October
2006
Quick! Blame someone else!
It's gotten horribly old but now there's yet another Republican blaming anyone but themselves for problems that have happened under their watch.
In Milwaukee County, the fiscal health of the county has worsened as County Executive Scott Walker has squandered four years of power yet still blames his predecessor, Tom Ament, for all of the fiscal woes. George W. Bush and company blame Bill Clinton for the 9-11 terrorist attack. Sheriff David Clarke has upon numerous times fallen back on blaming "some people in this department" for anything that happens under his not-so-watchful eye. Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois), Speaker of the House of Representatives, apparently knew about the scandalous and perverse instant messages that Congressman Mark Foley (R-Florida) was sending to a teenage Page for months before the story got out, yet Hastert refuses to step aside.
Now Congressman Mark Green, who wants to be Governor, is getting in on the action.
He's talking tough on securing our borders but where has he been and what has he accomplished in all of this time in congress? Nothing.
He's attacked Governor Jim Doyle with innuendo and accusations about ethics and campaign cash improprieties yet he refuses to give up on using nearly a half million dollars in illegal campaign cash he was ordered to not use.
He even turned on the red light for big oil companies and drug companies by giving them tax breaks while raking in campaign donations from the same individuals.
What ever happened to good old fashioned accountability? Oh sure, we've heard the GOP beat the drum of "personal responsibility" when it comes to things like welfare "reform" and other excuses to cut benefits for the poor, but when it comes to taking responsibility for their own actions, the only sound we're hearing is silence.
Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan, Watchdogging Campaigns
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Only thing I have to say to that is. AMEN
No offense but it is funny that a blog like this (which thrives on the blame-game) actually posted this.
C’mon Bill,
We think Sheriff Clarke’s competency is the issue and we need a new sheriff. We point to specific mismanagement and explain why, often writing about what should be done. You don’t agree.
Donald Holt for Sheriff!!!
JDM –
What specifically should he do different? What specifically should he stop doing, and start doing? I am not talking about character flaws, I mean real solid solutions to problems within the county.
Bill,
A TEN POINT PLAN FOR THE NEXT SHERIFF
1) Participate in – not necessarily lead – a community policing and community corrections task force that will lead to an overarching strategy to both fight crime on the streets, deal with recidivism (according to Mayor Barrett and Chief Hegerty 1/4 of all people the city of Milwaukee police are on probation or parole, which means DOC’s Community Corrections Division is an essential piece of any law enforcement strategy) and coordinate political and community strategy. This will require cooperation from the city, MPD and whoever is the next attorney general. If they refuse to come to the table, take it to the media. The absence of coordinated law enforcement/community corrections/harm reduction strategy in this community is inexcusable. We have no law enforcement leadership in Milwaukee.
2) Assist in lobbying the state for the necessary community corrections support to make probation and parole more productive for the offender and the community. THis entails restoring the cuts Scott McCallum imposed in 2001.
(Believe it or not, all of the above was in place until the 2000 mayor’s race. We have taken major steps backward ever since).
3) Restore freeway patrols to effective levels – drop the plan to hand it over the state patrol.
4) Bring back park patrols. If this means the TEU’s are in the parks, so be it.
5) Manage the jail in accordance with the Christensen decree and stop pretending that it’s Lev Baldwin’s fault that he has refused to run a legal, humane jail.
6) End the war with the union and sheriff’s deputies and work toward cooperative labor relations. When he was a Milwaukee cop, his union saved his job from an overzealous supervisor in the dark ages of the MPD. He ought to understand how important a union is to the working sheriff’s deputy.
7) Get rid of the mobile jail. It’s been parked in Ozaukee County.
9) Restore DARE. There are federal and state funds to do this. If you can’t find a funding source, get a county supervisor to set aside $100,000 for the program, and help that supervisor get it passed.
10) Accept responsibility for the things that don’t work; take credit for the things that do.
JDM –
Thanks.