Only in a culture of hyperactive, get rich quick, delusion can the adage “He gets things done” stand alone as an unquestionably desirable character trait for a leader. Yet, if we’ve heard it once as a sound byte to describe Scott Walker’s strong asset as a candidate, we’ve heard it a million times. Along with, “He won three elections in four years” or “He is a ‘doer'”.
Being a “get things done” leader says nothing without further analysis. Stalin “got things done”, Jesus “got things done”, Bin Laden “got things done”, Martin Luther King “got things done”… well you see the point. Yet, you will hear this hollow description of “he gets things done” as one of the shining descriptors of Candidate Walker across the media as though it holds some rich and glorious meaning. He is a “Doer” – “He gets things done”. No analysis, no list, no details, – he just gets things done. Oh boy! That should put him up 7 points in the Iowa polls.
We in Wisconsin hold an entirely different set of images to the adage “He gets things done”, than the rest of the country. We see children whose learning programs are being canceled, we see teachers who are retiring early, we see elderly people being drug tested to get food, we see people suffering and dying for lack of affordable health care, we see our universities shedding talented staff, we see our roads crumbling, we see women’s health programs being cut, – all for what? For something to do? To “get things done”? Please do not tell the people of Wisconsin, “He gets things done” without further qualification. We know. We know it like telling our child that her favorite teacher will not be back next year. Oh yes. Scott Walker has gotten things done in Wisconsin. Oh yes, he has.
But let’s look at a fitting and appropriate example of how Walker’s brand of “he gets things done” is playing out in another state. Let’s look at Kansas. Let’s take a little peek at how Governor Sam Brownback is “getting things done”, because Brownback’s Tea political stance, and legislative initiatives offer a mirror image to those of Candidate Walker. The only difference is time. All that Brownback has “done” in Kansas has begun to play out and fester. Wisconsin is only beginning to feel the very earliest effects of the tax cutting, trickle down, policies that Brownback and Walker share. And, Kansas now offers clear map for what road ahead will offer Wisconsin in months and years to come.
Can you read this Iowa, New Hampshire, MSNBC, CNN, WISCONSIN?
Kansas Republicans Finally Admit That Their Tax Cuts For The Wealthy Have Failed
This isn’t some liberal/progressive warning of sour grapes. This is fact. This is exactly what is about to become an obvious fact in Wisconsin.
Since Kansas embarked on its “tea party experiment,” the state has faced severe budget shortages. They collected nearly $6 million less than expected in tax revenue — stemming mainly from a drop in sales tax revenue — this month adding on to an ongoing shortfall, and the legislature has gone into an extended session trying to figure out how to either cut spending or raise revenue to balance the budget.
Brownback told the legislature that he would unveil a tax plan Friday, but he abruptly canceled his appearance, leaving the legislature to debate the budget into the weekend. Ironically, each additional day they spend in session costs them an additional $40,000.kansas finally considers tax hikes to plug budget hole
Don’t get me wrong. Pleasing the Koch Brothers and Bradley Foundation does work for luring in campaign contributions. You know, big billboards that say things like “Walker gets things done”, however the “trickle down” tax cut experiment did not work under Reagan, does not work in Kansas, and is about to pull Wisconsin further and further into an anemic abyss of loss of opportunity for the next generation.
But you can always say, and we will always remember – Scott Walker gets things done!
fitzwalkerstan 