Madison's Worst Government Ever

Years of voter apathy have created the worst city government in Madison, Wisconsin history. Last evening the City Council meeting lasted nearly to sunrise. This morning the ‘play nice’ alliance between Academic Elitist Liberals, lead by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, and Green Party Progressive Dane, headed by mother hen Brenda Konkel, is over.

Cieslewicz, Konkel Clash: I'm parting ways with Brenda," Cieslewicz said. "I think she exercises poor judgment. She puts the council through endless debate with no purpose."

Brenda Konkel: "It's been a pattern of disappointment," she said, ticking off other issues such as mandatory paid sick leave and bus fare hikes as other recent examples of Progressive Dane and Cieslewicz acting apart. "He focuses on getting 11 votes, not good policy," Konkel said. "Progressive Dane is concerned about passing good policies."

When children play at being lawmakers they tend to become enamored with the brilliance of their own ideas, to the exclusion of all evidence against them. Progressive Dane is a collection of desires arranged around a utopian vision of the environment and a coloring book understanding of economics. The anti-business implications of the ‘good policies’ Brenda’s little peepers champion became too much for the Planning Policy Wonks. The kids simply would not shut up.

Council OK's Lobbying Law: But several council members said the ordinance had been irreparably weakened because the council had given in to business interests. … "I'm concerned that the proposal today has more holes than a pair of fishnet stockings," said Lisa Subeck, a former Progressive Dane party candidate for the City Council.

Hours of wasting time over the Lobby Law forced nearly 90 registered speakers on the Smoking Ban to wait till the middle of the night for their four minutes of talking to the proverbial brick wall.

Smoking Ban Stands: At 3:45 a.m., Ald. Judy Compton, was saying "and the worst carcinogen known in the world is the mold found in marijuana," when Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, now wearing glasses, leaned into his microphone and told her she'd been speaking continuously for 11 minutes.

Sometime a few hours before sunrise a 10 – 9 vote retains absolute probation against indoor smoking within the city limits. Apparently the cultural traditions of American labor are not worth protecting now that there are expensive ways to treat disease, and politicians counting on winning votes with promises to pay the bills. The following sentence from a health victim pretty well sums up the thinking at City Hall.

Liberal Values Prevail: "The government has a right to protect people from businesses that put them at risk,"

No one should be surprised. The Cieslewicz Administration has always treated the City as if it were a Members Only Club. In other words, they treat the City as if it is an extension of the University, where applicants apply to be students or faculty or staff, and the Organization selects the people they want to incorporate into the fold. In reality, any city exists because private citizens choose to own property and businesses in a given area, and any government that does not preserve the rights and freedoms of all peaceful citizens is bad government.

As if to put a final exclamation point on the matter, Madison’s Highest Paid Employee abruptly resigns this morning amidst sexual harassment accusations. These people are just bad.