Continuing the cycle of devolving power

John Nichols of the Capital Times suggests that power is too concentrated in the governor and suggests returning power to the Secretary of State and the State Treasurer.

A number of states are engaged in serious discussions about how to make government more democratic, responsive and accountable. These discussions are wide-ranging and involve everything from proposals in Illinois and Minnesota to restructure election calendars to debates about creating elected attorney general positions in Alaska and New Jersey.

Wisconsin should open up a democratic dialogue.

Perhaps we could begin by asking:

1. Why not give the elected state treasurer some real responsibility as a budgetary and fiscal watchdog? Couldn't we bring more accountability to the process of investing state money by giving more responsibility to an elected treasurer and the professional staff?

2. Instead of an unaccountable Government Accountability Board (and its predecessor, the dysfunctional state Elections Board), why not have the secretary of state oversee a professional staff that organizes and manages elections? That's how most other states do it, and it would create an electoral forum -- in the form of the secretary of state contest -- for discussing how elections are run.

3. Does it really make sense to elect the governor and lieutenant governor as a team? Isn't this just a bow to political parties, guaranteeing them control of the executive branch even if a governor dies or resigns? Is there an argument for going back to the system of electing governors and lieutenant governors separately -- a system that functioned well as recently as the 1960s, when Republican Warren Knowles served as governor while Democrat Pat Lucey (a future governor) served as lieutenant governor?

4. Are four-year terms a good idea? Vermont and New Hampshire still elect governors and other statewide constitutional officers to two-year terms, and both states are functioning well. (Vermont also elects its governor and lieutenant governor on separate ballot lines.) The argument for four-year terms is that they allow officials to focus on their jobs rather than on getting re-elected. But does anyone really think this is the case? Wouldn't a return to two-year terms make governors and other officials more accountable -- and more inclined to try to make state government function -- if they are going to have to face the voters in short order?

Nichols has no illusions about the current state treasurer, noting her less-than-impressive career path. But perhaps if we gave the office more serious responsibilities than showing up at local fairs with lists of people owed money by the state, then we might expect a more serious election for the position. As state government spending explodes, an independent voice watching the state's finances might be just what we need.

Unwanted endorsements

One of the hazards of running for office is the "unwanted endorsement." The endorsement from a person or entity with whom you would not wish to be associated under any circumstances.

For example, I am sure Dr. Van Mobley did not want to hear the kind words of John Nichols, one of the editors of the conspiracy newsletter, Capital Times.

Concordia University Professor Mobley is one of the most thoughtful contenders for statewide office this writer has encountered in many years. Mobley identifies as a conservative, but he is an adventurous thinker who pushes the envelope on a host of issues.

Pushes the envelope includes funding more spending in education with the sales tax, of course.

Meanwhile, Judge Koschnick was endorsed by his former client Ted Oswald. Oswald is currently serving a life sentence for killing a police officer, but its nice to know Oswald bears no grudges against his former attorney.

The Oswald endorsement has caused a curious reaction in former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. Soglin apparently no longer believes in the right to legal representation, criticizing Judge Koschnick for "advising his convicted client not to cooperate with law enforcement officials who wanted to question the Oswalds about their role in other felonies. Despite Ted Oswald's life sentence with no opportunity for parole, Koshnick advised his client not to answer police officers' questions about other major crimes, including at least one attempted murder."

So much for the right to remain silent. Soglin only endorses silence for WMC for whom he would make it mandatory.

But tomorrow is an election day and there is a primary in Milwaukee in the 4th district school board race. Michael Mathias, liberal blogger and friend of this blog, is running against two other candidates on the ballot and incumbent Charlene Hardin off the ballot. Hardin is hoping to put in a good enough showing tomorrow to end up on the general election ballot.

Mathias and I rarely agree on anything but I'm going to make the rare Wigderson Library & Pub endorsement of Mike in tomorrow's election. For whatever it's worth, at least the MPS school board will have a thoughtful, intelligent, and honest member.

And that may be the best Milwaukee can ask for.

Update! 10:29 PM Illusory Tenant also questions Paul Soglin's comments.

Cap Times to moderate comments

The Capital Times is moderating the comments left at their website for each story. Claiming that, "It's time to raise the bar on Web dialogue", the Capital Times has adopted the New York Times standard for moderating comments.

Why do we feel compelled to moderate? Here's an example:

Recently, comment writers celebrated the brain cancer diagnosis of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and wished the disease on others.

Taken as a whole, we want comment sections to provide the kind of experience a person might have talking face to face, certainly with spirit and passion but with at least a degree of respect.

We are less interested in the anonymous, mean-spirited rants we sometimes see.

I'm taking that to mean John Nichols will now have a harder time getting published.

I left a comment under the story asking,

Does this mean the Cap Times will no longer allow crackpot conspiracy theorists to claim 9/11 was an inside job by the government?

We'll see if there's a response, or even if they let the comment stand.

Update! 9:46 AM Well, it didn't take too long for them to pull the comment. It's official. 9/11 conspiracy theorists are not "crackpots" at the Capital Times.

Don't miss the last two minutes

Skip ahead to the rising and falling segment for a good discussion of the Obama campaign in Wisconsin. Somebody forgot to feed Nichols his talking points for the week and he ended up offering real commentary.

Good to see Democrats can always find a job

In this week's "WisOpinion: The Show", Jeff Mayers interviewed Bryan Kennedy, the president of the AFT. Kennedy endorses the appointment of Biddy Martin as UW Madison chancellor because she supports collective bargaining rights for faculty. In other words, you can't say you weren't warned. Kennedy also wants to tax businesses more rather than make any cuts in the state budget.

Gee, I can't understand why he lost to Congressman Sensenbrenner twice. I'm just wondering if Kennedy is paying himself a salary and paying himself from the union's political fund. After all, in his second run against Sensenbrenner he had no problem paying himself a salary out of donated campaign contributions. (Oh yeah, his campaign treasurer was Ruth Page Jones, who is currently running for assembly against State Representative Bill Kramer.)

Meanwhile, Brian Fraley is not nearly as bald as Michael Wilbon. Shouldn't Nichols and Fraley just fire the two minute drill at each other?

Educating the Idiot Politician of the Week

Time for another installment of Idiot Politician of the Week. I didn’t want to, but I felt I owed it to them somehow.

Welcome to Cudahy where the mating call is, “I’m so drunk.” Yes, the punch line of Milwaukee County is too good for Wal-Mart. Casting the deciding vote was Mayor Ryan McCue. You may remember him from such documentaries as “Screw the Taxpayers” and “Your Milwaukee County Board: Good Work If You Can Get It.” According to McCue, well…, nothing. He’s refused to say why he’s opposed to Wal-Mart. He prefers to remain silent and be thought an idiot rather than open his mouth and remove all doubt.

Removing all doubt this week was former Vice President Al Gore, who took advantage of a cyclone that perhaps killed 100,000 people in Myanmar to suggest that it was the result of global warming. Perhaps if they had the Internet in Myanmar, they would understand that tornados have never happened before the introduction of the internal combustion engine, and really all those deaths have nothing to do with living in an especially impoverished third-world brutal kleptocracy.

Dropping into Milwaukee to remind us all why she was President Ronald Reagan’s biggest mistake, former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor told her audience that electing judges is wrong, and that Arizona has a better way. Of course, the Arizona method made her a judge, and her tenure on the US Supreme Court is strong evidence that an unaccountable judiciary is not a good thing.

Then there’s Senator Barack Obama who announced in Oregon he has traveled to “57 states” and has “only one left.” He must’ve figured it out using the same math that shows a windfall profits tax will lower gas prices. I’m not even going to comment on the apparent sad state of education in Illinois.

But speaking of the sad state of education, this week’s “Idiot Politician of the Week” is conspiracy theorist and Muslim convert Kevin Barrett who has decided to take on Congressman Ron Kind (D) as a Libertarian. Barrett once proved idiots are in control of UW-Madison when he was allowed to teach despite publicly supporting a theory that the events of September 11, 2001 were somehow planned and carried out by the US government.

Details of Barrett’s candidacy can be found in the online conspiracy theory newsletter Capital Times where associate editor John Nichols called Barrett, “the 9/11 skeptic” and “the media-savvy activist.” Nichols’ next interview will be with a spokesman for conspiracy theorists that don’t believe man walked on the moon. Unfortunately for Nichols, the Weekly World News is no longer publishing.

Barrett will fit in well with the misfits of the Wisconsin Libertarian Party. But aside from the wacko conspiracy theory, did he really feel the need to tell Nichols he plans to run an, “all-out no-holds-barred truth jihad”?

I’m sure local Muslims are wishing he would convert to something else. “Really, no problem, no death threats. Just go.” After all, other than the Libertarians, who would want to be associated with the Idiot Politician of the Week?