Walker Caught In Weasel Trap Of His Own Making

Yesterday, we discussed how Milwaukee County Executioner Scott chose to willfully fail to do his job by refusing to look for any of the stimulus money.

Not only did he fail to look out for the best interest of the County and its taxpayers and citizens, but he failed to look out for his own personal interests.

The criticisms about his poor decision making skills are still pouring in. We have seen the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, James Rowen, the Brawler, and Cody O at One Wisconsin Now all highlight various points that demonstrate the idiocy of Walker's refusal to accept help.

Walker, unable and/or unable to actually speak to the people directly about his foolhardiness, instead chooses to take the predictable, safe way out. He goes running, whimpering all the way, to his buddy, Charlie Sykes. Not only does Walker email Sykes, begging for support, but apparently went on the air to defend himself.

But let us look at this email, shall we? The first paragraph goes like this:

How many people would take a gift of $1,000 and go out and buy a $60,000 sports car? While the gift is nice, it will not make the monthly car payments that are too large for the average budget. The same is true with the (so-called) stimulus package.

Obviously, that kind of reasoning is what he must of picked up in the few, short months he was absorbing "the essence of Marquette", as the Brawler would say. The thing is, we are not expecting him to get us a sports car. That is a luxury item. We are expecting him to do the necessary things, like keep the facilities and roadways in repair, to build the new mental health facility to replace the old one that he even admits is outdated, and to restore some resemblance of functionality to the transit system which he has been systematically destroying over the past six year. In other words, we expect him to do his job, which he hasn't for six years now.

Walker's second paragraph goes like this:

Federal money nearly always comes with strings attached. In fact, most federal transportation grants require a 20% (or greater) local match. “Free money” sounds nice but what happens when state and local governments cannot afford the match? If Milwaukee County receives $50 million for infrastructure projects under this formula, taxpayers in the county would have to come up with an extra $10 million. Does anyone think we have an extra $10 million in this budget climate?

If I needed my car repaired, and someone said that they would give me 80% of the cost if I ponied up the other 20%, trust me, I would find that money somehow. Especially if my benefactor told me that if I didn't take the money, he would just give it to someone else, but I would still have to pay him back for it.

Likewise, the County WILL have to fix the infrastructure sooner or later. The sooner it does, the less it will cost. What Walker won't admit is that we can either take advantage of the offer, which would be the logical choice, or refuse the money, and end up paying for everything ourselves PLUS chipping in for everyone else who wasn't as myopic as Walker.

Walker's third paragraph:

A real economic stimulus will put money in the hands of consumers – and not the government. Tax cuts work. They did for Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and they are exactly what John F. Kennedy called for in the 1960s. Each time, our nation got out of a recession by putting more money back into the hands of the taxpayers. The choice is simple: do we bail out failed governments with budget deficits or do we stimulate the economy and put more people back to work with real tax cuts at the federal, state and local levels? I choose the program that truly puts people back to work!

Walker is telling a couple, three doozies here.

First of all, if the feds give money to state and local governments to repair their infrastructures, where does he think the money goes? It goes to the workers, in both the public and private sectors, to do the work that is needed.

Secondly, we are just about to climb out of the miasma that Bush helped to create with the same type of tax cuts that Walker is promoting. And how did that work out? Not so well. As of November 2008, unemployment was up 2.5% from the time Bush took over. And we all know that it hasn't gotten any better in the last two months. Locally, the numbers are just as grim, if not worse.

Furthermore, the FDR type of programs that Obama is proposing, and that Walker and his ilk fear so dramatically, actually done more to help people regain productive employment than anything the Republicans have ever conjured up.

My favorite line in that last paragraph though is this:

...do we bail out failed governments with budget deficits...

At least Walker is admitting that his administration of Milwaukee County has led it to be a failed government with a budget deficit.

I also find it sadly ironic that he is trying to tout that he knows the way to put people back to work, when he can't even keep his own people in work.

Fortunately, all may not be lost, despite Walker's best efforts. Both Supervisor Elizabeth Coggs and County Board Chairman Lee Holloway have stated that they are willing to do what needs to be done, even as Walker refuses to. Once again, just like every budget season, the County Board has to step up and be the adults, while Walker tantrums like an emotionally-stunted child.

And therein lies the weasel trap that Walker has made, and then caught himself in. He can go on the way he is and continue to refuse the help being offered. If he does, one of two things will happen. Either he will be known as the person who drove Milwaukee County into the ground, or he will be known as the person that needed other people to do his job for him. Neither of these will look good during his perpetual gubernatorial campaign. And you know as well as I do that any candidate in the primary race (or in the general if by some no small miracle he survives the primary) will be more than happy to use against him.

His other option would be to back down from his foolhardy position, admit he made a mistake, and actually do his job. But as before, while this would be the right thing for him to do, it will be used against him in any further political race.

Either way, his weasel is cooked. The only people that would still support him are the same ones that unquestioningly buy into everything Charlies Sykes says.

Let us just hope and pray that Walker hasn't ruined our chances for success as he is ruining his own.