Walker's War on Madison

I love Madison. For a smaller city, Wisconsin's capital has a lot going for it. The stores, the restaurants, the music, the art, and the people are wonderful. The city has the largest producers-only farmers' market in America. City boosters claim that Madison has more restaurants per capita than any other US city. There is always something interesting going on.

Madison's business climate is also great. Madison and Dane County have the lowest unemployment rate in the state. Dane county is a bright spot in the Wisconsin economy. Since 2011, an estimated sixty percent of state private-sector job growth occurred in the Madison metro area. A 2017 survey found Madison to be #10 of the top technology cities in the United States.

Madison's local government is also very effective. A 2013 study by 24/7 Wall Street found that Madison is the second best-run city in the entire US, topped only by Austin, Texas.

With everything that Madison has going for it, I was shocked by a recent tweet from Scott Walker that knocked the city. In a lame attempt to counter an announced candidacy for governor by Madison Mayor Paul Soglin, Walker wrote, "The last thing we need is more Madison in our lives."

The last thing we need is more Madison in our lives. @Paulsoglin is the latest extreme liberal who wants to take our state backward -- just like he did in Madison, where businesses have left and murders have gone up. We want to go forward.

— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) January 10, 2018

This is not the first time that Walker has used Madison as a boogeyman. In talking about the 2011 protests, Walker said "You've got a world driven by Madison, and a world driven by everybody else out across the majority of the rest of the state of Wisconsin."

Rather than supporting our capital city, Walker has done everything in his power to hurt Madison. The University is a major area employer. Walker has tried to rewrite UW's mission statement. He has caused an exodus of top faculty by weakening tenure. He has axed the University budget. His war on UW-Madison has been unrelenting.

It is odd that Walker hates the second largest city in Wisconsin. (Not that he is especially fond of Milwaukee). I would hope that he could be the leader of the entire state, not just the areas that overwhelmingly vote for him. It is amazing that the Governor tries to divide the state for his cynical political ambitions. It is astounding that Walker tries to build resentment against Madison in order to gain votes from less prosperous areas of the state.

Despite Walker's disdain, the quality-of-life in Madison is good. The city consistently ranks high on various surveys. In 2014, NerdWallet found Madison to be the "greenest city" in America. In 2014, Livability determined Madison to be the 3rd healthiest US city. Madison has been named the most bike-friendly city in the Midwest, and is #7 in the nation. 

At a time that Walker is spending your tax money to lure Millennials into Wisconsin, Forbes ranked Madison the third best city in the country for young people. The 2014 rating was based on job growth, unemployment rates, the number of residents with college degrees, the number of small businesses, the median salary, and the cost of living.

Based on similar criteria, last year, NerdWallet found Madison to be the #1 city in the country for recent college graduates. In 2011, Madison was found to be the most educated US city. An Expedia study ranked Madison as the second coolest city in America.

But Madison isn't just for young people. An AARP study from 2015 found Madison to be America's most livable medium-sized city for people over 50. A 2014 study from Milken Institute found Madison to be the best big city for successful aging.   

In 2015, Madison was ranked by Livability as the best overall place to live. So, by many polls and many criteria, Madison is a desirable place to be. As Wisconsinites, we should be proud of this national recognition for our capital.

Unlike Scott Walker, I would be happy with more "Madison in our lives". I would be fine with lower unemployment, a healthier environment, more bike-paths, and better restaurants. I would be fine with lots of high-paying technology jobs. I would be happy with a growing, vibrant economy and low crime rates. I would be elated if the policies that make Madison a wonderful place to live could be rolled-out to our entire state.