Let me preface this entry by noting that Chris (a.k.a. capper) over at Cognitive Dissidence has a much more personal – and much more powerful – blog entry about this same subject. I’d encourage you all to visit CD and read for yourselves.
For years, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has touted the fact that he hasn’t raised property taxes, and he’s also worked hard to reduce the size of Milwaukee County government, leaving vacant or eliminating county jobs wherever and whenever possible. Now I have a confession to make: despite being a liberal, I wholeheartedly support streamlining government, whether on the local, county, state, or federal level, because I think government works best for the people when it’s lean and efficient, not bloated and wasteful. However, I don’t support the belief that so many conservatives holds that any cut to government spending/staffing is a good cut, especially when it comes to social service programs. Case in point would be the chronic short staffing at the public assistance call center operated by Milwaukee County. For more than a year that chronic short staffing, which was the result of efforts by Scott Walker to privatize the call center, has led to thousands of unanswered calls from poor residents on applying for or renewing food and child care aid. As a result of the poor performance of the call center, the state is considering withholding aid for programs that would help the poor, disabled, and elderly (emphasis mine):
Milwaukee County officials are pleading with the state not to trim major contracts for programs that help the poor, elderly and disabled.
State leaders say bungling by the county in running its public assistance call center and food share program put them on alert and led to a denial of a related $2.4 million job training grant. The state also is considering shifting at least part of the contract for operating an expanded Family Care program to a private vendor. The program provides community-based services to seniors and people with disabilities.
These possible cuts in state aid to the county – cuts which will no doubt affect thousands of individuals and families across Milwaukee County – they’re the real cost of trying to cut spending just for the sake of cutting spending. Scott Walker ought to be ashamed of himself for jeopardizing much-needed aid to Milwaukee County – and punishing residents in the process – just so he can score cheap political points in advance of his gubernatorial run in 2010.
Dan Cody has more as well.
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