Academia, Animals, Environment, Free Speech, Justice, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Science, Society

Cutting the Great Outdoors of Wisconsin, Along With Everything Else!

220px-Scott_Walker_by_Gage_Skidmore

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the massive cuts to education and programs for the poor by the new Governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner. In that article, I mentioned that Gov. Rauner seemed to be parroting the budget methods of Governor Brownback in Kansas and Gov. Walker in Wisconsin, both of whose state economies have been floundering under their respective austerity programs.

Well, it seems that in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker has gone even farther in his attempts to balance the budget on the backs of the middle class by proposing massive cuts to the Department of Natural Resources, while attempting to wrest control of  various agencies from the public domain and capturing them in the Executive branch of government.

“The DNR is full of scientists who grew up hunting, fishing, boating, or otherwise recreating in Wisconsin and then found a way to turn this into a living. It just so happens that the work they do benefits those of us who love the state’s great outdoors. Perhaps some other lucky state will get the benefits of their knowledge? We can hope so. We won’t know for some time what these cuts mean to the small businesses that are kept alive by people being able to hunt, fish, or recreate in the areas where projects took place. Estimates put the direct cuts to DNR positions at 66. Their knowledge and the research lost, however, are irreplaceable. ” Crooks and Liars

Gov. Walker is cutting 66 different positions and programs at the Wisconsin DNR in an attempt to balance his budgets without having to raise the taxes on the wealthy and on corporations that he cut when taking office.  You can find a partial listing of these program and position cuts here. While the cuts are devastating, Mr. Walker did not stop there.

” Of course, these cuts don’t even BEGIN to make up for the giant budget hole Walker’s dug for himself. And also of course, he wasn’t finished yet. The bigger prize was wresting control from the good people who, in a non-partisan manner, have tried to preserve the environment for future generations by stripping the citizen-governed Natural Resources Board of its authority. It’s now a powerless “advisory panel”, something Tommy Thompson tried to do but was stopped because back then the Republicans were not yet a wholly owned subsidiary of energy companies and other major donors. A few even seemed to understand that you couldn’t continue proud hunting, fishing and other outdoor hobbies without things to hunt or fish!” Crooks and Liars

Cut taxes on the wealthy and corporations and prevent the University of Wisconsin system from raising tuition to make up the shortfall from the cuts, all while increasing money to voucher and charter school programs.  I wonder who benefits the most from that plan?

If Walker’s economic vision had been successful in adding jobs and cutting deficits, his austerity program might be something worth crowing about.  However, his programs seem intent on cutting any and all programs he needs to, just to make sure he can keep cutting taxes on the wealthy and on corporations.

However, the result of the Walker “austerity for everyone else” program is Wisconsin is near the bottom in job creation.

If these austerity programs had an equal impact on all citizens, they might be more acceptable to the vast majority of citizens who are negatively impacted by them. Shouldn’t the wealthy and corporations be required to pay more when ordinary citizens pay with the loss of their jobs and loss of benefits due to the various cuts by Gov. Walker?  Wouldn’t that be equitable?

In light of how poorly Wisconsin’s economy has been doing under Gov. Walker, I can’t understand why our Governor here in Illinois, Bruce Rauner, would want to emulate those programs?

By the way, how is Wisconsin’s economy doing when compared to its neighbor, Minnesota?

“The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.”

 

161 thoughts on “Cutting the Great Outdoors of Wisconsin, Along With Everything Else!”

  2. Olly, You know the meme. Progressives are smart, hard working and they care. Conservatives are stupid, lazy, and unfeeling, yada yada yada. It’s depressing hearing that stale horseshit from Mike Appleton. He’s usually better than that. Here’s the irony. We tend to elect the opposite type personality for President. We have an abject failure in Obama, who is a professor. A college dropout is climbing in the polls. He is being blasted by elitist Dems, elevating him quickly w/ the general public. Sounds like Reagan to me.

  3. Leave it to progressives to always be looking for the next big brain to conjure up a philosophy for government. Since that approach is destroying this country it would be prudent to consider a brain that understands and will honor the original philosophy.

  4. Paul:

    I’m not talking about IQ. I’m talking about the ability to develop and articulate a thoughtful and coherent philosophy of government. Cutting programs isn’t a philosophy; it’s a tactic. Walker is a governor of tactics, but no original ideas and no discernible vision have ever left his lips. I suspect that is because he has none.

    1. Mike – Hope and Change has worked so well. Mike, my philosophy is less government and lower taxes. All of those are effected by someone like Walker. I find that philosophy easy to articulate.

      1. I like what Obama and Ashley Carter are thoughtfully and coherently trying to do to our military now by closing bases at home so we can have more around the world to protect “our interests” You know we have those 60 thousand out there now that Hagel said we are saving money with that Europe has always helped us with so much. I suppose that is one way to look at it. It sounds familiar like maybe a discernible vision of sorts idk 😉 no one ever pays attenion to me I am just that dumb little pappies that tags along you know. No vision at all. Like that comment I made earlier about the macroeconomics being such a failure and they were used as an example of great vision for accounting. We know how that Laffer curve works and how the money out f thin air worksl. 😉

  5. In my view, the destruction of unions in this country reflects ignorance of the history of industrial development and the emergence of the middle class. As for Gov. Walker’s future, he lacks the intellectual depth necessary for a serious run for the presidency, for which we should all be grateful.

    1. Mike – there are no IQ tests required by the Constitution to become President. And remember the whole Bush-Kerry IQ test debacle where it turned out Bush had a higher score than Kerry?

  6. I had asked for the toilet paper photo of Scotty boy but the one with the Koch Brother up there is just as good. If you could deposit that dimwitted photo above onto the toilet paper then I think it would be perfect.

  9. And Wisconsin isn’t a ultra liberal state. We have some pretty dumb right wing rednecks too just like Mississippi, who we are now emulating.

    1. Inga – wasn’t Milwaukee the home of the American Bund movement?

  11. Olly, WDS indeed. Touchstone could not put on a better performance. LOL.

  12. I’ve read that prediction before and yet there Walker sits as governor of an ultra-liberal state. 🙂

  13. Well don’t cry in your beer when Walker doesn’t get the nomination.😫

  15. Amazing how Walker so readily “answers” to Koch, a non Wisconsin resident. Hmmm, why would this be?

    1. Inga – you know that both Obama and Hillary have foreign donor problems. They make Koch small potatoes.

Comments are closed.