Following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate on Scott Walker’s second biennial budget, in advance of Walker’s anticipated budget signing this Sunday.
“After his first budget needlessly tore our state apart, enacting the largest cuts to public education Wisconsin has ever seen and cutting taxes for the wealthy at the expense of seniors and working families, Scott Walker had the chance with this budget to get things right and really focus on improving the economic security of Wisconsin’s middle class.
“But instead of beginning to repair the damage he’s done, Scott Walker doubled-down on more of the extreme, anti-middle class policies that have caused Wisconsin to plummet to 38th in the nation in total job creation since he took office, down from 11th in December 2010.
“This budget is full of wrong decisions and misplaced priorities.
“And more than just being bad policy, its irresponsible budgeting. Scott Walker has likened himself to the CEO of Wisconsin, but no credible, effective executive would craft a budget that forces its shareholders to pay more to get less.
“Wisconsinites will pay $94 million more to expand unaccountable private voucher schools statewide, likely forcing property tax increases and cuts to local public schools in many communities across the state.
“Taxpayers will pay an extra $120 million to provide healthcare coverage to nearly 85,000 fewer people, just because Scott Walker wants to preserve his partisan anti-ObamaCare stance at all costs as he runs for president.
“And average Wisconsin families will see a tax break that is not even one-tenth the size of what people making more than $300,000 will receive.
“Wisconsinites made clear in November that our priority is to build a stronger middle class with a fair tax structure that does not primarily benefit the wealthy, cause an expensive future deficit or sacrifice public education and healthcare. Scott Walker’s budget fails to meet those standards, and it fails the middle class.”
