Those folks who are defining right-wing GOP Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's re-election budget as a "liberal" document should slow down and look at how substantially it hammers the liberal City of Milwaukee, its residents, schools and transit system:
* By changing the way UW campuses can collect and allocate student fees, the Walker budget projects a bite out of the City bus system that serves the Madison campus. Some liberal budget, messing with a local transit system - - any city's transit system. Will local riders and taxpayers have to fill in the hole Walker creates in their budget?
* And by enforcing state controls over how Madison choses to negotiate with its teachers over healthcare payments - - remember when the Wisconsin GOP championed local controls, because local residents knew what was best for their communities? - - Walker is threatening the Madison Public Schools with the possible loss of $16 million.
Verona and Monona Grove are similarly at risk. They were warned, they were given an explanation, but they persisted.
See the pattern there? State control over local control, or governance from the Governor's Office, because he can.
* And is it "liberal" to propose upending long-standing and popular state employees' health plans through state-provided 'self-insurance', including popular, low-cost group health coverages serving thousands in the Madison area? Are more traditional private-sector insurers the winner in such a re-madesystem?
Follow the contributions, should the Walker plan be approved.
Time will tell.
One thing is for sure: there's always a kick at the Madison cat, from this guy.
* By changing the way UW campuses can collect and allocate student fees, the Walker budget projects a bite out of the City bus system that serves the Madison campus. Some liberal budget, messing with a local transit system - - any city's transit system. Will local riders and taxpayers have to fill in the hole Walker creates in their budget?
* And by enforcing state controls over how Madison choses to negotiate with its teachers over healthcare payments - - remember when the Wisconsin GOP championed local controls, because local residents knew what was best for their communities? - - Walker is threatening the Madison Public Schools with the possible loss of $16 million.
Verona and Monona Grove are similarly at risk. They were warned, they were given an explanation, but they persisted.
See the pattern there? State control over local control, or governance from the Governor's Office, because he can.
* And is it "liberal" to propose upending long-standing and popular state employees' health plans through state-provided 'self-insurance', including popular, low-cost group health coverages serving thousands in the Madison area? Are more traditional private-sector insurers the winner in such a re-madesystem?
Follow the contributions, should the Walker plan be approved.
Time will tell.
One thing is for sure: there's always a kick at the Madison cat, from this guy.
While the MMSD Board didn't know this specific budget item was coming, they did anticipate cuts of some sort and were able to pass an operating referendum. That will help MMSD weather this budget. Monona Grove and Verona are growing quickly enough that they should also be able to keep some independence although that remains to be seen. The real losers in this budget are the small rural districts who will receive very small increases in per pupil revenue that was designed to barely keep up with inflation. It is a given that Milwaukee will be kicked in ribs again. While School Boards and the state Superintendent are relieved that in general schools are not being cut, voucher schools are still getting more money and a bigger per pupil increase than public schools in this budget.
ReplyDelete