Glenn Grothman Comes to Snowball Fight With A Squirt Gun

I love Wisconsin politics.

Glenn Grothman, the Republican Wisconsin State Senator from West Bend just slipped on the ice, stepped into a puddle, and gave Waxing America a gift that will keep on giving for years to come.

Grothman, critical of city of Madison plowing efforts this month, suggested that there were external consequences as a result of the limited snow removal effort December 8th and 9th:

Saying Madison officials are endangering citizens' access to their state government and university, Grothman said Tuesday he's drafting a bill that would strip the city's ability to set policies for salting and plowing its main roads and give that authority to the state Department of Transportation...

The Senator must be reading Waxing America, where for years we continue to hammer home two progressive points:

• There is a larger societal benefit when government spends taxpayers dollars effectively on development and maintenance of public infrastructure and human capacity.
• The evaluation of any program must go beyond the silo that represents its budget. Funding public transit, is a 'loser' but it saves a considerable amount of money by avoiding additional road construction and maintenance.

It is our fervent hope that after two decades of Republican control and intimidation of most of Wisconsin government, Grothman and his colleagues learned something.

Next time they wail about taxation and government spending, these legislators should look at not just the costs, but also the benefits of public programs. Senator, this applies to more than snow removal, it applies to:

• public education
• environmental legislation that protects the air, land , and water in Wisconsin
• investment in cultural activities
• water and sewage systems
• sanitation and recycling systems
• and a myriad of other governmental functions

Senator, welcome to the real world and remember, Waxing America is committed to:

A candid examination of right-wing politics and the Democrats who play along and the horrid liberal policies designed to assuage the moderates but end up irritating everyone. And other stuff. 

First, it is true that Madison uses about 150 pounds of salt per lane mile where the rest of the state averages 300 pounds. Keep in mind that for forty years Madison effectively used 200 pounds. There is no reason to return to 300 pounds; there is a happy medium.

Secondly, salt application was only a small part of the problem. The most significant reasons for the failure was the lack of staff and equipment.

Glenn Grothman should have the good manners to follow Ed Garvey's blog, FightingBob.com, "Is this a private fight, or can anyone join?"

Next time Grothman enters the fray uninvited, he should come armed for the battle.

The hypocrisy of Grothman calling for state interference in local government is not worthy of comment.

Comments

[Jim Arndt]

"The hypocrisy of Grothman calling for state interference in local government is not worthy of comment."

I've been commenting everywhere I can...did you see the State Journal article where he basically calls the citizens of Madison hippies that walk to their job at the co-op? Hilarious.

[Shorty]

Perfect example of "full time" legislators and their staff who have nothing better to do than to come up with goofy ideas and then try to create laws.I wish the voters would wake up and vote these yahoos (both parties) out of office and go back to a part time legislature. This is would save the state $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$>

[R.J.]

Our betters in Madison truly are diabolical. My wife is no longer allowed to load the dishwasher because she used to do such a poor job of it.

[Irish Frog]

I don't think Sen Grothman's bill goes far enough. Why don't we just do what the Russian are proposing? The mayor of Moscow is trying to ban snow using cloud seeding to prevent precipitation. If we're going to be stupid, lets dial this thing up to 11!

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/russia/091228/moscow-snow

[Jon]

You know who else removed snow from city streets? Hitler!

[Steve Erbach, Neenah, WI]

Paul,

Your list flabbergasted me:

•public education
•environmental legislation that protects the air, land , and water in Wisconsin
•investment in cultural activities
•water and sewage systems
•sanitation and recycling systems
•and a myriad of other governmental functions

As a former alderman myself, I can certainly agree that water and sewage systems logically fall under the umbrella of public services necessary to the functioning of a community. Government has to dig under everyone's property to put these things into place. Well and good.

However, the rest of them -- ESPECIALLY your "myriad of other governmental functions" [shudder!] -- simply illustrate the carte blanche, blank check, incumbent-protecting, log-rolling, pork-barelling, ear-marking, cradle-to-grave, bread and circuses nature of modern government. "No human need unmet" is government's motto, and it sure looks like you endorse it whole-heartedly.

The inclusion of a "myriad" of governmental functions in your list was breath-takingly condescending and demonstrated clearly where your sympathies lie. That is, that government knows best what is right and good for everybody. "That which is not compulsory is prohibited."

[Mark Clear]

I don't think Grothman's "bill" is going to get any traction.

Although I share the senator's goal of getting him out of Madison as quickly as possible.