An open letter to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
By Joseph Randolph
web posted February 21, 2011
Dear Governor Walker:
Respectively accept my congratulations on a fine job over the past week for our state of Wisconsin. I must admit I have despaired of politicians such as you still existing, but apparently you have the courage and tenacity to stand for what this state and our country most need in a time of dire financial times. I was privileged to be at a Republican dinner in my area last weekend, and one of the local speakers predicted something like the kind of opposition you have seen to your proposal in Madison. But in that same context, he also said "fear not." These words would be my words to you Sir.
You of course will have to put on an extra coat or two or three or more of thick skins to your critics, for they will make every attempt to destroy you because you have dared to work toward some financial resolutions that they are too cowardly to even consider. "Realism" we call it Sir, and you are to be commended for taking the responsibility of addressing a financial crisis that demands we take account of reality.
Our state is filled with citizens who voted for you to do precisely this kind of thing, and I am sure that it fills them with pride that their governor is an object of national attention for doing it. Of course your critics think in some childish way that they are the courageous ones in opposing you; but, as you know, they were and are prepared to do nothing about the state of our finances until it is beyond any kind of repair. You Sir are trying to stop the bleeding; they are ready to act only when the body has become a corpse.
As you know our state is known and often touted for its progressivism, but you Sir have seen that the way of this route of very recent years is to ruin, financial and otherwise. If it is any consolation to you, your supporters have had some rancid situations to bear themselves, as this situation in Madison is a topic for conversation of many kinds—with of course your detractors being out in front with all sorts of uncivil things to say about a governor trying to bring some restraint in spending to a state given to spending money like a drunken sailor.
Of course if you make it through this ordeal there will be others, but not unlike this one. I know many Wisconsin citizens on the verge of retirement looking for another state to retire in because of the exorbitant taxes of this state. I love my state, but if I cannot afford to live in it as a retiree, then I cannot afford to live in it as a retiree. This thinking of course is lost on those who think wishful thinking is sufficient to nullify realities, but thankfully, you, nor most of the citizens of Wisconsin, think like that.
Keep up the good fight opposing those who do. And fear not. And thank you. 
Joseph Randolph is an academic and writer living in Wisconsin. His 2010 book Debilitating Democracy: Power From The People, is available from Wasteland Press and Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble. His email address is jqrandolph@hotmail.com.