Sunday, May 19, 2013

Vukmir Slams Milwaukee Workers

The following is from State Senator Leah Vukmir's newsletter (emphasis mine):
The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has approved a budget We are one step closer to abolishing this rule that prevents the best and brightest teachers, police officers and firefighters from choosing to work in Milwaukee. The Senate and Assembly will take up the budget measure next month and if approved, will head to the Governor’s desk to become law. I’m excited that the Governor stands with me on this. This is about freedom and choice for the family unit. It’s also crucial that we end residency rules so we don’t limit the pool of qualified applicants for any city or county position. Milwaukee Public Schools are one of only two major metropolitan school districts in the country (Chicago) to have teacher residency requirements and are expected to need to hire 700 new teachers before next school year. The residency rule in Milwaukee has been in place since 1938.
measure to abolish residency requirements throughout the state of Wisconsin. The plan gives non-emergency workers and school district employees the choice to live where they want. A compromise was reached on emergency personnel. Police, fire and other emergency workers can live 15 miles outside the boundary of the city or county government in which they are employed. I've fought hard to eliminate residency requirements. For the past 10 years of my legislative career, I have worked tirelessly to end the archaic rules of residency that prohibit many employees from living outside of the city in which they work.
Excuse me, but what?

Is she really saying that the only way Milwaukee would have the "best and brightest" teachers, police officers and firefighters if we went out of the city to get them?

Did she miss the story of Vidal Colon, whose heroics earned him a chance to be honored by America's Most Wanted? Per Vukmir, Colon, a Milwaukee resident, is a slacker even though he did this:
The officer responded to a domestic disturbance complaint Saturday night. The suspect ran. The officer chased. According to the police chief, the confrontation ended in moments in a blast of gunfire.

Fresh from a spring vacation, Milwaukee's police chief took time out Monday morning to survey the scene of Saturday's shootout.

"It's really quite startling to look at it first hand and see what an extraordinarily brave act our officer committed and the extraordinarily intimate surroundings in which this occurred," Milwaukee police Chief Ed Flynn said.

Flynn said Officer Vidal Colon was chasing the suspect through a gangway when the 45-year-old man opened fire."The officer was wounded and went down. (He) continued to exchange fire with a suspect who went down, and both were on the ground shooting at each other before this gun battle ended. Mercifully, without the loss of our officer's life," Flynn said.

The officer shot the suspect five times. The suspect hit Colon twice in the legs and once in the stomach. The officer wasn't wearing a bullet-proof vest. They're not required to.

"I spoke to him yesterday (Sunday)and he had already gotten the stern lecture from his lovely wife, Tina, that he's never leaving the house again for the rest of his career without his body armor on. He did not have it on," Flynn said.

Colon is home recovering. His wife told WISN 12 News reporter Colleen Henry he has no comment.
And as far as teachers go, I would feel very safe in saying that Jay Bullock or our young friend on his Soapbox is worth any ten of her voucher school teachers.

I find it rather insulting that Vukmir would even suggest that the people who have enough pride in their community to work and live in Milwaukee are not the brightest or the best.

Given her extreme right-wing stance on everything*, including being a dyed-in-the-wool ALEC stooge, it would not surprise me if that the real reason for her to push so hard on destroying the residency rules is to further promote white flight and make the Milwaukee area even more segregated, ensuring it keeps its ranking as the most segregated region in the country for years to come.

Then again, it could be simple projection.  If she is the best and brightest of her district, the people might want to vote for someone outside of the district to be their next Senator.

*Vukmir does have the standard stance towards marriage and families.  Just ask her ex-husband.

7 comments:

  1. I believe she is saying just that. And the one exception you cite won't fill 700 jobs. The best and brightest won't live in Milwaukee, and I don't blame them. They can live somewhere nicer, safer, and cleaner. Why? Because they are the best.

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  2. Yippee! Now my suburban house within commuting distance of Milwaukee just increased in value!

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  3. Living in Tosa or wherever does not make you the best and brightest. 5:12 - you're assuming a great deal. As they do now - I hope they continue to give extra points for those living in the city.

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  4. Vukmir is insulting every F,T &P currently working for the Citybif Milwaukee. Shame in her.

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  5. What a piece of work, we might want to take the time to ask her EX-HUSBAND how she feels on family values (sarcasm). There would be no better teachers, firefighters, police officers or any other positions to fill other than from within the city becausae they know the city and what it takes to live there. They would know the people, the cities language of movement, how to associate in areas. This woman is an idiot, I am not from Milwaukee but I can not think that bringing people in from outside your city would be an answer.

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  6. So that child from Milwaukee will be dealing with issues a suburbanite couldn't even fathom let alone empathize with that child over. That child will look at him/her and quickly realize this person doesn't understand as they likely haven't been exposed to gang violence, drug dealers, or the local pimp and his band of prostitutes. These kids have no safe places left, no role models to show them they can truly make it. The solution in their eyes will be leaving the city as their teachers have. I grew up on the northwest side of Milwaukee. I encountered gang members, drug dealers, was jumped by a group of thugs, was shot at with a small caliber handgun because some girl thought I liked her boyfriend when I was 13, had a gun held to my head when a guy thought I stole his necklace (my friend had apparently), was exposed to all kinds of drug dealers and even met a few pimps. Luckily I had enough people in my life to show me how to navigate the world without illegal activities. None of them were from the suburbs and most of them were teachers. Now I'm an RN and live in Wauwatosa because I want a safe community for my kids. The schools are expensive but the kids have art, music, and gym. The MPS school they attended a couple of years ago started out great, but was overrun with violence even teachers were in fear. 30+ behavior problems without a teachers aid was insane. You aren't going to get the "highest quality" teachers from the burbs with the conditions that exist for these students. They try hard to maintain a safe, productive environment but there is so much one person can do. I would volunteer to help tutor students and assist the teacher one day a week and many of those kids were starved for attention and affection. Their moms (many had absentee dads) worked so much they couldn't be the parent they needed or wanted to be. I had a few of these kids calling me mom because I gave them a kind smile and my time. If people were truly committed to improving the lives of these kids they would do that, give of their time and volunteer. The rewards would be felt for years to come. Now I work in mental health and much of my time is devoted to helping these kids once problems have occurred. We could prevent a lot of it though. So 'burbanites you wanna help the kids of Milwaukee? Go there and give them your time, be a mentor, be a tutor, be someone important in their lives now so they don't learn to survive by robbing you at gunpoint. All of us are to blame for the failures we have perpetuated. Opening residency requirements isn't going to fix this problem.

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    1. That had to be one of the best comments I have ever seen. Ever.

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