Here’s one for the books.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, facing a probable recall election for curbing workers’ rights, is going to use about $26 million of its $140 million share of a national mortgage settlement to help plug a state budget hole.
Yes, you read that right. The governor who first gave the rich tax breaks then launched an all-out assault on public worker’s collective bargaining rights in the name of fiscal austerity now says he needs to take some of the money meant to aid homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure or who find themselves underwater to help plug up a hole in his budget.
Walker said at a news conference yesterday that just like communities and individuals affected by the foreclosure crisis, the state has also been harmed and the payment will go toward offsetting that.
But Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, a Democrat who is considering running against Walker, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a story published today that none of the money should go toward the state budget. Barrett and state Sen. Lena Taylor (D-WI) will join Ed tonight for complete coverage of this development at 8pET on msnbc.
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