Newspaper Enumerates Local Theft Under Walker

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Tuesday's Janesville Gazette headlined an article titled, "Walker: Policies Paying Off" and posted some of the numbers of dollars Scott Walker forcibly lifted from local public employees and tax paying jurisdictions. According to Walker's campaign style reforms.wi Webpage, Rock County's school district employees (excluding Janesville) had $2.5 million taken from their pension and health care distributions and another unsubstantiated $5.41 million in "savings" by local governmental agencies under Act 10 provisions.

JG Excerpt: The savings from employee pension payments was actually $2.65 million, said Randy Terronez, assistant to the county administrator, while cuts in state aid were about $2.57 million.

The net benefit to the county's $77 million budget was $78,129, according to county figures.

County taxpayers did not benefit, even in a small way, because the county was already taxing to the maximum allowed, Terronez said.

After collective bargaining was terminated and the public trust flushed down the toilet, county taxpayers under Walker's class war Act 10 provision did not "save" one dime. The county portion of my property tax bill operating under Walker's budget act went up 6.4 percent, from $757 to $806. The taxpayers "saved" mantra is a bunch of hooey.

In Walker's campaign terminology, any dollar amount connected to the word "save" and any of its derivatives really means how much was stolen from public employees and how much tax revenue Walker withheld from local jurisdictions. If we're lucky and I mean really lucky, it's a wash, BUT only providing we're taxed to the max locally under "limits" of Walker's budget act. In the meantime, local government bodies, wage earners and taxpayers all got screwed while Walker's claim he did not raise taxes is politifact safe.

What Walker did is either pure evil or genius depending on your moral code. So, who got all the loot?

Of note are a few commenters on the article reminding readers that a large part of the "savings" Walker takes credit for were already concessions delivered by public sector unions from around the state before he suddenly decided to wipe out collective bargaining. Another mentions the less regarded consequence of public employees each having several thousands less in taxable earnings due to Act 10, thus returning less revenue to the state.

If you wanted legislation that would effectively shrink the state's economy without lowering state government spending - Walker's budget reform is it.

ADDITIONAL:

Badger Democracy - The “Big Five” Lies in the Walker Budget – in his own words…