Trying it our way
July 10, 2012
As a public service, back when there was no guarantee Scott Walker would remain Wisconsin’s governor, we offered a little travelogue of states seeking to address their fiscal problems in ways that differed from the Walker approach (“Trying it their way, I-VIII”).
We thought it helpful to show the paths Wisconsin might take if Walker were removed. Now other states might benefit from a look at Walker’s way, and what better place to start than Illinois? Last Friday’s Chicago Tribune featured suggestions from the Governor himself. Some salient points:
“In times of crisis, citizens should demand leadership. In the weeks leading up to the Wisconsin recall election, a supporter and friend told me: ‘If you hadn’t gone as far as you did, you might have avoided this recall election.’ I responded, ‘We also wouldn’t have fixed our problem. I’m not planning on it, but I’m not afraid to lose.’”
“The actions we took in balancing the state’s budget and implementing collective bargaining reforms were solely aimed at ensuring that my two sons and other kids would inherit a state better off than the one I had. Burying the next generation under a mountain of crippling debt was never a realistic option…
“Two years ago, a survey of Wisconsin employers showed that just 10 percent thought the state was headed in the right direction. Today the survey shows that 94 percent believe Wisconsin is headed in the right direction and a solid majority plan to add jobs…
“What we did in Wisconsin was common sense. Like many small businesses and households, we had challenges, and we set out to fix them.”
That’s a hard reminder that our political culture regards common sense and acting on it as hazards to one’s career.
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