Walker to continue his policy of budgeting on the backs of workers, poor, if elected Governor

Yesterday Walker announced that he would “borrow a page from his county budget strategy book” in reshaping the state budget if he’s elected Governor next year.

Let’s get specific about exactly what those strategies look like: 

1.) Unrealistic revenue projections that have led to repeated mid-year budget corrections (remember 2003?), resulting in pool closings, layoffs and other draconian cuts;

2.) Balancing the budget on the backs of workers and threatening layoffs to win employee concessions in the midst of a steep recession;

3.) Announcing cuts to social programs that provide a safety net to thousands of unemployed and low-income workers and their families;

4.) Privatizing jobs;

5. Waiting 7 years before creating an economic development program that’s little more than a marketing strategy;

6.) Repeatedly increasing bus fares, making them the highest in the nation, while cutting service and weakening the public transportation system;

7.) Playing politics with federal stimulus funding to help weather the economic crisis. 

And let’s not forget that Walker declared at the Wisconsin Republican convention earlier this year that he will “transform the governor from the “chief bureaucrat” to the state’s chief business advocate.” Because it just wouldn’t be fair to expect businesses to pay their fair share of taxes that pay for the roads, sewers, education system and other public infrastructure that they need in order to make a profit. 

Yes, this is exactly what Wisconsin needs the next governor to do to “reshape” the state budget.