Thursday, February 28, 2019

Evers WI budget 3 R's: Repair, and Republican Rejection

I'm thinking that Wisconsin teacher-turned-Governor Evers' first budget handed to legislators tonight will be ignored by a roomful of students where more than half are OK with their D's and F's.

Democrat's and discerning viewers, however, will use the presentation as it's intended: a road map to what needs repair or a fresh start - - after eight years of Scott Walker ideological, intentional and neglect - - from the roads to health care to education to clean water to basic tax and redistricting fairness.


And you will see the Republican legislative leadership's instant 'no, never' already displayed by GOP shadow governor and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and no doubt practiced in front of the mirror so often today that he's risking lockjaw.


For Vos & Co., their likely one-note reply has a repetitive one-size-fits-all origin story: the less money they collect in taxes from their corporate donors, the more business-sector donations flow into GOP campaign coffers while a deliberately underfunded public sector 'proves' the Republican narrative that government doesn't work.


Which means until fair elections are restored in Wisconsin - - and watch GOP legislators line-up to be the first to trash Evers' call for a new, fair redistricting process - - we will not have the basics which are affordable - - good roads, accessible health care, high-quality classrooms, safe drinking water and a public sector that is revived, respected and relevant will be difficult-to-impossible to attain.


While a self-absorbed Republican Party continues to sell gimmicks and counterfeit committees which have no real weight or integrity and spend public money on itself instead on everyday citizen needs' statewide.


As the Evers budget moves to the legislature's finance committee where Vos-Fitzgerald special-interest-protection Republicans can rewrite it with their 12-4 majority, taxpayers who don't have their own PACs or in-house campaign donation bundlers will be looking at different numbers and their consequences which are in plain, disturbing sight:


* Will it take more that one infant death linked to unsafe drinking water to move GOP legislators from CAFO obeisance to clean water action?


*  Why are we each spending thousands of dollars a year on legacy Scotthole repair bills and related roadway neglect?

*  How many more counties will be added to the DNR's chronic deer wasting disease effected counties list. The number under do-nothing Walker and GOP legislators-in-thrall-to-deer farms grew to 55 out of 72.













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