You can now add expanded Wisconsin executive branch hiring authority that replaces neutral civil service procedures to the growing list of top-down powers, 'streamlined' regulatory procedures or special-interest favors - - from Act 10's dismantling of collective bargaining to sweetheart iron-mining legislation to suppressive voter ID and registration restrictions to rolled-back wetlands protections to the probable sales of local municipal water systems requested so far only by one out-of-state water firm - - that the Walkerites are backing and legislating at the expense of the public interest.
The Capital Times emeritus editor Dave Zweifel knocked this issue out of the ballpark the other day.
The Capital Times emeritus editor Dave Zweifel knocked this issue out of the ballpark the other day.
Doesn't every instance of the "governor," appearing in private or public for the purpose of conducting official state business (bill signing ceremony, speeches, or "constituent," listening sessions while traversing the state) while displaying a campaign slogan, doesn't that act constitute political campaigning on the public dime?
ReplyDeleteREFORMING GOVERNMENT or OPEN FOR BUSINESS signs posted is political campaign sloganeering, arguably not facts by any stretch of the imagination but definitely intentional and occurring during Walker's conduct of official state business.
His signing of the civil service bill falls right in line with his present and next budget being in dire straits. Because of budget problems he will call for cutting government spending. Guess who will lose their jobs? Long tern career civil service employees who now can be fired at will without regard to seniority. Walker will slash agency budgets and that means his appointed agency heads and dept. heads can and will eliminate long term state employees in the higher pay ranges. Remember upon taking office about the same time as Act10 he rushed through Act 20 which ended the years long practice of having agency and department heads being brought up through the ranks of the civil service system based on their knowledge and working expertise within a given agency. Act 20 gave Walker the power to politically appoint the heads of agencies and departments and Act 20 required that all rules be approved by Walker in essence giving him complete control over all state departments with the exception of DPI and the GAB. Now with civil service protections gone everything in state government is in his corrupt hands. Remember his entire ideology involves cutting taxes, run a deficit, cut government programs or privatize them because of the deficit and rinse and repeat in the next budget cycle! This is all he values and all he knows and it is the only plan he has for Wisconsin. Think roads, education, environment...all been decimated by cuts!
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