Monday, November 1, 2010

He Earned Those Demerit Badges

One of the repeated background memes coming from Team Walker is that Scott Walker was a boy scout. They build on that by his claiming that he learned to leave things cleaner than the way he found it. Normally, that would mean that when you go into the woods, don't leave your trash or other messes behind.

But if his record as county executive is any record, Walker must have been a lousy boy scout.

Let's take a look at some of the Boy Scouts Merit Badges and see how well Walker did or didn't do:

American Business
: Walker stood against Milwaukee County businesses when he actively opposed getting a dedicated funding source for the transit system. He did further harm to the businesses when he kept slashing bus routes and raising fares, making it much more difficult, if not impossible, for workers to get to their jobs or for customers making it to the businesses. Walker earns a demerit badge.

Disability Awareness: One does not have to look any farther than the way Walker has harmed the safety networks and services for people with mental health issues. First there was a series of stories in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about Walker's failure to provide services for the mentally ill living in the community. Now we are seeing the implosion of the mental health complex. Walker should earn two demerit badges for this one.

American Labor: Another one that we don't need to look to far to see Walker's failures. He has repeatedly tried to illegally coerce the unions into capitulating to illegal budgets. Not only that, but he as separated tens of thousands of workers from their jobs with his myopic and irresponsible cuts to transit. Yet another demerit badge.

Safety: Giving Sheriff Deputies eight furlough days, allowing female patients be sexually assaulted in the mental health complex, allowing patients at the mental health complex escape and attacking neighboring residents, parts falling off the courthouse, parts falling off O'Donnell Park, parts falling off the airport all lead up to a big, old demerit badge for Walker regarding safety.

Landscape Architecture and Nature: Despite his promise to preserve the county grounds and its unique natural phenomenon, the Monarch Trail, Walker sold this valuable green space at cut rate prices so that some developer/campaign contributors could build a strip mall and a hotel. Double the demerit badges.

Home Repairs: See Safety, deferred maintenance and give him a demerit badge.

Railroading: He still doesn't understand that the high speed rail will bring jobs and put Wisconsin in the middle of a cross country transportation network. Demerit badge, for sure.

Rifle Shooting and Shotgun Shooting: Need I say any more? Demerit!

But there is one area that Walker does rightfully earn a real merit badge: Radio. The way he would run to Charlie Sykes, Vicki McKenna and Mark Belling every time he got in trouble, we can give him this one.

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