Scott Walker's Attack on UW System Draws National Attention

Updated - What do you with a world-class public University system in your state that took generations to build?

If you are Scott Walker and the Republicans, you take steps to degrade it into a large tech school.

There used to be a bipartisan consensus the University of Wisconsin-Madison works from Bascom Hall and the UW System Board of Regents was run out of Van Hise Hall under the principle of Shared Governance and the mission of the Wisconsin Idea.

Not anymore. The anti-intellectualism and the corruption of Republicans in the state capitol now dominate.

Monica Davey, Tamar Lewin and Dirk Johnson have a front-page piece in the New York Times this morning.

Notes the article:

Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who began building a national profile four years ago by sharply cutting collective bargaining rights for most government workers, has turned his sights to a different element of the public sector: state universities.

As Mr. Walker takes steps toward announcing his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, he and leaders in Wisconsin’s Republican-held Legislature have called for changes that would give a board largely picked by the governor far more control over tenure and curriculum in the University of Wisconsin System.

An incensed friend said this morning, "How to they expect the UW to compete for top faculty with peer universities?"

The answer is Walker and the GOP don't expect UW to compete, the actions are meant to degrade and lower the quality of the UW System, especially UW-Madison, to lessen the political power of Dane County which wallops Walker or anything Republican every election.

The assault on the UW passed on a party-line vote, and follows Walker's attack earlier this year.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin (DPW) as a protector of the UW System does not engender fear into the hearts of Republicans as the Democratic Party is run by incompetent political operatives whose mission appears to be drawing a pay check and maybe working for the Nation Consulting lobbying firm (Republicans are welcome there) one day.

Still, I doubt Scott Walker could successfully seek a third term as governor in 2018, one too many barns burned down.