Wisconsin’s Governor Walker Takes on Public-Sector Unions

James Sherk / February 17, 2011

EDITOR’S NOTE: As Wisconsin’s Democrat Senators escape to Iowa to avoid voting on Governor Scott Walker’s (R-WI) proposed budget, read Heritage analyst James Sherk’s commentary from NRO on what the fuss is all about.

Wisconsinites are still celebrating the Green Bay Packers’ win in Super Bowl XLV, but taxpayers in the Badger State may be on the verge of an even bigger victory. Newly elected governor Scott Walker has taken a page out of Chris Christie’s playbook. He is going to deal with the state’s budget crisis by tackling the special interests that helped cause it.

Wisconsin is broke. The current budget is already $137 million in the red. The 2011–2013 biennial budget faces a $3.6 billion hole. So Governor Walker has called the legislature into special session and presented them with an emergency budget. His plan closes the deficit without raising taxes. (more…)