Stand With Governor Walker
Shulfer, a Walker supporter, releases a song to show support for Walker during the recall campaign.
When we faced an uphill climb, with a future not too bright. There was one man for the time, who was promising to fight. He would stand up for us all, when he tamed the status quo. And now he’s standing ten-feet tall, from Ashland to Monroe. We will stand with Governor Walker.
Recall effort begins
United Wisconsin files a petition to recall Walker and begins their campaign of collecting the 540,208 signatures necessary to trigger the election recall. Walker:
We’re going to be judged, whether it’s in 2012 or 2014, on what we’re doing on jobs and reform. I don’t think it changes what I focus on day to day.
Offends atheist group
Walker puts out a press release referring to the evergreen tree in the capitol as the Christmas tree instead of the holiday tree:
As the holiday season comes, I am excited to announce that the Christmas tree displayed in our State Capitol will have homemade ornaments created by Wisconsin’s youth.
The president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation considers the change rude and insensitive to non-Christians:
The reason that it was turned into a holiday tree was to avoid this connotation that the governor chooses one religion over another. It’s essentially a discourtesy by the governor to announce that. He intends that to be a slight and a snub to non-Christians, otherwise he would not do it.
Democrats seek recall
After losing four out of six recall elections against Republican senators, Democrats turn their eyes to recall Walker. Mike Tate, chairman of the state Democratic Party:
We will not stop, we will not rest … until we recall Scott Walker.
Walker says the public is tired of recalls:
Whether it’s a gubernatorial recall, or any other recall, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of enthusiasm for having a whole ‘nother wave of ads and money come into the state of Wisconsin.
Supports Walker recall
ThinkProgress asks Damon if he supports efforts to recall Walker because of his school budget cuts:
among other things, yeah.
Signs concealed-carry bill
Walker signs a bill allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons after going through training, passing a background check and obtaining a permit. The bill also bans guns from certain locations and allows private businesses to ban guns on their premises.
By signing concealed carry into law today we are making Wisconsin safer for all responsible, law abiding citizens.
Signs budget
Walker signs a two-year $66 billion budget that cuts almost $800 million from public schools, expands taxpayer support for private voucher schools, cuts taxes for businesses, and keeps property taxes the same, helping to eliminate a $3 billion deficit without raising taxes. It is estimated the state’s main account will have a $300 million surplus by June 2013. Walker uses his power to veto fifty items in the budget.
Our balanced budget makes tough choices while also providing a path to prosperity for our state and our people. Through honest budgeting, we are providing an alternative to the reckless tricks and gimmicks of the past. To move forward together, we are acknowledging that we have to make sacrifices to protect the next generation by decreasing the serious debt that they would otherwise inherit.
Assembly Minority Leader Barca criticizes Walker’s budget and vetoes as helping businesses but hurting the poor and middle class.
His vetoes don’t change the fact that his budget serves corporate special interests at the expense of Wisconsin’s small businesses and middle class. Time and again, Gov. Walker has gone out of his way to limit public scrutiny of his extreme agenda and it comes as no surprise that the governor used many of his vetoes to take away public accountability and further consolidate power in his administration.
Signs voter photo ID law
Walker signs a bill requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls.
To me, something as important as a vote is important whether it’s one case, one hundred cases or one hundred thousand cases. Making sure we have legislation that protects the integrity for an open, fair and honest election in every single case is important.
Refuses to defend gay law
Walker asks a judge to allow the state to stop defending a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin Family Action against a 2009 law that allows same-sex couples to form domestic partnerships so they may have some of the rights of married couples. Wisconsin Family action asserts that the 2009 law violates a 2006 amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriage or any similar arrangement. Walker’s chief counsel:
Governor Walker, in deference to the legal opinion of the attorney general that the domestic partner registry…is unconstitutional, does not believe the public interest requires a continued defense of this law.
Voids paid sick leave ordinance
Walker signs a bill voiding Milwaukee’s paid sick leave ordinance which was passed by a popular referendum. The ordinance required large businesses to provide nine days and small businesses five days of paid sick leave per year. The ordinance has been challenged in the courts and has never gone into effect.
This law removes another barrier in the road to creating 250,000 private sector jobs by 2015. Patchwork government mandates stifle job creation and economic opportunity. This law gives employers the flexibility they need to put people back to work and that makes Wisconsin a more attractive place to do business.
State debt House Committee testimony
Walker appears before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in a hearing titled “State and Municipal Debt: Tough Choices Ahead,” arguing that his decision to take away collective bargaining rights helps governments balance budgets:
For us, we’re giving state and local governments the tools they need not just to balance the budget for the next two years but for generations to come.
Chairman Issa approves of Walker’s actions:
[His] bold reforms seem reasonable to those of us in Washington who understand that our retirement and health care system at the federal level is not subject to collective bargaining.
Committee Member Cummings disagrees:
I strongly oppose efforts to falsely blame middle-class American workers for these current economic problems. He went much further by attempting to strip government employees of their collective bargaining rights. He demanded numerous provisions that had nothing to do with the state’s budget, had no fiscal impact.
When asked how much money the state saved by taking away certain provisions in collective bargaining rights, Walker responds that it doesn’t.
Requests federal funds
Walker requests at least $150 million in federal funds to upgrade the Milwaukee-Chicago train lines after turning down $810 million in federal funds to build a high speed rail between Milwaukee and Madison citing a waste of taxpayer money. He sees the main difference being that the demand on the Milwaukee-Chicago line is established and growing:
You’ve got a proven commodity here, and we’re making it better.
Milwaukee Alderman Bauman criticizes Walker for requesting funds he earlier rejected:
Now here we’re applying for the same federal stimulus money, the exact same source of money, and somehow this is wonderful and good and this is going to promote the economic fortunes of southeastern Wisconsin.
Signs bill
Walker signs a bill to take away most of the union’s collective bargaining rights. The State Assembly stripped the budget repair bill of its spending language so they were not required to have a quorum of members present since the Democratic senators still refuse to return to the Senate.
What we’re doing here, I think, is progressive. It’s innovative. It’s reform that leads the country, and we’re showing there’s a better way by sharing in that sacrifice with all of us in government.
Democrats and union leaders continue to oppose the Republican bill. Senate minority leader Miller:
Republicans may have achieved a short-term policy goal, but their radical agenda, the war on working families, has been exposed, and the people of Wisconsin and across the country are united against it as never before.
Issues layoff notices
0 CommentsWalker issues notices to state unions of the possibility of laying off 1,500 state employees beginning early April if the Senate Democrats do not return to constitute a quorum to vote on the budget repair bill. He continues to refuse to compromise on his bill:
I can’t take any of that off the table. We cannot tear apart this budget. We cannot put this burden on local governments. But if there are other ways they are willing to work with us to find a pathway back, I think that’s what the people want.
Proposes no-tax-raise budget
Faced with a $3.6 billion deficit, Walker proposes his first State budget promising to fill in the gap without raising taxes. His budget reduces spending by $4.2 billion cutting more than $1.25 billion in aid to schools and local governments. He emphasizes that if the legislature passes his budget repair bill, then the aid will not be missed because governments will be able to cut contributions to employees’ health and pension plans. He is also cutting $500 million from Medicaid, $250 million from higher education, and eliminating 21,325 full-time state jobs.
We need a leaner and cleaner state government. As we decrease spending, we also increase flexibility so local government and state government have the tools to deal with reduced revenue.
Heritage Foundation interview
In an interview with The Heritage Foundation, Walker discusses his reasons for reducing union employee benefits and abolishing their collective bargaining rights because governments are broke and can’t afford to continue subsidizing unions.
When the private sector is paying . . . twice what we’re talking about for health care . . . it’s realistic that at a tough time, when the private sector . . . has been making sacrifices to keep people working, we should expect the same from government. . . . I saw it first hand as a county official when I tried to do things like ask for a little more from pensions . . . or even tried to do a thirty-five hour work week, as in a way to avoid layoffs, the union leadership basically said, ‘forget it, go lay five, six hundred people off, we don’t care.’ They know the power of collective bargaining forces local governments not to be able to make those sorts of reasonable decisions.
No compromise
Unions agree to concessions on their benefits if Walker agrees not to take away their collective bargaining rights. A union director:
We are prepared to implement the financial concessions proposed to help bring our state’s budget into balance, but we will not be denied our God-given right to join a real union . . . we will not – I repeat we will not – be denied our rights to collectively bargain.
Walker refuses to compromise because collective bargaining prevents the flexibility governments need to manage their budgets.
It doesn’t work. My goal all along has been to give all these folks – I asked for it in the past – the tools to control their own budgets . . . I know as a (former) local official, collective bargaining time and time again was the thing that stood in the way of local governments and school districts being able to manage their budgets. Let’s not kid ourselves. The reality is, it’s about the money.
Tells Democrats to return
Democratic senators flee to Illinois so the Senate does not have a quorum to vote on Walker’s budget repair bill saying they need more time to debate and understand the bill. Senate minority leader Miller:
This is a watershed moment unlike any that we have experienced in our political lifetimes. The people have shown that the government has gone too far. . . . We are prepared to do what is necessary to make sure that this bill gets the consideration it needs.
Walker tells the Democrats to return to the state and
do the job they’re paid to do. It’s either a matter of making reductions and making modest requests of our government employees or making massive layoffs at a time when we don’t need anyone else laid off.
Refuses to negotiate
Walker refuses to negotiate with unions over his plan to reduce their benefits which will cost the average employee 8% of his or her salary.
I don’t have anything to negotiate. We are broke in this state. We have been broke for years. People have ignored that for years, and it’s about time somebody stood up and told the truth. The truth is: We don’t have money to offer. We don’t have finances to offer. This is what we have to offer.
Budget repair bill
Walker plans to reduce the $137 million state deficit by requiring state employees to contribute 5.8% to their pensions and 12.6% to their health care, and forbidding them to negotiate for anything but their wages. If the budget isn’t cut then 6,000 state employees will be laid off and more than 200,000 children will be removed from the Medicaid program. Democrats and unions oppose the plan. A union director:
Even if you don’t like unions, surely we all can agree that anti-freedom attacks that deny public employees the right to negotiate a fair contract . . . are outrageous and wrong.