunately). I predict Republicans and their patrons are going to watch carefully where local units push back. Then outfits like the Kochs will go massive, dumping loads of cash into targeted local races, distorting the local election and ideally installing like-minded lackeys who'll go along with whatever Madison says, because that's from where the money and the power are going to be redistributed.
my5cents
Democracy was made irrelevant years ago when the bogus Bush "Help America Vote" act was used to create secret proprietary election systems and tabulations that are entirely unverifiable.
So how did repugs manage to get the entire state government under their thumb? ELECTION FRAUD!
Recall the Recall: Walker stole that election
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Mm26ZBoWk
The Media & Scott Walker's stolen 2014 election
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc0eU-3cpAk
They can take away local control and do anything else they want until we fix election systems that are clearly broken -- and it isn't just in Wisconsin:
More at links below:
Overview from Citizen's Koch Perspective
https://www.facebook.com/CitizenKochFilm/posts/10153197385085756
2014 Governor Exit Polls: Where are the Minority Voters?
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/2014-governor-exit-polls-where-are-the-minority-voters/
2014 NC Senate: Election models indicate that it was likely stolen
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/2016/01/28/2014-nc-senate-election-models-indicate-that-it-was-likely-stolen/
KS 2014 Governor Election: Four models indicate fraud
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/ks-2014-governor-election-four-models-indicate-fraud/
2014 VT Governor: The Democrat won, but why was it so close?
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/2014-vt-governor-the-democrat-won-but-why-was-it-so-close/
Maine 2014 Governor: Three models indicate a stolen election
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/maine-2014-governor-three-models-indicate-a-stoleen-election/
2014 Michigan Governor: Three election models indicate likely fraud
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/2014-michigan-governor-three-election-models-indicate-likely-fraud/
Six 2014 Governor Elections: Cumulative Vote Shares Indicate Fraud
https://richardcharnin.wordpress.com/2015/12/04/six-2014-governor-elections-cumulative-vote-shares-indicate-fraud/
Yes, elections have been and will continue to be manipulated for the benefit of the 1% here in America, which stinks. North Carolina may have the super bowl trophy, but environmental racism of the sort that poisons and smothers local people is there (MI, NC)...and here...and soon to be everywhere, unless we progressives coalesce better NOW. ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a182/
anon 9:29
You seem to miss the point, like virtually everyone else that claims to be progressive -- There is no change if it is impossible to "win" elections at the ballot box.
There is no change here or anywhere else until elections are free, open, transparent, and totally verifiable. Advocating for change on any other issue is not only a waste of time, but it builds the false-narrative that elections reflect the will of voters. This, in-turn, makes real change impossible.
It can be statistically proven that in the biggest right-wing states, where GOP controls all branches of Government while enacting "divide and conquer" policies, are illegitimate.
Post a Comment