Government Falls to Right Wing Cynics -Quality of Life Declines

This morning's Wisconsin State Journal showcases this front page story:  Struggling Madison Parks Division looks for private money to maintain city's green spaces.

The park system has become more stressed in recent years as it has added acres but cut staff, and officials say they have been forced to make tough choices about where to scale back maintenance.

They've also made it clear that any new major projects will need private-sector benefactors if they are to become a reality.

This problem is not because the city of Madison, or Milwaukee, which faces the same problems, is less efficient than it was twenty or forty years ago. The problem is not because the proportion of park space is greater than it was years ago.

The problem is because of a cynical shift in taxation and revenue policies implemented by a right-wing Republican legislature and a few Democrats. The inability to support parks, police or health departments is due to the fact that local governments are shrinking compared to previous years when inflation is taken into account. In addition, the taxes and fees collected locally were shifted from wealthier people to the middle class.

We are not better off with local governments with fewer resources.

If history has taught us anything, it is that a strangled government unable to provide basic services is a government that discourages private investment. This principle must be applied beyond the more obvious services such as police, fire and transportation. It includes education, health, recreation and the environment.

It is public investment in infrastructure and human capacity that encourages private investment. That kind of investment is not to be confused with no-bid contracts where pubic monies are outsourced to companies that engage in corporate welfare or lemon socialism. Lemon socialism is typified by the Bush Administration practice of spending billions of dollars on contractors who are the President's friends who provide no value in return.

Comments

[Terry Grosenheider]

More liberal whining - you don't win the public debate so you blame message and messengers. Why don't you look at a real problem and propose a solution? For example, education and absentee parents. More money for education won't replace the lack of support from absentee parents. Raising a child is hard, demanding work and most parents do a great or at least reasonable job. Those who don't should be held accountable, but they aren't - not by the school system, not by local governments, not by politicians, not by pundits. The children of these absentee parents deserve our support, but what they really need is the support of their parents. Even more money doesn't make up for the lack of parental support and guidance. Is it an easy problem to solve? No, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

[John]

It would seem to be the easy to observe answer. Instead, as your first response demonstrates, the subject is changed or shifted to personal responsibility by a typical conservative individual who would send his hard earned money to an unaccountable private school voucher. What he suggests does nothing for the blog subject matter. It's nit picky stuff that is an issue, but means nothing in the big picture of supporting our safe and competitive society and services.

It avoids solutions, which is the underlying goal.

Let's face it, it's easy to be Republican, you don't have to do anything but blame everyone else for not being personally responsible. These are people that have never grown out of their bully stage.

[Terry Grosenheider]

Talk about being a bully, if the shoe fits wear it. I brought up a real reasonable issue, and rather than address it, you avoid it. I didn't know your blog was just to bash those you disagree with, I thought you cared about issues, apparently not. Your past practice of avoidance must make it easier for you to ignore problems. Oh, and nice shift in the subject by throwing in school vouchers. Your shift demonstrates how little liberals really care for kids who deserve better, their simple "put more money into the schools and that will solve of the problem" is avoidance of the real issue. Kids deserve more and absentee parents are a real problem. If you have a better solution than school vouchers to this, I would love to hear it. The silence will be deafening.

BTW, you should practice truth in advertising and post a more recent photo, or are you just living in the past?

[Mark]

I expect more from our Liberal/Progressive Madison leadership. Where's the creativity in finding the funds to pay for the basics you describe? Maybe our local government leaders need to get back to the basics.

[Katrina]

"Kids deserve more and absentee parents are a real problem. If you have a better solution than school vouchers to this, I would love to hear it."

I question how school vouchers make people better parents.