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| The Great Divider |
Nevertheless -- Scott Walker lives in the belly of the beast. Every day. He remains the left's number one enemy by getting out of bed everyday. Whether it's blocking high speed rail money or refusing Medicaid money from the Feds, his actions are bordering on Armageddon.
His distractors think the worst thing he's ever done is BEING BORN. I know people who would have voted for Hitler before re-electing Walker. Even the Milwaukee Bucks are more popular than Scott Walker -- and that's saying a lot. Despite the constant criticism, he sees enough progress in Wisconsin to keep moving forward.
As I have said many times before, I am surrounded by liberals, both where I live and where I work. La Crosse -- a kissing cousin to Madison -- always votes Democrat, no matter who the candidate. When it comes to presidential voting, the state of Wisconsin hasn't voted for a Republican president since Ronald Reagan in 1984. So it's always a long night for us closet-conservatives hiding in our bunkers on election night. Republicans have had better luck electing governors, but that is usually a function of rural voters versus lefties in Milwaukee, Madison and La Crosse. But as the number of voters in those key cities continue to grow (through union benefits and welfare handouts), I fear a permanent shift in state level politics is not far away for the fine state of Wisconsin.
Our greatest weapon against such a shift has been Walker, who has won three elections within his first four years in office. Putting a cork in Tom Barrett and Mary Burke have been two of the most satisfying things I've experienced. As I walk past a house in our neighborhood (where they tried to get people to sign a recall petition), I imagine its occupants throwing organic kale at the television each time Scott Walker gives his "State of the State" speech
Unfortunately, getting under their skin doesn't always translate to success. His widely-supported attempts to require a simple ID to vote have been blocked by Democrat-appointed judges. And environmentalists are still winning the fight against frac sand mining in northern Wisconsin.
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I have a friend who asked me the other day: "What do you think drives the left more crazy? Seeing a sign from last year's election that says 'We Support Walker' or a new one that proclaims 'Walker for President'?" It's a fun question -- fun in the sense that the left loses either way.
Which goes to the heart of the matter: conservative ideas get people's attention. If I have to hear another RINO tell me that he (or she) supports legal immigration, defunding Obama Care, and balancing the budget I'm going to blow-up. Last November we put a number of Republicans in Washington to stop Obama and his anti-American ideas. Three months later, I haven't heard much about stopping anything, much less Obama. My hope is that enough people are getting tired of hearing the sweet sounds of conservative thinking only to find out he/she was the Pied Piper leading us to our electoral demise.
Can Walker win? Does he have enough experience and can he excite enough people to rise to the top of a crowded Republican field? Or will his 2011 recall baggage weigh him down on his journey to the White House? Can his conservative message appeal to college-age voters and minorities?
His supporters remind us that he hasn't lost an election since he went to Marquette University (his enemies will be quick to say that he dropped out of college). And his conservative message is on target if we want to reduce the size of Washington and reign in the spending and socialist programs that are being proposed by our Dictator-in-Chief.
I haven't seen Walker in debate-mode, but I understand he's pretty good. He likes to prepare for every possibility -- no surprises here. I like that he will say what he thinks, rather than back off controversial positions (what could be more gutsy than taking on public employee unions?) or try to claim the soft, squishy middle that appealed to McCain in 2008 and Romney in 2012. One of the most appealing aspects of Walker is his willingness to propose an idea, defend it and then take the heat.
And as a Green Bay Packer fan wouldn't it be great to see President Walker invite the Packers to the White House after winning the Super Bowl?
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Governor Walker has proposed cutting state funding of the UW System by $300 million over the next two years. As you can imagine, there has been a meltdown of colossal proportion on PBS and NPR, not to mention from the state's biggest newspapers, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Wisconsin State Journal.
"The overall budget for the UW System... is $6.1 billion.
"The $150 million cut per year represents about 2.5 percent of the total yearly operating budget. I understand not all of these funds are accessible and many are already committed in "cost to continue" operations. But many small and large businesses experience much greater fluctuations than this -- and they survive and even thrive. A 2.5% cut certainly does not constitute the "end" of a very resilient UW System!"
When looking at the small percentage cut this represents, it makes you wonder why this is such a big deal. It borders on the silliness that comes from listening to a liberal tell you that a smaller increase in spending is actually a decrease in spending. Only in government and organizations like the UW System -- that are dependent on taxpayer money -- can an increase of 3% instead of 4% be thought of as a cut!
In addition, is it that hard to find a way to save 2.5%? In my household, we have to find ways to cut more than that just to make up the additional cost of cable. It's laughable watching organizations like the UW System do with less. You'd think we're pulling toenails and putting needles under their eyes. In the past, they could expect a small, but consistent increase, and they usually got it.
That kind of thinking comes from spending other people's money -- when you can ask for more, you usually spend more.
Which is why I support Scott Walker as he attempts to change the way our university system operates. Will they continue offering a free education to poor families at the risk of raising tuition on the middle-class? Will we see more out-of-state students to the detriment of those who live in Wisconsin -- and will we accept it? Will we continue to see new buildings on campus, or will they live with what they have? Maybe professors will spend more than an average of 14 hours in the classroom if teaching assistants are cut from the school's staff?
Let's take away the hand that feeds it and see what happens.
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Walker's opponents call him the Great Divider. I think they couldn't be more wrong.
Look at Obama. He came to Congress and the White House with a background as a community organizer. His job was to agitate, cause conflict and tear people apart. There isn't a single issue in his 6 years as President where he brought people together. Can you name even ONE? The war? Race inequality? Income? Health Care? His reaction to every "crisis" is to divide and blame the other side.
Walker's background is totally different. He grew up in Iowa, far away from Chicago politics. Contrary to what his recall agitators said, he wasn't destroying our educators and public employees. He was attacking their unions and their collective bargaining which gave them an unfair advantage. Wisconsin benefitted from these moves.
By removing state money from the UW System and freezing tuition he has stirred the hornet's nest once again. Whether the majority of voters in Wisconsin (or the United States of America) see the benefits of such actions remains to be seen.
Either way, there will be blood spilled. That is the way things are when you live in the belly of the beast.
