Walker, Texas Raider: Gov. Traveling to Lone Star State Corporate Event; More Unlimited Campaign Cash

MADISON, Wis. — The awful news this week about nearly 10,000 jobs being lost in Wisconsin has not stopped Gov. Scott Walker from his efforts to crisscross the country and raise unlimited campaign contributions the latest being an announcement he will keynote an event in Texas, hosted by that state’s leading corporate-funded public policy outfit.

A copy of the invitation noting Walker’s keynote address obtained by One Wisconsin Now is available here.

“Despite 10,000 jobs lost in Wisconsin last month, Gov. Scott Walker proves that grabbing unlimited sums of campaign cash remains his ‘Job One,’” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “’Walker, Texas Raider’ handed out corporate tax breaks and now he’s off to take unlimited corporate special interest cash.”

The January 12-13 event is hosted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, the Lone Star State’s leading corporate special interest propaganda organization. Over half of TPPF’s operational funds come from corporate interests and the organization is stocked with corporate lobbyists and former members of Gov. Rick Perry’s team. The group appears deeply connected to the American Legislative Exchange Council, going so far as to issue a report titled, “Don’t be a Smart-ALEC on Crime: Model Legislation to Enhance Public Safety By Strengthening Community Corrections.”

Gov. Walker has passed a number of ALEC’s top policy positions on a range of issues, including anti-public education, anti-corporate accountability, anti-consumer and pro-voter suppression. He has also passed $2.3 billion in new corporate tax breaks and tax breaks for the wealthy while gutting public education, raising student loan debt and preparing to cut 65,000 Wisconsinites, including 29,000 children, from access to health care.

A campaign contributor to Gov. Walker previously filed papers to recall the governor, giving him 11 extra days to raise unlimited campaign cash in advance of the announced date that grassroots organizations were filing official recalls papers against him.

Texas currently ranks near the bottom in the nation in several critical categories, including: Children without health care coverage (48th), adults without health care coverage (50th) and performance on the ACT and SAT (44th). Wisconsin previously ranked near the top in all of these categories.

“As Gov. Walker continues to dismantle Wisconsin’s education and health care system to serve corporate special interests, it does makes sense he’s spending our tax dollars to go to Texas,” said Ross. “With reports about Gov. Walker doubling his personal security costs compared to our last governor, it remains to be seen how much more we will continue to have to pay to finance his security and travel as he sucks up as much corporate special interest cash from sea to shining sea as he can carry.”