In Walker's Wisconsin, the former party of law and order has become the party of bad law and disorder.
* A judge ruled that the wolf hunt ordered by the legislature after it disregarded scientific and expert advice conflicted with state law banning animal cruelty by allowing hunters to use dogs in the chase - - all other states with wolf hunts ban the practice - - thus throwing the entire Wisconsin hunt into doubt on the eve of its October beginning.
What kind of legislating is that?
Speaking of which...
* The Walkerites' signature move, the union-rights stripping Act 10, was struck down Friday as unconstitutional for teachers and local government workers' rights.
* Portions of the law restricting public employee union organizing were already declared illegal in March by a Federal judge.
* A portion of the secretive legislative redistricting scheme Walker, legislative leaders and their taxpayer-paid attorneys drew up was also declared illegal, with a federal judge strongly condemning the process and even fining the lawyers for withholding documents he'd ordered released.
* And after all that, additional documents not turned over have surfaced, leading to a fresh investigation and perhaps more sanctions against the lawyers whom GOP legislative leaders hired and directed. To date, the entire GOP redistricting fiasco run by purportedly fiscally-conservative Republicans has cost taxpayers more than $1.5 million.
* And two courts have blocked Walker's
Again, what kind of state-paid legislating and lawyering (an example of smarter lawyering is here) is going on in Wisconsin?
Walker, Republican legislators - - with the acquisition, exercise and retention of power their only consideration - - and their allies have shown continuing contempt for the law and for the taxpayer who has to continually pick up the bill to fix what's been broken.
And just wait until the costs roll in as the heavy-handed enforcement of ridiculous new State Capitol rules by Walker's new police chief are producing arrests of peaceful demonstrators holding even small 8" x 11" paper signs or taking photographs in the building - - on public property.
So there you have it: the Governor, the legislative branch, executive agency heads and even partisan lawyers are arrogating, not governing. It's no way to run a state, but ruin it?
Absolutely.
Walker and his allies still have the bully pulpit. They just like the bully piece of it the most.
And as they learned with control of the State Senate, nothing is forever.
