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November 04, 2009

The Wednesday Update

November 4, 2009  Volume 3, Number 42  IN THIS ISSUE:  This is your Legislator on Drugs, Doyle Proposes MPS King

Nov. 4, 2009 Vol 3, Number 42	Wednesday Update
In This Issue: 1. Your Legislator on      Drugs 2. Doyle and MPS 3. Cash Cow RTA 4. Well Recuuuse Me.	This is Your Legislator on Drugs State Representative Jeff Wood has gone from an embarrassment to an object of pity. In the 12 minute video of his latest arrest, Wood appears cooperative with police officers taking him into custody and little threat to anyone—except for that nagging habit of repeatedly getting behind the wheel of a vehicle he obviously can’t or won’t control. Last week’s event marked the third time Wood was arrested for OWI this year. Wood’s car meanders across the center line, then swings back to lurch over the curb before coming to a halt in front of the arresting officer’s vehicle. Asked to walk heel-to-toe in a field sobriety test, he attempts to cooperate, loses his balance and falls to the ground. He says he has been taking anti-depressant medications and it's unclear whether he even realizes his actions are out of control. With video of strike three now fodder for YouTube and late-night network comedy, the Legislature has suddenly found it necessary to consider Wood’s expulsion from the Assembly. A resolution to expel Wood has been lying around for a couple of months, but the Democratic leadership didn't consider the proposal, even after Wood’s second arrest in September. Wood’s third arrest last week was particularly stunning because he was enrolled in an inpatient program for substance abuse at the time. Following the third arrest, Wood said he would not seek re-election in 2010 because he needed to devote his full attention to treatment for his problem with controlled substances. He also said he would not resign from office despite calls from Governor Doyle and several of his colleagues to do so. Apparently legislative leaders didn’t feel the need to rid the Assembly of Wood until after Wood said he was leaving.  Public decency demands Wood exit the Legislature immediately. Simple decency demands two additional things: the hope that his treatment ultimately succeeds, and the ability of the public to see through the Assembly leadership’s sudden dash to righteousness Doyle proposes MPS king Governor Doyle and Mayor Tom Barrett can hardly be faulted for trying to fix the notoriously awful Milwaukee Public Schools. On the other hand, the governor has been around for seven years and to the extent those schools have attracted his attention, it’s been devoted mainly to making it harder for parents to choose other options through the Milwaukee Parental School Choice Program, charter or virtual charter schools. Their new idea to give Milwaukee’s mayor complete control of the school system—is not necessarily doomed to fail. New York’s public schools were put under direct mayoral control a few years ago and test scores have improved, and there is more flexibility to deal with problem personnel. But the devil is always in the details. A bill now before the Legislature would let the mayor appoint the superintendent and set the budget and tax levy for the whole system. This authority would require reapproval by voters every seven years. An interesting topic for speculation would be whether the newfound authority—and the headaches that inevitably will come with it—will interest more people in running for mayor or drive them away. But bigger questions remain. Where's the plan for improving education or bringing skyrocketing wage and benefits costs under control?  Who'll negotiate union contracts from year to year? At this point, all Doyle and Barrett appear to be doing is taking control of the sinking ship away from the MPS Board and turning it over to the Mayor. Cash Cow RTA? Not only does Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett want full control of the Milwaukee Public Schools and the authority to set the school district tax levy, Barrett also wants Milwaukee County taxpayers to pony up more in sales taxes to pay for a street car, a commuter train and pretty much whatever else Barrett wants. The proposed sales tax hike would take the Milwaukee County sales tax from .5% to 1.5%, making it the highest sales tax in the state. .15% of that tax would be paid by county taxpayers but used exclusively to fund City of Milwaukee services. And that’s on top of the $10 million tax increase the Mayor has already foisted on Milwaukee families and employers. In contrast, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker doesn’t want to raise the sales tax at all. Walker wants to utilize federal transit funds to fund bus rapid transit, a more flexible, accessible, and cost efficient option. What’s more, Walker wants to fund the county’s portion by leasing airport services to a private vendor. Well Recuuuuuuuuuse Me! The Wisconsin Supreme Court last week narrowly endorsed its own integrity in a 4-3 vote to adopt recusal standards proposed by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) and the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA). The slim majority decided that justices can remain impartial even in a case that involves a campaign contributor. The presumption of innocence, even in judges, is on shaky ground. The League of Women Voters evidently presumes justices to be not just corrupt but pathetically so, saying they should bow out of any case involving a contributor of $1,000 spread over two years. The Wisconsin Realtors’ Association has a somewhat better opinion, figuring contributions that don’t exceed legal limits are unlikely to pierce the justices’ thin shell of virtue—a position with the side benefit of validating the wisdom of the legislators who set the limits. Awkwardly, former Justice William Bablitch proposes a threshold of $10,000, implying he could imagine things being bought or sold, but not at the insulting prices envisioned by the League. As usual there was a lot more to the story, namely the question whether Justices Annette Ziegler and Michael Gableman must recuse themselves from cases involving WMC, which conducted independent issue advocacy campaigns. One would be hard-pressed to recall when similar concerns have been raised about justices enjoying big-money support from left-leaning interests like the trial lawyers or state teacher’s union. Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign characterized in advance the Court’s decision as “thumbing its nose at the U.S. Supreme Court,” which recently disapproved of a West Virginia judge hearing a case that involved a supporter who had given $3 million. (Before donning the mantle of professional reformer, McCabe was a lobbyist for the Madison school district.) The most exciting exchange of the hearing took place between McCabe and Justice David Prosser. Prosser called McCabe out for his part in creating a false impression that Supreme Court Justices are corrupt or incapable of delivering impartial justice. (Scroll halfway through this link to see the exchange.)