This week's dumping of TWO BILLION gallons of human excrement-laden water into Lake Michigan further cements Tom Barrett's MMSD as the single-largest polluter in the state of Wisconsin. While last week's flooding in southeastern Wisconsin may have been extraordinary, the discharge into the lake was business as usual for Barrett's beleaguered sewerage district. I see the Dem party is making a big deal of how two days after the flooding Barrett was on hand for some photo-ops. Well, considering Barrett's sewerage district has been continually responsible for polluting the lake and filling thousands of basements with poop, the least he could do was to smile for the camera and say: "I care."

The criticism was about the county exec, Mr. Walker, being AWOL as usual when the people of Milwaukee County were looking for answers from him. But instead, Walker gallivanted across northern Wisconsin, as part of the campaign for governor he’s been running pretty much since he became county executive lo those eight years ago. While Mayor Barrett spent his time meeting with citizens in need and mobilizing forces of support, Walker was campaigning in Eau Claire, Wausau, Green Bay and Pulaski. Oh, how Scott Walker loves a parade.

Um, when your basement is flooded with knee-deep raw sewage and all the beaches are closed because BILLIONS of gallons of raw sewage has been dumped into the Lake by Barrett's MMSD, real people don't give damn which politician is posing for holy pictures on the news. As for staying in town, Barrett's unwillingness to travel the state for his 'campaign' is nothing new. He's been a reluctant candidate from day one. Moreover, he could have six photo ops a day from now until he retires and that won't change the fact that the week before the flood, Barrett's sewerage district dumped yet another 674 MILLION gallons of untreated sewage into Lake Michigan. Scot, a farmer has a cow break through a fence and poop in a stream and he could face the full wrath of the DNR. Barrett? Apparently MMSD is immune from such scrutiny. Oh, but we MUST appreciate the fact that after Barrett's sewerage district polluted the lake and thousands of basements, he was in Milwaukee, on TV, 'Taking Charge.' How about he takes some responsibility?

If after the numerous multi-jurisdictional issues which happened as results of a record-setting rainfall, you are ready for Barrett to be castigated for the sewer system and the beaches, I guess I’ll have no problem in finding all of the criticism leveled against Walker for allowing sewage from five different Milwaukee County pipes to foul and close Bradford Beach just a few short years ago. Hold on. Googling. Still Googling. Nah, nothing. No thunderous right wing indignation about the budget cuts which led to pipe failure and Bradford contamination and closure. Or did I miss something?

Fact: Tom Barrett controls who runs MMSD. Fact: MMSD is repeatedly the largest polluter in the state of Wisconsin. Fact: In his first year as mayor, Barrett supported MMSD's misguided efforts to focus not on the real problem of combined sanitary and storm sewers, but rather tangential issues. Oh, and he launched a PR campaign to lower people's expectations. Yep, when it comes to Tom Barrett, lower your expectations. We hear that a lot. Scott Walker's political opponents are whining about his campaign operations because they desperately want to take the focus off of Barrett's abysmal environmental record. So, congrats to Barrett for holding some televised photo ops a couple of days after the rain stopped. Photo ops are nice. But here are the devastating pictures voters across Wisconsin will remember in November -- evidence of Barrett's environmental stewardship and leadership. He wants to be the steward of all of Wisconsin's land and waterways? Look at all that crap in Lake Michigan. Thanks Mayor Barrett. Heckuva job!

I guess if you work towards finding common-sense solutions, like Mayor Barrett has done, you’re wrong in the eyes of conservatives. Only if you offer empty platitudes and Tea Party-pandering Fox News talking points are you showing leadership. Why don't we roll out the Walker playbook for real problem solving? 1. Offer tax cuts to the rich paid for by slashing education, health care and police and fire protection; 2. Deregulate big business; 3. End BadgerCare assistance to children and working people without health care coverage; 4. Destroy public infrastructure and mismanage public services; 5. Blame working people. And hell if that doesn’t work, the lastest gem, actually call for cutting telephone assistance for job-seeking poor people. Now, that’s a heckuva job, Scotty.