It has been a wild 24 hours in Wisconsin, following Scott Walker's budget address to the state legislature last night. Pleased to see Hunter's diary up there. I can't do full justice to the horrid mess that Walker just dumped at the state capitol. Demolition of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the state's land conservation fund. Destruction of public schools so that charter schools and school vouchers can take over. Requiring (unconstitutional) drug testing of food stamp recipients. Cutting $300 million form the state university system. Defunding Wisconsin public radio and TV. Borrowing $1.3 billion to spend on roads, to keep the road-builders' lobby fat and happy. Issuing $200 million in state bonds for a new basketball stadium for the Milwaukee Bucks. Racking up of a $2 billion structural deficit. It's the budget of a party, and an individual, so drunk on their own unchecked power that they don't even pause to see who they are stabbing.
But it was one hidden bit of policy change that the forces of evil made that has been the talk of the state: the changing of the language in the Wisconsin statutes that establishes the University of Wisconsin system's mission. Here is the proposed change, friends, in all its gory glory:
With that little bit of editing of state law, Mr. Walker put a dagger to the heart of Wisconsin life, history, culture, education, and community. That is the essence of the "Wisconsin Idea": the foundational philosophy that the state university exists to serve the public good and all the people of Wisconsin; that the "boundaries of the university extend to the boundaries of the state"; that there is a constant connection between the concerns and needs of citizens and the work of the university; that academic life includes a commitment to serving the public; that state government draws upon the expertise of the university in shaping policy. It is sacred text to anyone who takes seriously the mission of higher education at the UW. Go to the top of Bascom Hill on the UW-Madison campus, and you will see the words engraved:
Behold the firestorm:
Walker Strikes Truth and Wisconsin Idea from UW Mission in Budget
Walker wants to scrap UW's 'Wisconsin Idea'
Scott Walker wants to drop ‘search for truth’ from the University of Wisconsin mission.
Video: UW-Milwaukee students protest Walker's proposed budget cuts
John Nichols, Scott Walker targets the 'search for truth':
The Wisconsin Idea has always been about the search for truth, at the UW and beyond. When Scott Walker attacks that search, he attacks not just the UW but Wisconsin; not just public service, but the pursuit of the truth in service to the public.
That's just a sample. It did not take long for an official reaction from the UW System president:
MADISON (WKOW) --- The University of Wisconsin System releases the following statement from UW System President Ray Cross:
“The Wisconsin Idea is embedded in our DNA. It is so much more than words on a page. It is the reason the UW System exists. It defines us and forever will distinguish us as a great, public university. Wisconsin must not abandon this core principle and value. We will work to preserve the Wisconsin Idea in every form.”
And it did not take long for Walker and his minions to provide
as lame an excuse as one can imagine:
Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick said in an email late Wednesday afternoon that the change was a drafting error and the Wisconsin Idea will remain in the state budget. "The Wisconsin Idea will continue to thrive," she said.
It's a small victory, but at least for the moment, it has the feeling for me of Walker having finally jumped the shark. There is still a lot of terrible carnage built into his budget, and the Republican majorities in the state legislature will go forward doing his bidding. But his high water mark politically, just maybe, might have been the 15% "lead" he got in the Iowa poll last week. It is nice to know that the heart of Wisconsin is still beating, despite the ravages of the last four years. It would be justice if "the search for truth" is what began to turn the tide back for decency, respect, and democracy in Wisconsin.