"My mistake was, in my eagerness to get busy fixing the problems of our state, I didn’t spend enough time laying out what they were to the people of the state."

"We did not do enough to help people understand why we had chosen this path, how collective bargaining was hurting schools and local governments, and why reforming it was the only way to get our fiscal house in order," wrote Scott Walker in his book "Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge."

OWN UP TO YOUR MISTAKES 

Another important lesson is that when you screw up, own up to it.... At the same time, never apologize for doing the right thing. Some of my advisers wanted me to apologize to the state for the unrest over Act 10. That would have been a terrible mistake. Reforming collective bargaining was the right thing to do. Moreover, we never responded in kind to the provocations of the protesters, or did anything to bring dishonor to our state. Apologizing would have done nothing to win over those who were angry with me. And it would have dispirited those who stood with me— folks who supported me precisely because we stood on principle. While I did not apologize, I did acknowledge a critical error I made, which was not properly preparing the people of Wisconsin for our reforms. I was so eager to fix the problems we faced, I did not do enough to explain to people what they were or why our solutions were the right course. I’ve learned from that experience and applied those lessons when announcing subsequent reforms.

These passages came to mind today as I was trying to think about Walker's plan for the University of Wisconsin System. He's coming in for a lot of criticism, from people who are trying hard to stir up outrage and fear that the Republicans are out to wreck the University of Wisconsin. So where is the evidence that Walker has learned the lesson he wrote that he'd learned? Is he helping people understand why he has chosen this path? Is he properly preparing the people of Wisconsin for his reforms? I haven't seen it, and I constantly scan the news, especially the news about Wisconsin and the university where I have worked for so many years.