Questions for Walker to Answer at Tonight’s Debate

MADISON, Wis. — In advance of tonight’s statewide television debate, One Wisconsin Now offered the following questions for Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker to answer about his tax cuts plan for the rich and big business and his failed management of Milwaukee County.

“People across Wisconsin have a right to know how Scott Walker would pay for his nearly $3 billion in tax cuts, loopholes and shift that unfairly benefit the rich and big business,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “Scott Walker needs to explain his failed record of mismanagement of Milwaukee County and the consequences for his constituents.”

One Wisconsin Now’s proposed questions (sources provided below):

1. With a projected $2.5 billion budget deficit, how can you pay for $3 billion in tax cuts, loopholes and shifts that benefit the rich and big business without slashing education, health care, police and fire protection?

2. What immediate changes have you made to your current failed policies of mismanagement and short-staffing of the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex that has resulted in tragic consequences, including deaths and sexual assaults?

3. Do you still support your policy of housing sexually-violent males with female mental health patients as a “tradeoff” to reduce violence between male patients?

4. You have punted responsibility or mismanaged three job creation and economic development offices as County Executive, so how can anyone trust you to create jobs?

5. As a member of the state legislature, you voted for five straight budgets that increased spending 84 percent – a $22 billion jump. As county executive, you proposed spending increases totaling 35 percent. How can you claim you will control spending?

6. Why are you proposing to slash BadgerCare benefits that provide access to health care coverage to children, expectant mothers and uninsured working Wisconsinites and how many children do you want to lose health care coverage?

7. Due to your failure to properly manage Milwaukee County’s food stamp call center, one in five deserving applicants was denied aid, 90 percent of calls were unanswered and the state had to take control of the program. What responsibility will you take for the failed management of the program?

8. How can you justify increasing your taxpayer-financed county pay by $50,000 a year in the midst of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression?

9. Do you continue to think it is wise to recommend to college students to quit school early like you recently said?

10. You have opposed investment through the Recovery Act, so would you have rejected the recently passed federal aid to education and Medicaid which provided Wisconsin with $365 million?

“We would be thrilled if Scott Walker would answer even one of these questions,” said Ross. “Perhaps he can write them Sarah Palin-style on his little brown bag and take it with him as a cheat sheet.”

For more information on Scott Walker’s record of failure as Milwaukee County Executive, visit www.ScottWalkerFailureFiles.com.

Question Sources:

1. Walker’s nearly $3 billion in tax cuts, loopholes and shifts include an first-of-its-kind income tax cuts just for the top one percent, those earning more than $225,000 a year ($287 million); reopening the Las Vegas corporate loophole for banks ($187 million); repeal changes made to the capital gains tax deduction that provides 70 percent of benefits to those making more than $200,000 a year ($243 million); shelter the assets of the wealthiest Wisconsinites even more by a radical end to tax paid on retirement income, regardless of income ($920 million); and shift tax revenue from new car sales into the transportation fund ($1 billion). [Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 2/23/09, 7/8/09, 1/25/10; “Upfront,” WISN-TV, 11/8/09; La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/09; Wisconsin State Journal, 6/20/10]

2. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/19/06; 3/29/06; 2/13/10; 11/23/10, 11/24/10

3. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/8/10

4. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/26/2008; Milwaukee County Executive Recommended Budgets: 2003-10

5. 1992 WI Act 269; 2001 WI Act 16; WI Legislative Fiscal Bureau; Milwaukee County Division of Fiscal and Budget Affairs

6. WISC-TV, 10/09/09

7. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/3/09

8. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/19/08

9. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/14/08

10. Wall Street Journal, 2/28/09; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/1/10