Local control, community control, grassroots decision making, democracy—in Wisconsin Scott Walker and the Republicans are against it.
With the lone exception of Wisconsin State Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center), Republicans in Schultz' words don't care that villages, towns and cities "are tired of Madison (the legislature and governor's office) trying to control and tell localities how to do their business."
The targeting of community control was a Scott Walker priority before he assumed office, though in typical Walker fashion he refused to campaign on this anti-democratic offensive and let anybody know taking away community control was his intention.
Best formulation of the new Republicans: "GOP likes local control, when it controls the locals." (Rob Thomas. The Capital Times)
So Wisconsin towns believe their citizens' concerns about safety, the environment and health should guide frac sand mine operations. Too bad, say the extraction corporations and their Republican fronts.
Scott Walker tosses out lip service to balancing local concerns with the entitlement of corporations to extract from Wisconsin how, where and what they want, right after Walker states he supports the bill ripping away local control.
State Senate Bill 632, a reworked plan to usurp local control, faces opposition from pesky citizens and environmentalists concerned about what happens to their communities.
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