That is Governor Walker’s defense of his plans to effectively legislate the public service unions out of existence. Yesterday I linked to Assemblyman Mark Pocan’s blog in (a view from the inside). Like Mr. Pocan, I could find no searchable public statement where Walker claimed this was a promise. So, I widened my search.
The trusted site Politifact is tracking 60 of Walker’s promises . None of these remotely comes close to the elimination of the unions. But if Scotty is going to keep all his campaign promises during the budget crisis, how will he pay for them all. Here is a list compiled by OneWisconsinNow.org of all the promises and the reporting on same:
• $287 million - Cut income taxes for the top one percent - people earning more than $225,000 ["UpFront", WISN-TV, 11/8/09; La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/09; "Here and Now," Wisconsin Public Television, 9/17/10; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 07/08/09]
• $187 million - Reopen the "Las Vegas Loophole" which allows multi-state businesses to shelter their tax obligations from Wisconsin by opening phantom "offices" in state without ["UpFront", WISN-TV, 11/8/09; La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/09; "Here and Now," Wisconsin Public Television, 9/17/10; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 02/23/09]
• $920 million - Shelter the assets of the wealthiest Wisconsinites even more by a radical end to tax on retirement income, regardless of income. [La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/09; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 01/25/10]
• $243 million - Repeal changes made to the capital gains tax deduction, despite that 70 percent of capital gains filings are from those making more than $200,000 a year [La Crosse Tribune, 11/24/09; "Here and Now," Wisconsin Public Television, 9/17/10; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 07/08/09]
• $1.032 billion - Transfer $1.032 billion from the general fund to the transportation fund, creating a $1.032 deficit in the general fund [Wisconsin State Journal, 6/20/10; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 09/12/10]
• $892 million - Phase out hospital assessment [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 09/12/10; Walker Press Release, 6/23/08, 5/21/09; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 2/23/09, 7/8/09]
• $159 million - End the estate tax, which only affects heirs and heiresses of the state's largest fortunes. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/02/09; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, 1/09]
• $35 million - Eliminate tax on private Health Savings Accounts, which are used primarily by those wealthy enough to save money in advance for future health problems. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 09/20/2010; Legislative Fiscal Bureau, AB74]
There’s 3.8 billion there with none of it helping middle class families. But wait, there’s more; he’s also promised to end the state’s corporate income tax which brings in about $1.5 billion. Just these promises alone are worth $5.3 billion. If you accept his $3.6 billion budget deficit figure, then add these new breaks we start $8.9 billion in the hole.
Who is going to pay for that? With a balanced budget requirement, Walker won't be able to say the same nonsense that national Republicans do; "tax cuts don't lead to deficits". No he'll have to cut, and cut deep to make these payoffs.
Maybe the sale of all that power generation, whose terms are not up for debate or review.
16.896 Sale or contractual operation of state−owned heating, cooling, and power plants. (1) Notwithstanding ss. 13.48 (14) (am) and 16.705 (1), the department may sell any state owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state. Notwithstanding ss. 196.49 and 196.80, no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant, and any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project under s. 196.49 (3) (b).
O, and former state Dem State Senator, Jeff Plale, who cast the deciding "no" vote last December for the union contract, has now been appointed to the department that will sell those interests:
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Former Democratic lawmaker Jeff Plale is very frank about one thing regarding his new job in Republican Gov. Scott Walker's administration.
The $90,000-per-year job as state facilities director will certainly come in handy when calculating his state retirement.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about my pension," Plale said last week, "but it wasn't a deciding factor in taking the job."
The 42-year-old South Milwaukee politician won't collect a state retirement check for more than a decade. Under state rules, his pension will be based in part on his three highest years of earnings in state government. He made only about $50,000 a year in his final years in the state Senate.
Some critics were upset with Plale's hiring, suggesting it was payback for his decision last month to vote against new union contracts that former Gov. Jim Doyle's Democratic administration negotiated with state employees.
"When (Walker) says 'open for business' and then appoints people like Plale, he's obviously saying that he doesn't draw the line at the world's oldest profession," Marty Beil, executive director of the Wisconsin State Employees Union, said in a statement.
Plale told No Quarter that Walker's team did not come to him offering a post in state government.
"I turned in my resume to the transition team shortly after the election, had an interview a couple weeks later and was hired this Wednesday," he said in an e-mail.
Yes, just to be clear, that means Plale was actively seeking employment from Walker when he voted against the union contracts - something Walker wanted him to do - in last month's lame-duck session. He did not disclose this at the time.
Plale replaces Dave Helbach, another former senator who enjoyed an enhanced state pension benefit, thanks to the patronage position.
Nice work if you can get it.