Here is an update. The exemptions for Fire, Police, and State Troopers are also pissing other state employees off a lot more than if the proposed changes were universal.
Scott Walker was in the State Assembly for about ten years before he ran and won in a special election for Milwaukee County Executive in 2002. This was on the heels of a big pension scandal which triggered the resignation of the former County Exec., Tom Ament. Walker ran for Governor in 2010 when Jim Doyle, a Democrat, announced he would not seek a third term, although Walker had made noises that he would run against Doyle back in 2006. When Doyle first ran for Governor in 2002, he had been AG for twelve years under Republican Governor Tommy Thompson. He defeated Scott McCallum, who had been Lieutenant Governor when Thompson was selected by Bush to head HHS in 2001. McCallum’s claim to fame was taking a one-time payout of a portion of $12.742 billion in a 46-state lawsuit against tobacco companies (which Doyle had brought the state into) rather than a portion of a 25-year payout of $183.177 billion. You do the math.
Walker’s opponent in 2010, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, was (successfully) painted as being like Doyle, only worse in a massive smear campaign. Even though Barrett had the PR bonus of having had the shit beaten out of him with a pipe while trying to help a woman who was screaming for help, it wasn’t enough. Change was in the air. Barrett also ran a terrible campaign and his manager was a moronic douchebag, but I digress.
Since taking office, Walker has:
Refused to accept over $800 million in Federal money to upgrade the state’s rail system and build high-speed rail service between Milwaukee and Madison. This not only would have allowed a high-speed rail link between Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago, it would have opened the door for a Minneapolis-Madison-Milwaukee-Chicago fast rail route which Minnesota was already planning. Within this $800 million, which had been allocated for rail and could be used for nothing else, was $100 million to upgrade and modernize the state’s freight rail lines. Walker refused this $800+ million because the state’s annual cost for running the Madison-Milwaukee route would be $7 million. What he didn’t say was that the $7 million was if nobody rode on it. With full ridership, the annual cost was projeted in the hundreds of thousands. That $800+ million is now gone, it’s been distributed to other states for rail upgrades. Walker says he still wants to upgrade the state’s freight rail for $100 million, go figure. Talgo, a Spanish company that makes rail cars, opened a factory in Milwaukee in anticipation on increased rail service. That factory is now moving to Illinois and Walker is crying for them to stay. It’s insane.
Killed construction of a biofuel plant at UW-Madison to replace the old coal-burning heat boiler. Walker wants a cheaper natural gas boiler instead. Biofuels can be grown locally, natural gas has to be brought into the state.
Tried to implement restrictions on new wind energy turbines so they had to be at least 1,800 feet from any residence. [This bill is now dead]
Pushed to create an exemption for Bass Pro Shop to build a store on a site that contained wetlands near Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Although Bass, an outdoor goods store, had expressed interest in building in Green Bay, when they found out the site was on a wetland, they declined, saying their company policy is to not build on wetlands. Walker then pushed create an exemption so nobody would need a permit to build on the site. Bass said it didn’t matter, they don’t build on wetlands, permit or no. The bill still passed last week even though Bass is out.
And now the showdown with state employees.
