Oops.... More
Oops. We noticed. Liberal AND conservative groups noticed and didn't like it. And Walkers biggest boosters, Wisconsin media, also notice and didn't like it.
Scott Walker and Republicans in Wisconsin tried to insert a repeal of Wisconsin's Open Records Law in the wee hours right at the start of the 3 day Fourth of July holiday weekend. As with the enormous numbers of other non-budgetary measures crammed inside of the (now well past deadline) budget, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the budget. It's just a quick and easy way to get laws made without ever having to hold hearings or discuss them. In fact, while decrying this tactic in his 1st Gubernatorial campaign in 2010, it's become the Main strategy of governing for Walker and his Republican majority.
As the very last item crammed into the budget, passing on a party line vote of 12-4, they hoped everyone was asleep and not paying attention to the loss of the last vestiges of government transparency. They then sent the completed budget to the State Assembly and State Senate in the early morning hours of Friday, July 3, the start of the holiday weekend with the expectation that the budget would be quickly passed this week and signed into law. Who knows what else is still crammed inside of the (initially) 1800 page budget that haven't been identified and stopped like the attempt to completely change the mission of our state university system?
Grassroots groups sounded the alarm early and the media noticed that they, too, would lose access to government information.
Walker, back in town to march in his home town July 4 parade, quickly pulled back on the proposal along with fellow Republican leaders after lawmakers found their voice mail boxes, email inboxes crammed full, and media reports disclosing the sleazy manner in which they shoved this last major proposal into the budget. Walker, desperately wanting to be President, already has disapproval ratings in the mid 50s in Wisconsin. He doesn't want to answer media inquiries after his latest outrage was uncovered.
Media in Wisconsin, normally Walkers biggest boosters, have kept on hammering Walker and the GOP over this outrageous sneak attack. In an editorial, they blasted the dirty deed:
In one of their final acts before sending the state budget to the full Legislature, Republican members of the powerful Joint Finance Committee forced provisions into the budget that would sharply limit public records requests for lawmakers' communications with staff and for drafting records of legislation.
The proposals would hide from public view a slew of records created by the Walker administration and other state agencies.
This eyes-wide-open attempt to blind the public was, of course, never discussed in open session. And state Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), co-chair of the powerful budget-writing committee, wouldn't say who inserted the changes into the bill.
Here's how it ends:
Public servants do the public's business. This is not some private company run by private managers. This is your government.
These records belong to the public. They belong to you.
And these are your public servants. You can act to restrain them.
Please, call and write the legislative leaders who want to decrease your power by increasing their own. Tell them to stop trying to hide their secret deals and special favors from you.
Insist that your government be conducted in the light of day.
Insist on accountability.
Insist on the Wisconsin way.
Ouch, but it serves them right for what they did - well, tried to do.
But the hits keep on coming as media is finally noticing that Scott Walker has already been acting as if the Open Records Laws didn't exist.
Gov. Scott Walker announced over the weekend that Republicans were abandoning their plan to create new exceptions to the state's open records law, but for months the all-but-certain presidential candidate has been operating as if the exemptions were already in place.
Two months ago, Walker declined to release records related to his proposal to rewrite the University of Wisconsin System's mission statement and erase the Wisconsin Idea from state law. He argued he didn't have to provide those records to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and others because they were part of his office's internal deliberations.
(bolding is mine)
That's right. It seems that this wasn't just some legislators wish list item, but a carefully coordinated strategy to paper over Walkers own refusal to comply with Open Records requests in the past.
So, what's Walker saying now about his past refusals to release records? Hang onto your lunch, folks, it's a doozy!
While Walker says he's opposing the change in records policy, he isn't altering his claim that he can withhold documents that reflect internal deliberations.
Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick argued existing law allows the governor to keep such records from the public.
"The governor's office always has and continues to operate under the current law and regularly releases documents that could fall within the proposed 'deliberative materials' exemption," she said Monday in an emailed statement to the Journal Sentinel. "The materials withheld are protected by current law, and we will continue to fulfill open records requests pursuant to current law, as we have always done."
If you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Even conservative groups are hammering Walker and legislators over their failed attempt to get rid of our Open Records Laws. Walker is currently being sued for documents he's refused to release pertaining to the change in the University of Wisconsin mission statement and other records he's refused to release.
Bottom line: Walkers can't be trusted. Not a word that comes out of his mouth. Not a statement issued by his campaign or by his office. He's a self-serving, flip-flopping, liar who uses each and every government office he's held to launch him into a higher position. He never does the job he's been elected to do except to serve himself, repay his donors, and promote himself and his own political interests.
When things unravel, he lies some more. People are noticing. Media is noticing. No wonder he hides what he does. His record is one of failure.
They're noticing in the Republican Presidential Primary where the bloom is definitely off the rose. Walker's Iowa support has fallen to to 18% from 21% in May and 25% in February. He just might end off being unqualified for the Fox (not) News debates. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy.
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UPDATE:
Give some love to Steve Horn over at this diary where ANOTHER last minute non-budget item has been revealed to have been slipped into the budget. This one gives approval for a pipeline in Wisconsin.
I'm sure there's a lot more inside that budget than anyone is aware of.
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