If this is "victory," I wonder what defeat looks like.
Guess this means Walker has to create 251,000 jobs now.
Wisconsin can keep only a fraction of the $810 million it won in federal high-speed rail money, while the rest will help fund train lines in California, Florida, Illinois and other states, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday...It's only a victory for taxpayers if the money doesn't get spent. Taking $810 million in federal investment in your state and gift-wrapping it for another state is a victory for them, not for Wisconsin. I'm sure the citizens of California are grateful today for the extra $624 million in federal spending they just got.
Now, almost all of the $1.2 billion from the two projects will be divided among other states. California is the big winner, with up to $624 million, followed by Florida, up to $342.3 million; Washington, up to $161.5 million; and Illinois, up to $42.3 million. Smaller amounts will go to nine other states...
Walker called the decision a "victory," in a meeting with reporters in Pewaukee, because he called the rail line a symbol of excessive government spending.
The governor-elect said he talked with LaHood on Thursday morning and was assured that Wisconsin would not have to repay money already spent.
"That's the decision they've made and we're going to move forward," Walker said.
Guess this means Walker has to create 251,000 jobs now.
9 comments:
Since a "good libertarian" like yourself must have somehow missed this: http://reason.com/blog/2010/12/03/high-speed-rail-goes-loco
For the record, I agree with your one line -- Victory is the entire thing going down in flames.
A lot of victories for Wisconsin in the last month-
1. Kohler, Aurora and New Page each announcing hundreds of layoffs. Governor Walker has made no calls, asked for no meetings and has no efforts whatsoever to try to save these jobs.
2. Governor Walker telling the press that construction jobs aren't real.
3. Walker used state workers as a press release tool for red meat with the base
4. Walker's major job announcement is that the state needs to pass a tax exemption for Health Savings Accounts, just like they did to the same exact bill back in 2003!
5. Walker has done more lobbyist luncheons, whoring to national media-Time Magazine, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Fox News, vacations to pump his ego -San Diego, Washington,DC, New York City and Colorado among others in the last month than Tommy did in his first two years.
A terrible Governor before he is even actually Governor. Victory is the recall starting in January 2012 of this clown.
Look no further than Madison for when politics, not economic and job creating make decisions. In the 1990s Famous Footwear wanted to build a huge 7 story headquarters that it would own and that could be expanded in downtown Madison. A showpiece for the community, was fought by residents because of traffic concerns. Famous Footwear ended up deciding to lease space instead. Then, a decade later its parent company made the move to consolidate all divisions in one location that the company and could expand upon. Famous Footwear left in a heartbeat.
And now Talgo is saying adios. As a resident of Illinois I love Scott Walker.
I love this new brillant idea by the lobbyist for Wal-Mart, who are already the biggest user of TIF money in the state to borrowing a billion state dollars to give to Walker cronies. They would then be able to distribute the billion dollars cash advance as they see fit without state oversight, regulations or ethics laws in some sort of fast money version of Forward Wisconsin. No political paybacks or corruption problem from the ethical challenged Governor Cash Cab. So is Walker's favorite Chicago dealmaker Nick Hurtgen available in 2011 to return to state service?
Conservatives argue that I 94 is just fine because you can always drive faster than 79 mph ( except during rush hour, highway construction, winter weather from November thru April, rain, hail, when highway patrol are ticketing, Badger football weekends, Badger basketball weekends, Milwaukee Brewers games, Milwaukee Bucks games, Green Bay Packers games, Summerfest, concerts at the Marcus Amp, Bradley Center events, Frontier Convention Center events, holiday weekends, Milwaukee Theatre events, really sunny days and when cars are on the road in front of you among other days and times). Bottom line -pretty much never except if you are Will Smith shooting I am Legend sequel in Milwaukee.
Over in another blog someone opined that Walker will make Wisconsin into a snow=belt Mississippi. That is looking to be too kind of an assessment. Perhaps Slovenia would be a better comparable. God help us for the next four years.
When you last worked in the private sector in 1992, have never been abroad, never served in the military, have no upper level college degree, grow up in a sheltered small town, failed at college, have no major friends or advisers who are minorities and really don't like people, this is no surprise.
To the Anon that wanted to compare Wisconsin to Slovenija- I've been to Slovenija, they have a much better bus system.
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