The Wisconsin State Journal offers up a revealing Sunday story which tells you all you need to know about the systematic ideological dishonesty which the Walker administration has embedded deep into state agencies, the legislative process, relations with media and, in this case, the century-old state civil service system, documents show.
Note also that the Walkerites stonewalled the State Journal by withholding key documentation sought under the Wisconsin Open Records statute until long after the civil service changes were passed by both legislative houses and signed by Walker into law.
The newspaper should sue the agency and depose everyone remotely connected to such an unacceptable process to force some consequences and accountability on the administration and to see how high up this recklessness goes.
Also interesting that the author of the internal critique a) didn't sign it, b) isn't working for the state and Team Walker anymore.
Note also that the Walkerites stonewalled the State Journal by withholding key documentation sought under the Wisconsin Open Records statute until long after the civil service changes were passed by both legislative houses and signed by Walker into law.
The personnel agency in Gov. Scott Walker’s administration privately blasted changes to the state’s civil service days after they were proposed, telling his office the overhaul would slow hiring, turn away qualified job applicants and trigger more lawsuits against the state, public records show...
The memo was provided to the State Journal as part of a larger response to a December public-records request…at the time of the request, the Assembly had passed the bill but the Senate had yet to vote.
The State Journal received the records April 1, seven weeks after Walker signed the bill into law.
Also interesting that the author of the internal critique a) didn't sign it, b) isn't working for the state and Team Walker anymore.
Long ago the politicians realized that there is little penalty for violating open meetings/records laws in Wisconsin. The penalties in the law are laughable. If we wanted to be serious then the penalties should be something like mandatory 30 days in jail for first offense. 6 months second offense. Third offense brings censure for one year in your elected office and for civil servants/appointees they would be removed from their positions and terminated and permanently barred from further employment, contracting or provision of services to with the state. This ban would apply to any organization providing services while employing such individuals.
ReplyDeleteNow of course we taxpayers and elected officials are not serious about correcting the problem so that the damage done to our governance is minimized. So I hold no hope that the paltry penalties will be revised any time soon.
"Truth" and "Scott Walker" should NEVER be used in the same sentence! These are totally opposite concepts and mixing the true renders any and all statements FALSE.
ReplyDelete