Republican lawmakers chip away at good government

Majority Republicans in the state legislature have an interesting way of dealing with government agencies that are effective but with which they disagree…get rid of them, even if their work is vital to good government in Wisconsin. And so they have proposed doing away with the Legislative Audit Bureau.

In a nutshell the bill’s authors, and whoever has put them up to it of course, want to get rid of the watchdog agency that independently reviews the finances and practices of state agencies…like the Wisconsin Economic Development Commission for example.

The lawmakers say it would be more efficient to have the audits done by – get this – inspectors working in the agencies being audited. Does ‘wolves guarding the henhouse’ ring a bell?

The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Common Cause in Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign are all denouncing the audacity of destroying a highly respected and needed government watchdog. We are too. And we suspect most of you agree.

We need more independent oversight of this bunch, not less. This bill is a perfect example of why.