• A legislative leader in Colorado described meeting with a biotech executive. "If you want more companies like mine to come to a state," the executive told him, "invest in education because that's where we go. Why would I go to a state that's in the process of defunding education, instead of a state that's upgrading it?"
Yet Scott Walker took $1.6 billion away from Wisconsin's schools, and the worst is yet to come. Without increased state aid, our school districts will face program cuts, layoffs, possible property tax increases, or some of all three.
• Money Wisconsinites spend on fossil fuels is money sent out of state - $12 billion per year for power, heating and cooling. But Walker's budget cut funds that help our homeowners and businesses improve energy efficiency. Instead of sending more money elsewhere, let's boost renewable energy standards, as Illinois and Minnesota have done.
• Mark Honadel introduced new guidelines for mining in Wisconsin, guidelines written by an out-of-state company to radically weaken our environmental laws. Even Scott Fitzgerald, state senate Republican leader, has admitted, "I think the corporation and their attorneys drafted a bill that may have been acceptable in other states," but not Wisconsin. (New York Times Magazine, May 27, 2012.)
• Our bus system is spiraling down, with fares increasing as service is cut. Yet Honadel voted to prevent a regional transit authority for Milwaukee, one of two major metropolitan areas nationwide without an RTA. The other is Detroit. Since when is Detroit a model to follow?
Killing an RTA also blocked possible commuter rail service along existing tracks in our district. Yet taxpayers will soon be paying $1 billion for extra freeway lanes between Madison and Beloit - more than five times the cost of commuter rail - so Illinois residents can reach the Dells 10 minutes sooner.
• Mark Honadel voted to put unelected bureaucrats in charge of state health care decisions. Meanwhile Scott Walker, who says he balanced the state budget, told the federal government the budget WASN'T balanced, in an effort to deny health care to 64,000 people, including 29,000 children.
On these and many other issues, your representative obediently went along with Walker and special interests. YOU DESERVE A CHOICE. If you care about Wisconsin's future, go to billkurtzforassembly.blogspot.com, and see me speak candidly about the big issues.
Authorized and paid for by Bill Kurtz forAssembly, Marge Kurtz, Treasurer.
