WALKER STANDS UP FOR TAXPAYERS

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The man dubbed “Walker: Tosa Ranger” has struck another roundhouse kick for Milwaukee County taxpayers by vetoing arguably one of the worst county budgets I’ve ever seen.

County Exective Scott Walker vetoed the entire budget passed by the County Board — which is beginning to look more and more like the Board it was supposed to have replaced, the one from the Tom Ament days.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will veto the entire County Board-approved budget today, contending it overtaxes, overspends and ignores efficiency proposals that could help bail county government out of a looming fiscal crisis.

The unusual and unexpected move apparently will force an up-or-down vote Wednesday that would either leave the board’s budget totally intact or force Walker and supervisors to cobble together an alternative spending plan in a few short weeks.

Walker said he took the dramatic step in large part because of County Board budget amendments that restored - with only partial funding - county jobs that he wanted to privatize. That creates a potential $6.5 million shortfall that would force him, Walker believes, to initiate emergency layoffs early in 2007.

“This is about protecting the long-term financial security of Milwaukee County,” said Walker, also citing the board’s decision to delay conceptual approval of his $450 million borrowing plan that in theory could save on pension costs over 30 years.

In a veto message sure to rile supervisors, Walker charged that the County Board was, in effect, acting to “ratify” the controversial 2001 pension-enhancement deal by using tax increases to pay pension benefits rather than approving cost-saving measures and ending duplication of services.

That’s right. They want to raise your taxes to pay off the fat lucrative pensions the previous board passed for everyone, the ones that led to recalls and the resignation of Ament and even a trial and imprisonment for at least one crook.

Walker had put forth a number of common sense proposals to eliminate needless spending, but the tax-and-spenders on the Board don’t think we can get by without spending one penny less. Of course, many of them are beholden to the AFSCME, which opposes any cuts that might put even one idiot bureaucrat or lazy county worker (talk about a pair of redundancies!) out of work.

Patrick from Badger Blogger has the entire video of Walker’s announcement here, along with this insightful observation:

Scott Walker announced that he was going to veto the entire Milwaukee County Budget. A budget that not only gives us a tax increase by some $9 million, but leaves us with a $6.5 million shortfall in January 1, 2007, because the County Board restored jobs, but did not fund those positions. County Board Chairman Lee Holloway claims that he wants to work with the public employee unions to “work something out,” but as Scott Walker has said, “that’s like buying a house, and planning to pay for it by winning the lottery.”

Patrick was nice enough to YouTube the Walker announcement, so we will put it up here as well:

Patrick also added the press release from Walker’s office and the actual veto itself.

If you recall (pun intended), Ryan McCue was elected in the anti-Ament tidal wave, as part of a recall election. It seems McCue has become part of the problem, voting for this irresponsible tax-increasing budget and insisting he will vote to override.

Maybe it’s time to recall him from office.

Steve at No Runny Eggs weighs in here.

Needless to say, various members of the County Board aren’t happy with Walker; they’d have preferred he signed the budget so he’d get the heat from taxpayers when their taxes skyrocketed through the roof.

Supervisor Ryan McCue said Walker chose “grandstanding over governing” and noted that the County Board’s budget moves were “just, defendable and responsible.”

No, Ryan. What Scott Walker did was act like an adult, which is responsible. That means not spending money you don’t have.

What you’ve managed to do is go native after having been surrounded by big spending idiots like the King of Corruption, Lee Holloway.

Can you say …. RECALL??? Here’s a good likeness of King Lee and Prince Ryan, suitable for framing:

Owen weighs in at Boots & Sabers:

With the election results last week, I suspect that the Board is convinced that the tax revolt is over in SE Wisconsin and will raise taxes. Sadly, they may be right. Only time will tell.

Mark Belling wondered the same thing yesterday. We see voters all over voting for tax hikes out the wazoo — school taxes and other referenda, buying the line that “It’s for the children,” “It’s only a few more cents a year, surely you can afford that,” yada yada yada ad nauseum. We saw voters everywhere voting for politicians who all but guaranteed to raise their taxes.

I suspect the anti-tax movement is pretty much over in Wisconsin, which is now a solidly blue state. Blue voters love taxes and new and expanded government programs, which they label “investment.”

Somehow they think they government knows how to spend your money better than you do and that a dollar spent by government somehow is better than a dollar spent by you.

Jessica McBride has some more thoughts here on “Budget Wars” and our hero, “Sky Walker” and his trusty light saber.

Charlie Sykes has an e-mail from Walker on why the Board needs a “do over” on the budget.

A final plea from Patrick:

278-4222 — That is the number to call if you are a Milwaukee County resident that thinks that your taxes are too high. Call your elected Supervisor and tell them to support Scott Walker’s Veto of the county budget, so they can go back and do it right. The current budget is fiscally irresponsible, and they damn well know it!

You must call now, the veto override vote will be held TODAY, so make your call, it only takes a few seconds.

I suspect the veto will be overridden and Milwaukee County will be saddled with more huge tax increases as well as another deficit.

At least they’ll know who to blame, if they choose to do so.

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