Walker Gives 24-Hour Deadline

Walker Gives 24-Hour Deadline

Jim Geraghty
National Review
February 28, 2011

Governor Walker’s office sends along this bit of news:

One component of Governor Walker’s budget repair bill is debt refinancing, which will save taxpayers $165 million in fiscal year 2011. According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, if Senate Democrats refuse to return to Wisconsin and cast their votes in the next day the option to refinance a portion of the state’s debt will be off the table.

Along with this notice Governor Walker’s spokesman, Cullen Werwie, released the following statement:

Senate Democrats claimed they fled the state to slow down the process so the public had enough time to learn about the budget repair bill. If that was their true intention, they have been successful.

Now they have one day to return to work before the state loses out on the chance to refinance debt, saving taxpayers $165 million this fiscal year. Failure to return to work and cast their votes will lead to more painful and aggressive spending cuts in the very near future.

This is the Senate Democrats’ 24 hour notice.

I hate to quibble with the man of the hour, but if Senate Democrats cared about saving taxpayer money, would they have fled across the state line in the face of the budget repair bill? Haven’t all of their actions and statements demonstrated that saving taxpayers money is nowhere near their top, or even middle priorities?