Unintimidated, by Scott Walker: on Budget & Economy


Jim Doyle: OpEd: $2.1B deficit from borrowing while expanding programs

During Governor Jim Doyle's 8-year tenure, he borrowed vast sums of money and avoided making tough budget decisions while expanding government programs. In the 3 biennial budgets since he took office, new state bonding had exceeded new tax-revenue collections by $2.1 billion. Doyle had been borrowing money to underwrite expansions of health care, education, and environmental programs.

Doyle had raided $1.3 billion from the state's transportation fund. He had also raided $200 million from the Patients Compensation Fund, a state fund set up for victims of medical malpractice. But the WI supreme court had rules that the raid was unlawful and ordered the state to repay the money immediately, along with interest that was accumulating daily.

Source: Unintimidated, by Scott Walker, p. 27-8 Nov 18, 2013

Scott Walker: Refused to participate in federal stimulus package

As Milwaukee County executive, I had refused to submit a wish list to Governor Doyle for items in the federal "stimulus" package. Like other politicians, Doyle had lined up at the federal trough begging for billions in "free" money to cover budget deficits and to fuel new spending. He and others were outraged that I didn't join them--and that I didn't relent even after the president signed the stimulus bill into law.

My explanation was simple. The "free" money from Washington wasn't free. The stimulus was a classic bait-and-switch. Once the highways were built and social service caseloads had increased, the stimulus funds would disappear and Wisconsin taxpayers would be left with the new to maintain the new roads and services. Moreover, the stimulus was also a bait-and-switch on employment. While stimulus spending might create a few construction jobs in the short term, when the federal money disappeard, so would the jobs.

Source: Unintimidated, by Scott Walker, p. 35 Nov 18, 2013

  • The above quotations are from Unintimidated:
    A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge
    by Scott Walker and Marc Thiessen.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Budget & Economy.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Scott Walker on Budget & Economy.
Candidates and political leaders on Budget & Economy:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019