Why Are Republicans Gutting MATC Board? Power, Money, Control – Take Your Pick

Why do Wisconsin’s legislative Republicans and Governor Walker do what they do? 

Looking at their track record it is clear that they’re motivated by campaign cash and political power. If legislation privatizes public assets to help donors, prevents the public from holding them accountable, or places their hand-picked cronies in positions of power, you’ll find it on the legislative fast track.

Consider the last year in which they passed:

• Act 10 busting public employee unions;
• Act 43 to try save their own jobs by rigging elections with gerrymandered legislative districts;
• Act 23 to suppress the vote among students, minorities and seniors; and 
• Act 32 (aka the state budget), the mother of all special interest sell-outs, that doles out huge tax breaks to large corporations and the wealthy, paid for by the rest of us with the largest cuts to education in state history and draconian cuts to health care.

But it doesn’t stop there.

Hell-bent to hand over public assets to private sector/special interest control and suppress the input of constituencies like minorities, students and average taxpayers in the direction of public institutions, the GOP has decided to rig the membership Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) board.

Right now there’s a GOP scheme on the legislative fast track that singles out the MATC board for new membership requirements and a new process for appointing board members.

If passed, the bill would eliminate all current minority members of the board and make it almost impossible for significant minority or female representation in the future.

And, the proposed board selection process hands over disproportionate influence to gives the County Executives from Ozaukee and Washington counties in making new board appointments.  

As if we needed a reminder, Republicans are once again putting power grabs and the privatization agenda of the 1% before the best interests of the rest of us.