The real WisGOP-Walker goal- rigging the system against independent public service

A couple of very good stories popped up in the recent Milwaukee Magazine blogs.

The first comes from Bruce Murphy, who goes over the disgusting sleaze that envelops Supreme Court Justice Michal Gableman. We already know about his unethical "free advice" from Michael, Best and Friedrich, which clearly was done in exchange for helping MBF out in Act 10, redistricting, and other cases funneled to them by the Walker Administration and WisGOP. But Murphy goes back further to show how Gableman rose from partisan hack to local yokel judge, and how he cut corners of decency to get that far.

...Gableman was originally an Ashland County D.A. who began a concerted campaign to win the favor of Republican Gov. Scott McCallum, who would later give Gableman a judgeship. Gableman organized a campaign fundraiser for McCallum, made two contributions of $1,250 each to McCallum, and used his government office to make some 60 phone calls to political headquarters or donors to McCallum.

Gableman also took a day off from his job to attend the McCallum fundraiser. A Gableman spokesperson would later explain that he had his supervisor’s permission to do so but offered no explanation for why Gableman was paid for that day’s work, essentially charging the taxpayers to campaign for McCallum.

Around this same time, Gableman inexplicably stepped down from his position as D.A. to take the bureaucratic-sounding job of administrative law judge in Appleton, even though the switch dropped his pay from $80,000 to $54,000. Gableman’s official campaign biography barely mentions the job, and he has never explained why he made the switch.

This was the position Gableman held (for just three months) when McCallum elevated him to the position of Burnett County Circuit Court Judge. Normally a governor picks the candidate from a list of finalists determined by a judicial review panel. But McCallum overruled the panel and chose Gableman.

The Office of Lawyer Regulation, though typically not very aggressive, later launched an investigation of Gableman’s use of government resources to campaign for McCallum. It found “Gableman may have been imprudent or may have used poor judgment,” but under the law “an intentional violation of the statute” must be proven and that “appears an insurmountable burden.”

The man is an unqualified GOP hack, and does not judge, but instead legislates as such as hack. If we believe in any system of judicial fairness where the merits of something are determined by facts and the laws in place, this man has no business deciding the things that he does.

But that's the way they like it in Walker World. Check out a second Milwaukee Magazine article from Michael Horne. Buried near the bottom of an already-good read is this nugget.

...The [Wisconsin Labor and Industry] review commission hears appeals of decisions by Administrative Law Judges. One of them, Carolina Stark, has announced her candidacy for Milwaukee County Circuit Court Branch 17. Stark, who is also a member of the City of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, plans to take on incumbent Nelson W. Phillips III, who was appointed by Governor Walker to fill the unexpired term of the retired Judge Francis Wasielewski.

Asked if the Walker administration is meddling in the affairs of administrative law judges, Stark replied in the affirmative.

“Every year we have a conference of judges to discuss recent issues, and the secretary of the Department of Workforce Development traditionally says a few words to the group,” she said.

“This year Secretary Reggie Newson – the third secretary since the Walker administration took office – told us ‘I have been hearing from employers that your decisions do not favor them. I’d like you to keep that in mind when you make your decisions,’” she said.

“All of the judges were stunned. I could feel the hair rising on the back of my neck. This was an utterly inappropriate comment. We may not be elected judges, but we make our decisions based on the facts and the law, not on preconceptions.”

But Ms. Stark, judging based on facts and the law is not what the Walker folks want you to do. They think judges' jobs are to help the people who pay their bills, most notably sleazy employers, out of state industries trying to pollute without punishment, and union-busters who want to squeeze every cent of profit out of the state even if it sends the rest of the state's citizens into poverty. And if a previously-passed law is in the way, then a good GOP judge should become an activist and make something up to lead to the desired result (like the Gableman-led Open Meetings ruling this year). Decency and fairness have nothing to do with it, but big money and consolidating power sure do.

This really shouldn't be a surprise- it's SOP for Walker and the WisGOPs. Turning dozens of civil service positions into appointed spots to be handed out at the whim of politicos is another way WisGOP is trying to end the idea of independent public service. Cindy Archer is the tip of the iceburg of this abuse, (speaking of, has Cindy gotten to her new job yet?) but from Brian Deschane to Valerie Cass, putting ass-kissing yes-men and women in high positions of power is the clear priority of the Walker folks. And their service isn't to the people of Wisconsin, but to the politicians and the special interests they represent.

And now you know why these people despise public sector unions, because unions can protect individuals from having to lie, cheat and steal in order to keep their jobs, and require independent analysis that reveals facts the administration doesn't want to admit. Unions keep teachers from having to acquiese to PTA moms and administrative pressure, keeps the principal's or school board member's unqualified sibling from takeing over for an established and more deserving teacher. It also gives teachers the freedom to give students the grades they deserve, and relay knowledge on subjects in the way that they know from experience works best.

From Gableman and Walker on down, Wisconsin Republicans clearly want to be allowed to ignore reality and law and impose their own way of life without regard to the effects of quality of services that results. And only by rising up and blowing them out of power will they be stopped. So therefore, we do.