More Bad News for Wisconsin's Quality of Life

The Wisconsin Idea may be on its way to becoming a mere fleeting notion.

The state has always taken great pride in its belief that the boundaries of its world-class university are "the boundaries of the state." In other words, the UW system extends beyond campus to small towns and rural outposts.

That is why Wisconsin counties have UW Extension offices which employ experts to help with agriculture, food, family life, economic and community development and a whole raft of other areas.

Wisconsin's governor, Scott Walker, never graduated from college and doesn't place too high a premium on education of any kind. He's tried to trash the Wisconsin Idea in the past.

Now it's under threat again, albeit in a sneakier fashion. The UW Extension will be restructured because of the governor's budget. Read more In the EagleHerald.

Expect Walker's toadies to defend it. They don't care much for education either: Because the smarter the electorate, the greater the chance the toadies - and the dimwit governor - will be thrown out of office.

 I don't know one single informed person who likes Scott Walker.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Life in the Marinette-Menominee area provides great inspiration for a situation comedy, I've often heard it said.

Or, depending on your perspective, a tragedy.

Tuesday we learned that Menominee's prosecuting attorney is suing the county. Bill Merkel, who was the assistant prosecutor for more than 20 years and has held his current job for two years, filed the lawsuit to protect his retirement benefits.

A request for a restraining order was also filed. I can't for the life of me figure that one out, unless Merkel is being harassed by other county employees or, heaven forbid, certain board members.

In today's paper, we learn Twin County Airport has lost its general utility license following an FAA inspection for which it had little advance notice.

Ouch.

The violations that caused the licensing issue should be easily corrected. It will be interesting to see if they are. I'm not holding my breath.

Size Matters

Looks like the oversized Marinette County Board of Supervisors won't be shrinking any time soon.

The board's executive committee voted recently to remain a bloated entity of 30 by nixxing a proposed spring advisory referendum on reduction. Read more here.

Generally, large oversight boards are unwieldy, inefficient, and prone to inaction.  The Marinette County Board is no exception.

Allow me to submit these facts for you to ponder:

Less than an hour away, Brown County is the fourth largest county in Wisconsin in terms of population with 260,401 people. About 30 years ago, the board reduced in size from 32 (as I recall) to 26 members.

Marinette County is 37th in population, with 40,491 people - and 30 supervisors on its county board.

You do the math.

Kudos to Board Chairman Mark Anderson for at least trying to reduce board size. While previous chairs have vigorously protected the status quo, Anderson has always tried to be progressive. This isn't his first stint as chair. He's on the right track.

The same cannot be said of a majority of his colleagues on the executive committee.

No Guts, and Certainly No Glory

Whether you are a staunch supporter of an open-pit sulfide mine near the banks of the Menominee River or a relentless opponent, you've got to be shaking your head with wonder at the wimpiness of the Menominee City Council.

Other municipal governing boards have taken a stand, mostly against the mine, but the Menominee council can't even put the matter on its monthly agenda. The next meeting is 6 p.m. on Monday, and unless the agenda is amended very soon, no mine discussion is scheduled.

Such cowardliness is astounding.

When you run for public office, you can't be afraid to take a stand. But Menominee's council can't even get the matter on the agenda.

It was clear last month that some council reps might be reluctant even to hear opinions on the matter. Listening to public opinion is part of the job, every bit as important as taking a stand based on what you hear. If you can't handle that, resign.

My hunch is that 3-4 council members need to give serious thought to stepping down.

They won't go out in a blaze of glory.

Barbarians at the Airport Gate

It's officially time for Charlie Meintz to resign from the Menominee County Board and devote himself entirely to manure shoveling and other agricultural duties.

That appears to be all he is suited for; sadly, that's an insult to farmers everywhere.

Meintz was rude and vulgar to the very gentlemanly Christian Perrault of Explorer Solutions at a recent airport commission meeting. Read more here in today's EagleHerald.

I applaud the newspaper for letting readers see what a crass clod Meintz is; a man of such clownish comportment is a poor representative of the people.

It seems the buffoonish behavior of Donald Trump is trickling down to the lowest levels of politics.