Monday, February 2, 2015

What Walker has, and will cost you, Bucky, by the numbers

As Walker prepares to unleash yet another state budget, I put together a few of his numbers in a shameless ripoff of the Harper's Index:
* Percentage of 250,000 new jobs created as Walker promised in a four-year term: 59.

* Though facing a budget shortfall as high as $2.2 billion, amount of new borrowing Walker will propose for more road-building: $1.3 billion.

* Including Wisconsin, the number of states to have reduced food stamp availability: four.

* Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia, unlike Wisconsin, have raised their minimum wages about $7.25/hr. Walker has said a minimum wage serves no purpose. The number of states that currently have no state-mandated minimum wage (the federal rate applies): Five.

Number of those states which are in the US South. Five.

* After the January release from custody of former Walker Milwaukee County Executive deputy chief of staff and convicted felon Tim Russell, number of top former Walker County aides who held the same position as Russell still appealing a conviction for felonious misconduct in Walker's County Executive office suite: One.

* Number of iron mining companies participating in drafting a permissive iron-mining bill promoted and signed by Walker. One.

* Number of companies which have engaged in preliminary iron-ore excavations and site work under the new law: One.

* Amount of billings by the company to the state under the news law for company excavation and site expenses: $280,000+.

* Amount of money that had been secretly transferred to Walker's 2012 campaign committee through an intermediary conservative advocacy group from that mining company: $700,000.

* Potential legal bill to Wisconsin taxpayers over the closure by the state under Walker of an Amtrak train assembly plant in Milwaukee and the cancellation of federally-funded Amtrak rail line construction between Madison and Milwaukee: $65.9 million.

*  Number of state airplane trips Walker made at taxpayer between Madison and Milwaukee in one recent six-month period: 44.

More archival work, here.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post! No wonder your pals at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel have always endorsed this guy -- HE'S GREAT!

Way to go, MJS!

I can't wait until they start writing non-endorsements to endorse Walker for PREZ!

Jim Limbach said...

I'm pretty sure Chris Cline will be getting more for his $700,000 investment. He didn't become a multibillionaire throwing that kind of money into the wind.

Anonymous said...

anon:

MJS faux political reporter must have read your post. Even though the rest of the media, including conservative business mag Forbes, have called out Walker for his insane pro-war "boot on the ground" gaff -- MJS is promoting this as a BIG BOLD IDEA and down-right presidential!

Check out the latest shameless propaganda:

Asked on ABC about Syria, Walker raises prospect of US boots on ground

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/290469921.html

Expect more, much much more.