I would be glad to call you governor, Mr. Walker, if you chose to start acting like one. When you decide to represent your constituents, instead of punishing them. When you gain the backbone and intestinal fortitude to protect the poor, the underserved, and ones who were here first from those that see them only as dollar signs and obstacles in front of more dollar signs. When you decide that women are just as important as men. Then, Mr. Walker, I will be happy to call you governor.Enjoy.
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| At the time of this posting, the governor is busy not governing in China, while taxpayers are funding a grand "mission" with an entourage of nearly 40 people, crossing our fingers that our he doesn't sell off what's left of our jobs as fast (or as sneakily) as he's trying to sell off our land. Image source. |
An Open Letter to Mr. Walker
Dear Mr. Walker.
No, I won’t call you governor and I will elaborate on that in a moment but that isn’t why I have chosen to speak to you today. I would like to tell you about my state.
My state is full of amazing people. It is a population that is unique in its simplicity. We work hard, try to do the right thing, and savor the world around us. We don’t spy on our neighbors; we invite them over for a beer on the porch after an honest day’s work.
My state has a history, such a grand history, as well. We were pioneers in the development of unions; leading to the creation of 40-hour work weeks, paid sick days, workers compensation (we even wrote the first policy for it in the insurance world!), and pensions that can support us in old age so we can watch our grandchildren grow up. We value education; so much that we have had a reputation. Employers from around the country, and even the world, would recruit our students right from graduation. They knew they were getting well-educated hard-working people. We have some of the best water the United States can offer. With a city consistently ranked as the best water in the country right in the middle of our state. Our water is so pure and clean that it attracted German settlers to immigrate in and set up breweries to make some of the finest ales, lagers, pilsners, bocks, draughts, stouts, weizens, and whatever other style of beer they can dream up. We respect each other, no matter how different each person may be. It never mattered if they were male, female, African American, Hispanic, Native American, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, Atheist, straight, homosexual, tall, short, skinny, or portly. We elected the first openly-gay person to the United States senate. We were able to live relatively stress-free lives. If a person we cared about lost their job we had good reason to believe that they would be able to find another one in a short time, and if it took a bit longer their family wouldn’t starve, wouldn’t have to skip vital trips to the doctor, and wouldn’t have to be publicly shamed just to get by when things got rough.
Now, to answer your question. I would be glad to call you governor, Mr. Walker, if you chose to start acting like one. When you decide to represent your constituents, instead of punishing them. When you gain the backbone and intestinal fortitude to protect the poor, the underserved, and ones who were here first from those that see them only as dollar signs and obstacles in front of more dollar signs. When you decide that women are just as important as men. Then, Mr. Walker, I will be happy to call you governor.
I know you have supporters. Those that would tell me if I don’t like what you are doing then I should leave. I would say to them, the weight of history is not behind them. It looms over me like a guardian, assuring me that I stand for what truly makes a society worth living in. I can point to the acts of those that came before me in this great state and respond “you are the interloper, you poison the bonds between neighbors, you rush to judge those different because you are uncomfortable both with them and with yourself. YOU get out of MY state.” And they may even consider it. They will see other states already with leaders that share your beliefs. They have been that way for a long time and will likely be that way for a long time yet. This state doesn’t have much history of supporting the type of leadership you have displayed so who is to say it will last? Maybe they should consider it at least. And they will. Then they will see that those states, the ones that boast of the same ideology that you possess, aren’t quite so attractive after all. Those states there are no jobs. Employers have no interest in those states because there are no good employees to hire. Who could blame them? The schools are so underfunded that they cannot teach properly. Their infrastructure is on the brink of failing. The landscape is littered and pocked by industrial giants without the leash holding them to a standard befitting a first-world country. They have to BUY clean water because their taps and wells are unsafe to drink.
This is the moment when they will realize, they don’t want to be in a state like that. This is the moment they will realize they don’t want to be in a state you have been pushing us towards. This is the moment they will realize it isn’t people like me, standing up and trying to use what tiny voice I have to protest your reign of terror, aren’t the problem. This is the moment they will realize that in just three years we went from a proud member of the region to being the punch-line of another governor’s speech. And this, Mr. Walker, is the moment you will lose them, for good.
Sincerely,
A Proud Wisconsinite
Right on Jed!! Thank you.
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