Thursday, September 15, 2011

Grothman and Vos show disrespect to Madison police

Republican Joint Finance Committee members consider stiffing the city of Madison

Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee are having a difficult time figuring out what to do about the expenses for law enforcement during the Capitol protests earlier this year...likely due to how hostile they want to be towards Madison police.

Sen. Glenn Grothman and Rep. Robin Vos, both Republicans, decided to let their tempers flare over the events from earlier this year. Grothman had particularly unkind words for former Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.

"I hope you're aware that the mayor of Madison clearly would have preferred his police officers to stay on the other side of the (Capitol) Square," Grothman said.

Ironically, Grothman's words, typically the most outlandish in other instances, paled in comparison to Vos's, who claimed that there were "legitimate concerns about actions of individual officers" during the protests.

There seems to be a bit of confusion on the part of Vos and Grothman -- first, the mayor never directed his officers to do anything but uphold the rule of law and protect others within the crowds; and second, the people who benefited from this protection the most were Republican legislators, such as Grothman and Vos themselves.

That the two legislators would suggest otherwise, questioning the integrity of law enforcement personnel who served them nobly, is "almost a slap in the face," to borrow the words of Chief Noble Wray. But these two, in considering stiffing the city reimbursement of funds on that fabricated basis, go beyond even a slap in the face, and demonstrate the way these Republicans wish to legislate, employing pettiness and revenge towards a city that's merely politically unaligned with their own personal beliefs.

It's astonishing that people like Grothman and Vos choose to govern this way, especially at a supposed time of bipartisanship. It's a shameful display of the arrogance these legislators have, a perverted version of the elitism they claim to abhor.

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