Les Beastiables ("Les Bez"): Beasties say the darnedest things!
The second casualty of the Republican Presidential campaign is Scott Weaselker, seen here as we first portrayed him as one of Les Beastiables in full delusion-of-grandeur mode.
NOTE FOR NEW READERS: This series features Les Beastiables cartoons every Wednesday about 1:30-2:00 PM Eastern. We indulge in a little Franglish because the French are tres classy. But I digresse.
But Weaselker was so much less. A partial list of his actions as Wisconsin governor that make him unfit as Presidential material includes (h/t Puddytat):
* Union busting
* Taking 18% from the paychecks of all public employees
* Tax breaks for the rich
* WEDC subsidies for the corporate
* Repeal of living wage law
* Says minimum wage is "lame"
* Kicked 80,000 people off Medicaid
* Drug testing for food stamps, etc.
* Defunded Planned Parenthood
* TRAP laws
* Restricted abortions
* Mandatory ultrasounds
* Hates minorities
* Destroyed Wisconsin's economy.
Sayonara, Governor Weaselker. Our condolences, Wisconsin. We're not letting you get rid of him that easily.
Let's make this a participatory diary: I have run out of time for tracking these issues down. So if you know of good sources for these, please add them in the Comments. I'll update as more information comes in.
For serious information on this louse of a governor who would have been a lousier President, please join me below the orange squirming of beasties on the hot seat. As always I also have cute new photos for you at the end of this section so you can "cleanse your palate".
Union busting: According to the Washington Monthly (Scott Walker's Real Legacy), Governor Walker stripped public-sector unions of their rights to collective bargaining and to collect dues, and undercut private-sector unions by signing "right to work" legislation. The only survivors: Police and firefighters' unions. For an excellent analysis of what he did and what it meant for Wisconsin, please see the article above. According to In These Times, however, the results of Governor Walker's actions in Wisconsin were a $210 million deficit and a rank of 35th among states in job creation. They believe that the unpopularity of Walker's campaign was actually in large part due to his union busting, that he is out of step with the rest of America.
An 18% pay cut: The same bill that destroyed the unions, Act 10, also newly required public employees to contribute 5.8% of their salaries toward their pensions and 12.6% toward health insurance premiums, for a total of 18.4% in new out-of-pocket expenses.
Tax breaks for the rich: According to Forbes Magazine, Walker cut taxes for businesses relocating to Wisconsin, manufacturing and agriculture, capital gains when investing in Wisconsin, and a variety of business functions, as well as some income and property taxes both corporate and individual. As a result, according to Politicus USA (Scott Walker Wrecks Wisconsin), revenue sank lower than expected and job growth was lower than the national average. Even so, he seeks to lower taxes for the rich even more. The definition of insanity.
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Two down, 15 to go. Beastliness remembered is beastliness held accountable. We will have some retrospective chortles as their ineptitude causes them to run home with their tails between their legs. Which is really primarily relief that they are not going to endanger the rest of us any longer. Please consider this an open thread, discuss in the Comments, and feel free to post your own links.
As promised, just for fun here are photos of young weasels and cats. Because everything's cuter with cats!
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