Editorial: McCallum lives large at expense of taxpayers
An editorial
October 6, 2002
We almost believe Gov. Scott McCallum's claim that he did not know how he got the free use of a $20,000-plus, 21-foot fishing and ski boat during his first summer in the governor's mansion.
The Mercury Marine craft, with its really cool 200-horsepower outboard motor, was apparently placed at the end of the gubernatorial pier by Forward Wisconsin, a taxpayer-funded organization that seems to be in the business of securing corporate freebies for the governor.
McCallum claims he did not know that Forward Wisconsin - the president of which donated $8,000 to the governor's election campaign fund - secured the big boat from Mercury for the governor's use. Comments from the chief of Forward Wisconsin suggest otherwise. But McCallum will stick to that story because, if he acknowledged any knowledge, he and Mercury would be in serious ethical and legal trouble. (It's illegal for governors to use their positions to secure corporate gifts, and it's illegal for corporations that lobby the state to give them.)
Whether he knew where that big boat came from or not, however, McCallum had no qualms about using it. He admits that he took it out on fishing trips and pleasure cruises, and that his children did the same.
McCallum says that when he saw a brand new boat at the end of the mansion's pier he just figured it was another "benefit" of his position. To paraphrase the chief executive: "Why should I ask whether I'm being taken care of by the taxpayers or a big corporation? The only thing that matters to me is that I get the perks."
As Wisconsinites know, you don't get between McCallum and his perks.
After 14 years stuck in the lieutenant governor's office, McCallum entered the governor's office in 2001 determined to squeeze every last advantage he could out of the position he inherited.
And he has done just that.
When McCallum travels from Madison to Janesville, he does not drive like other Wisconsinites. He flies, and he bills the taxpayers $2,600. The governor has gotten so used to traveling on the taxpayers' dime that, one day last year, he flew to Milwaukee twice - billing the taxpayers at a rate of $1,336 an hour for fuel and the salaries of two pilots.
When McCallum isn't flying, he is driven in a state car by a state driver to million-dollar fund-raising events that are closed to working Wisconsinites who cannot afford the tickets - because working Wisconsinites have to pay for their own cars.
Remember when the governor's son needed a driving permit? McCallum's state-paid aides called the Department of Motor Vehicles and made special arrangements so that McCallum and his son would not have to wait in line like other Wisconsinites. The governor claimed he wanted to spend time with his son. It turns out that McCallum and his son whisked through the DMV office in barely 10 minutes. That same week, the governor spent more than 10 hours arranging and attending campaign fund-raising events.
And don't forget that this governor receives an executive-level salary, which is paid for - along with his state-of-the-art health benefits and top-shelf pension - by the taxpayers of Wisconsin.
No wonder the governor is filling the television airwaves with negative campaign commercials in order to keep the job. He's not ready to give up the good life.
The views in this space are provided by The Capital Times, Dane County's afternoon newspaper.
Published: 11:25 AM 10/03/02
 Email this story to a friend
|
