So I was in a business Monday afternoon, and the manager behind the counter noticed I was wearing my "I voted early" sticker.
"You can do that? I didn't know that," she said.
A low-information voter, I thought.
"Yes, you can do that until the Friday before the election. In your town, city, or village hall.
And I took my shot.
"Want to know who I voted for?"
"OK, who'd you vote for?"
"Mary Burke," I answered.
"Oh, I don't know," she said. "I know there are still a lot of people out of work. I know a lot of people out of work. But do you really think she's ready?"
"Absolutely," I replied. "She's been vice-president of a really big corporation, she's on the Madison School Board and on the boards of five philanthropic groups."
"I don't know," the store manager said.
"Do you want to know why I think we should vote her in, and why I think we should vote Walker out?" I asked.
"OK," she said.
"Because Walker won't even say he'll finish out the term. We all know he wants to run for President. Why do we keep electing him to one job when he always wants another one? He had four years to create the jobs he said he would. It was his one big promise. And he didn't, but now he wants to go to something else and didn't finsh the work he said he'd do here."
"You know," the manager said. "That's a good point."
"Mary Burke said she wants just this position and will come in every morning to work hard at it for us, not to use the office to run for something else."
"OK. That's a good argument," the manager said.
In retrospect, it is a good argument:
"You can do that? I didn't know that," she said.
A low-information voter, I thought.
"Yes, you can do that until the Friday before the election. In your town, city, or village hall.
And I took my shot.
"Want to know who I voted for?"
"OK, who'd you vote for?"
"Mary Burke," I answered.
"Oh, I don't know," she said. "I know there are still a lot of people out of work. I know a lot of people out of work. But do you really think she's ready?"
"Absolutely," I replied. "She's been vice-president of a really big corporation, she's on the Madison School Board and on the boards of five philanthropic groups."
"I don't know," the store manager said.
"Do you want to know why I think we should vote her in, and why I think we should vote Walker out?" I asked.
"OK," she said.
"Because Walker won't even say he'll finish out the term. We all know he wants to run for President. Why do we keep electing him to one job when he always wants another one? He had four years to create the jobs he said he would. It was his one big promise. And he didn't, but now he wants to go to something else and didn't finsh the work he said he'd do here."
"You know," the manager said. "That's a good point."
"Mary Burke said she wants just this position and will come in every morning to work hard at it for us, not to use the office to run for something else."
"OK. That's a good argument," the manager said.
In retrospect, it is a good argument:
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
Why commit to Walker when he's not that into you?
Voters should reject Walker in November for using them to advance his career at their expense, but not being honest enough to say he has his eye on something bigger and would think nothing of kicking them to the curb.
In no other commitment situation - - pledging to a fiance, hiring a roofer, adopting a puppy - - would you get away with behaving like you'd walk away from your end of the bargain and lapsing into charade mode when directly confronted about your intention.
Beware an arrangement where the person signing on the dotted line is using disappearing ink.
You really used the Madison School Board as a model for her leadership on financial issues???
ReplyDeleteEven Tom Barrett recognized $25 million in savings for the city of Milwaukee because of ACT 10.
This was a really low information voter.
Good job, you reached one.
More things to life than taxes, kiddo. There's a reason Madison's the fastest-growing community in the state.
DeletePS- Act 10's "savings" weren't close to making up for the cuts to shared revenues done by the Fitzwalkerstanis. So it didn't help services or save property taxes.
Nice try, but big FAIL
Need more reasons to vote for Mary Burke? Read on. http://www.wisconsingazette.com/editorial/burke-has-the-skills-commitment-and-decency-wisconsin-needs-to-prosper.html
ReplyDeleteAnon 5:48 said, "You really used the Madison School Board as a model for her leadership on financial issues???"
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they read the article thoroughly.
From the Wisconsin Gazette article I linked to: "...A vote for Burke is far more than a vote against Walker. She is one of the strongest, most promising candidates running anywhere in the nation this year. Even Walker apologists have acknowledged how unique and qualified Burke is to lead the state.
In addition to holding a Harvard MBA, she’s a successful businesswoman with deep international experience. She established — from the ground up — European operations for Trek Bicycle Corp. Those operations have grown from $3 million to $50 million in revenue.
Burke understands how business operates. She knows how to balance a real-world budget and she understands the challenges facing the entrepreneurs and start-up companies that are the only hope for Wisconsin’s future...."
http://www.wisconsingazette.com/editorial/burke-has-the-skills-commitment-and-decency-wisconsin-needs-to-prosper.html
In addition, it is Scott Walker and the McIver Institute that claim Tom Barrett recognized $25 million savings. Mark Nicolini, the city budget manager said, "The governor's comments regarding Act 10's impact on the city's fiscal capacity overstates those savings while not reflecting the impact of reductions to state aids and grants since 2011 on the 2013 city budget. In addition, the relatively more restrictive state levy limits restrains the city's capacity to fund the continuing increases in police and fire operations, whose compensation costs for sworn employees are largely unaffected by Act 10 and other state legislative changes."
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/city-official-challenges-scott-walker-on-statement-over-act-10-savings-b9971636z1-218903641.html
@ cj
ReplyDeleteWonderful comment.
You didn't address one thing related to the Madison Board of Education refusal to implement ACT 10. Mary Burke has missed out on millions of dollars in savings that every other school district in Wisconsin, except it's twin MPS, has realized. Is this how she plans to govern the state? Money saved by other districts has been used to lower debt, purchase technology, increase teaching staff, downgrade OPEB liability, catch-up on deferred maintenance and increase fund balances.
Tell me about Mary Burke's business successes as a board member. It's a pretty big business.
Excellent post, CJ. But did you mean the McGruber Institute?
ReplyDelete