Will Walker Answer Three Simple Questions at Tonight’s Debate?

“Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, has yet to state publicly what cuts he would make, though his campaign says he will in the coming weeks.” [Appleton Post-Crescent, 6/13/10]

MADISON, Wis. — Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker owes Wisconsin the answers to three questions he has ducked and avoided for months and One Wisconsin Now is encouraging him to answer them during this evening’s gubernatorial debate.

“Scott Walker has been promising tax breaks for the rich and big business, has pledged to cut 400,000 working adults and their children from BadgerCare and has increased Milwaukee County’s debt by 85 percent,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “Wisconsin has questions about this and Walker owes Wisconsin answers.”

One Wisconsin Now detailed three questions Walker needed to answer during the debate:

1. You have promised an impossible $3.8 billion in tax breaks, loopholes and shifts which overwhelmingly benefit the rich and big business. Coupled with the state’s conservative predictions of a $2.7 billion projected deficit, this would require slashing almost $6.5 billion from education, health care, police and fire protection.
   With a $7 billion tab, how can you pay for tax cuts for the rich and big business and close the state budget deficit without drastically slashing education, health care and police and fire protection?
2. For nearly a year, you traveled Wisconsin saying you would put a time limit on BadgerCare, which would cut 350,000 people from the plan. Abruptly, you said instead you would cut employed families, which would cut 400,000 people from the plan.
   Are you planning to cut 350,000 people from BadgerCare, or will it be 400,000 working adults and their children cut from BadgerCare?
3. You have said you cut the county budget debt between 10 and 30 percent, but financial records and one of your own top administration officials admitted the “county debt has risen 85 percent under” your administration.
   After misrepresenting the fact your financial mismanagement has caused an 85-percent increase in Milwaukee County debt, how can you be trusted to balance a budget?

Sourcing:

1. “UpFront”, WISN-TV, 11/8/09; La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/09; “Here and Now,” Wisconsin Public Television, 9/17/10; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 02/23/09, 01/25/10, 07/08/09, AB74; Wisconsin State Journal, 6/20/10; Walker Press Release, 6/23/08, 5/21/09; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 2/23/09, 7/8/09; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/02/09, 9/12/10, 9/20/10]
2. Walker-Neumann Debate, 8/25/10; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/26/10; WISC-TV, 10/9/09, 9/22/10; “On the Issues with Mike Gousha,” 3/11/10; Appleton Post-Crescent, 6/16/10; Wispolitics.com, 3/10; “Charlie Sykes Insight 2010,” WTMJ, 3/1/10; Wisconsin Department of Health Services]
3. “Meet Scott Walker,” Walker for Governor website; Scott Walker State of the County Address, 1/12/10; Scott Walker 2011 County Budget Address, 9/30/10; Walker-Barrett Debate, 9/24/10; “For the Record,” WISC-TV, 1/29/10; “On the Issues, with Mike Gousha,” WISN-TV, 2/28/10; Walker at Marquette Law School, 3/11/10; Walker GOP Convention Acceptance Speech, 5/22/10; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/3/10More information about Scott Walker’s record of mismanagement and the disastrous results can be found at http://www.ScottWalkerFailureFiles.com.