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Rep. Gary Hebl, (608) 266-7678
(MADISON) – Rep. Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie) released the following statement in response to Governor Scott Walker’s 2018 State of the State address:
The governor’s speech was filled with lofty goals and promises, but he has consistently failed to meet expectations over the last eight years. After all, he promised that in his first four years as Governor, Wisconsin would create 250,000 new jobs. Almost two full terms later, and we still have not reached that goal. Since he failed to meet the central promise of his original campaign, I would caution Wisconsin citizens to take any promises he makes for his third campaign with an enormous grain of salt.
Governor Walker laid out an agenda for small businesses, but the fact remains that Wisconsin still ranked just 33rd in Forbes’ 2017 best states for business, behind all other Midwest states except Illinois and that Wisconsin job growth fell a staggering 70% in 2016. These are not signs of a strong state economy.
Curiously, the Governor failed to mention the $4.5 billion price tag on the Foxconn deal. It is obvious now, as Democrats pointed out when it was being negotiated, that this deal is a calamity for the people of Wisconsin, and Governor Walker knows that if he is to win reelection he is going to need to conveniently forget about his multi-billion dollar taxpayer funded gift to a Taiwanese company.
In fact, Governor Walker seems to forget that he is running as a Republican. From closing Lincoln Hills, to sparsity aid to rural schools, to protections for people with pre-existing conditions, Governor Walker seems to think the best path to re-election is stealing Democratic ideas to pass off as his own. It seems he thinks that he can fool the people of Wisconsin into forgetting that he vetoed a sparsity aid increase in the budget, has vehemently opposed all aspects of the Affordable Care Act- including pre-existing condition protections, and did nothing about Lincoln Hills for six long years.
Governor Walker has shown that he cannot be trusted to do what is best for Wisconsin citizens. Transportation is a prime example. We have been in dire need of a solution to the deteriorating roads and bridges in our state, and yet Governor Walker glossed over the matter during his address, seeming to be content with the current state of Wisconsin’s infrastructure. Wisconsinites want to drive on safe roads, but we have seen no leadership from the Governor on this issue. If he continues to ignore such an important issue, we may have to rename road blemishes “Scottholes.”
Wisconsin is in need of a leader, not a campaigner-in-chief. Governor Walker may be good at coming up with campaign talking points- after all, he has been running for office almost continually for the last 28 years. However, he has failed spectacularly at delivering results.
