10 March 2011

Was the passage of the budget repair bill about balancing the state budget?

Today at a press conference in Wausau, Governor Walker pronounced the passing of the budget repair bill.

“This is ultimately about reform and allowing us to move forward,” the Republican governor said during a brief news conference with reporters at the Wausau airport. “And, as we pointed out in the last week, it's about protecting jobs.”

http://wsau.com/news/articles/2011/mar/10/watch-governor-describes-benefits-budget-repair-bi/

That's interesting.  All this time I thought it was about balancing the budget, Governor Walker.  Why would anyone have thought that?  Governor Walker?

March 9, 2011: "This is about balancing the our budget."

March 1: "... balancing the budget through measures that generate savings at the state and local level."

February 18: "I think we’re focused on balancing our budget. It would be wise for the president and others in Washington to focus on balancing their budget, which they’re a long ways from doing,”

February 16: "The bottom line is the State is broke, we're going to balance the budget."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2bdxK7A2kE

And from his fellow republicans:
Rep. Evan Wynn (R–Whitewater) “Today I fulfilled my promises to the constituents of the 43rd Assembly District by casting my vote in favor of balancing Wisconsin’s budget – without job-killing tax increases.”

Leah Vukmir, February: "It's about balancing the budget."

Funny how the the story changed once the committee met to remove the fiscal characteristics of the bill and left only the removal of most collective bargaining rights and all for UW Health employees, created the avenue to restrict Medicaid cutting that will probably be many of the 1.2 million Wisconsinites from receiving health care.

In the end the republicans are forced to admit that gutting collective bargaining rights from public unions was not a budgetary issue.  As Sen. Fitzgerald told Megyn Kelly, "If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the union, what you're going to find is President Obama's going to have a much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin."

As Governor Walker explained in the infamous Koch call, we had to get ready to drop the "bomb".  So there it is then.  Governor Walker in Wausau confirmed what Sen. Fitzgerald had said earlier in the day.  Funny how the rest of us knew this weeks ago (see video below).

Now the question is: how will the people of Wisconsin respond to such deceitful tactics?  What results will come form the recall efforts? http://www.recalltherepublican8.com/

Legislators, lies do not become you.

Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive!
Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto vi. Stanza 17.



This is a video I found on the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation's website.  Although it's designed to show the protesters as ludicrous with the Curb Your Enthusiasmesque music and for their comparisons to Nazi Germany, which they probably are because Hitler busted all of the unions and sent all the labor leaders to prison, they turn out to be far more accurate in assessing the situation than Leah Vukmir (who should always be remembered for her striking comments during a medical marijuana hearing, "You can read all of the research you want, but there's no evidence that it [medical marijuana] is effective.")  Anyway, the video below is worth a few minutes.  (It should be noted that just 2 days ago Sen. Vukmir told a large crowd at the Wauwatosa library, "We are not taking away collective bargaining rights.")  Enjoy the film, Wisconsin Union Protest: Myth vs Fact.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcDnKQul_c8

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