Boots & Sabers

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Tag: Scott Walker

Walker Denies Kenosha Casino

by | 1436, 24 Jan 1515 | , | 8 Comments

Put me firmly in the camp that is angry at Walker for this decision.

KENOSHA — Gov. Scott Walker’s rejection of the proposed Kenosha casino Friday prompted anger from Racine- and Kenosha-area officials.

In rejecting the casino, Walker cited the project’s potential hit to the state budget, which he has said is due to compacts former Gov. Jim Doyle negotiated with the Forest County Potawatomi. The compacts called for the tribe to be reimbursed for losses incurred because of a new casino.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, blamed Doyle for creating a “no-win situation.”

But Vos, who is close with the governor, also said Walker made the wrong decision.

On the merits, Walker got it wrong. While there remained a risk that the state would have been held liable for the Potawatomi’s losses per their compact, the BIA has already ruled that provision unenforceable. It is likely that the courts would rule in the BIA’s favor. And even so, the Menomonee had already agreed to make the state taxpayers whole in this eventuality. The risk to the taxpayers was more than acceptable given the opportunity to create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic development for the state.

Walker blew the chance to bring jobs and economic development to Wisconsin. The question is “why?” and none of the possible answers look good for Walker.

The reason for the decision given by Walker is that the risk of losing money from the Potawatomi was too great. First, as I said above, the risk was more than acceptable given the potential reward. Second, it shows that Walker prioritized state tax revenue over jobs and economic development in the private sector. That’s not a conservative position. Even if it came to pass that the state did lose $100 million from the Potawatomi – offset by whatever revenues are generated by the new casino – it represents a tiny fraction of a $30 billion budget. And with the stated goal of reducing the size of government, Walker should have no problem dealing with a decline in revenue from the Potawatomi – assuming he’s sincere about his pledge to shrink state government.

If the stated reason for Walker’s decision is the real one, then it was just a stupid decision. But more troubling are some of the other possible reasons. Both Iowa social conservatives and allegedly Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate who has opposed the Seminole casinos in the past, have urged Walker to kill the Kenosha casino. With Walker wanting to run for president, it sure appears that he let his personal political aspirations influence his decision to the detriment of the welfare of Wisconsin.

But even if Walker did make his decision based on politics, it was a stupid political decision too. Walker’s claim to fame is that he is a tough conservative who is not afraid to take on the tough fights. Well, he buckled on this decision. “Unintimidated?” hardly.

Also, Walker stakes his political reputation on being a champion of private sector job creation. With this decision, he has given up that plank. He has little ground to stand on criticizing opponents of the iron mine, Keystone pipeline, or other major projects when he single-handedly turned away thousands of private Wisconsin jobs. And every time Walker complains about job creation, his opponents can rightly point to this decision as hypocritical.

Finally, Walker used the excuse that it was former governor Jim Doyle’s horrible compact with the Potawatomi that forced this decision. While it is true that Doyle signed a sweetheart deal that put the taxpayers at risk and made this decision somewhat challenging, it’s a weak excuse. Walker has been governor for 4 years. He is well past the point of being able to blame his predecessor. He was elected to make changes and move Wisconsin forward – not make excuses and whine about the decisions of previous governors.

This further undermines Walker’s argument for being president. If he should win the White House, he will be succeeding perhaps the most destructive president we have had in a very long time. There will be huge messes left for him to figure out. How is he going to deal with Obamacare? ISIS? Immigration? Massive deficit? Etc. Is he going to just blame Obama and say he can’t do anything about those messes? If he can’t handle a bad compact with a tiny tribe in Wisconsin, how is he going to handle Putin? Again, Walker’s claim is that he is “unintimidated,” but he has severely undermined that image.

Whether you look at it based on the merits or the politics, Walker got this very wrong and the state of Wisconsin has missed out on a rare opportunity for a massive infusion of economic development.

Unfortunately, he can’t be reached for comment this weekend because he’s campaigning for president in Iowa. By such actions he is showing us his priorities.

Iowa Republicans Tell Walker to Deny Kenosha Casino

by | 1817, 17 Jan 1515 | | 3 Comments

Will Walker deny Wisconsin thousands of jobs and over $1 billion of economic investment to appease Republicans in Iowa? Will his presidential ambition trump Wisconsin’s interests?

Madison — Influential social conservatives in Iowa are warning Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that approving a proposed Kenosha casino subsequent month could hurt his presidential bid.

In a single of the first tests of his second term, Walker will have to decide by Feb. 19 whether or not to approve the $800 million project proposed by the Menominee tribe and backed by Challenging Rock International, owned by the Seminole tribe of Florida.

Senator Fitzgerald Advocates Against Kenosha Casino

by | 2129, 12 Jan 1515 | | 3 Comments

Big Fitz has a column over on Right Wisconsin opposing approval of the Kenosha casino. He couldn’t be more wrong. His piece boils down to three arguments.

The first argument is that the state might lose a lot of money if the casino is approved. This would first be because of the clause in the existing tribal compacts that requires the state to make the Potawatomi whole should another casino cut into their profits. It’s part of the horrible deal that the former governor agreed to. But the Bureau of Indian Affairs just ruled that the compact can’t be amended to put an enforcement mechanism into the compact. In doing so, they said, “”We have never been presented with a compact or amendment that goes so far as to attempt to guarantee the continued profitability of one tribe’s casino at the expense of another tribe.” That means that while the existing compact says that the Potowatomi must be made whole if the Kenosha casino is approved, there isn’t anything in place to actually force anyone to make those payments.

That leaves the Potawatomi in a precarious place and they know it. That is why they are already filing a federal lawsuit against the BIA to reverse the ruling. They will almost certainly lose their case, thus leaving no enforcement of that part of their compact. That leads us to their only other recourse… the Potawatomi could withhold their payments to the state. Remember that the tribes don’t have to pay taxes, but the compact to which they agreed obligates them to make payments to the state. The could claim that the compact has been breached because of the non-compete clause and withhold payments, but it is likely that they would lose that in court too. Withholding payments might even force them to have to negotiate an entirely new compact – this time with a different governor who hopefully won’t give away the taxpayers’ store. At the very least, the state can be much less cooperative and make life very difficult for the Potawatomi to do business. That’s why the Potawatomi would much rather the BIA approve the amendment putting mitigation payments into the existing compact.

While the state may lose out on some money from the Potowatomi if Walker approves the Kenosha Casino, the odds are actually pretty good that the Potawatomi will not be able to back up their threats in the long term. Furthermore, remember that the new casino is likely projected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars of profit. It may more than offset any losses from the Potawatomi’s recalcitrance.

The second argument is that the Potawatomi will sue the BIA and the state if the casino is approved. So what? People are free to sue for whatever they please. That doesn’t mean they will win. In this case, all indications are that the tribe would lose. Governor Walker and the State of Wisconsin can’t fear doing the right thing just because someone might sue over it. If that were the case, we would never advance anything.

The third argument is that the casino market would become saturated. Fitz says, “history has shown that when gaming markets become oversaturated, casino revenues level off or decline.” Again, so what? What business is it of the state’s to enforce a monopoly in a specific grography for the purpose of sustaining gambling revenues? The state wouldn’t step in and oppose a new Menard’s opening up just because they think there are already too many home improvement stores in the area. Neither should they oppose the Kenosha casino for fear that the market may be saturated. In fact, the people willing to put hundreds of millions of dollars into the construction of the casino seem to think that there is plenty of market opportunity left. I’m willing to support them spending their own money in Wisconsin on that bet.

Fitzgerald seems to be more than willing to let the State of Wisconsin be bullied by a tiny tribe with a big casino. Instead of rolling over, the state should play hardball against a tribe that is playing above their grade. My worry is that Fitzgerald’s article is designed to give Governor Walker cover for a bad decision he is about to make. I sure hope not, because it is no cover at all. Walker is going to have a hard time making the case that he is “intimidated” if he kills one of the largest economic development projects in the state for fear of the Potawatomi.

Walker should  ignore Fitzgerald’s opinion and do what is right for the citizens and taxpayers of Wisconsin – approve the Kenosha Casino.

 

Bureau of Indian Affairs Rejects Amendment

by | 1153, 10 Jan 1515 | , | 3 Comments

Excellent.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs on Friday shot down a tribal gaming compact amendment that calls for the state to be on the hook for millions of dollars if a Kenosha casino opened and the Potawatomi tribe saw business at its Milwaukee gambling hall fall as a result, according to letters released Friday.

“We have never been presented with a compact or amendment that goes so far as to attempt to guarantee the continued profitability of one tribe’s casino at the expense of another tribe,” BIA head Kevin Washburn wrote in letters to Gov. Scott Walker and Harold Frank, Potawatomi chairman.

Washburn added that a gaming compact is intended to deal with “legitimate regulatory concerns” about Indian casinos. The proposed amendment to the Potawatomi compact, which calls for the tribe to be indemnified against any revenue lost to a proposed $800 million Menominee casino in Kenosha, goes far beyond that.

“Its intent is to protect the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino revenue losses due to competition” from a Kenosha casino, Washburn wrote.

The state and Potawatomi in November sent the BIA the proposed amendment to its 2005 gaming compact that includes protections against it incurring losses to a new off-reservation casino located within 50 miles of the Milwaukee casino. An arbitration panel determined the meaning of the language and how to enforce it. But a lawyer for Walker questioned whether the governor could legally commit the state to help cover any losses at the Potawatomi casino.

The BIA got this right. As I understand it, this absolves the taxpayers or anyone else from making the Potawatomi whole if they lose business due to competition. That’s good. It takes that off the table. I believe the Potawatomi still might be able to withhold its payments to the state because of a provision in its gaming compact, but even that is suspect.

This removes one more barrier to Walker approving the Kenosha casino. Now he just needs to actually do it.

Walker’s College Degree

by | 1112, 10 Jan 1515 | , | 15 Comments

Clearly, Walker is floating some trial spin on his lack of a college degree in preparation for a presidential run.

“I say I’m like the majority of people in America. I’m someone who went to college, had the opportunity in my senior year to go and take a job full-time, which was not the only reason I went to college, but one of the biggest reasons was to get a job. And the American Red Cross offered me a job my senior year, and I took it, thinking someday, maybe, I’d go back. But a few years later, I met my wonderful wife, Tonette, a year after that, we had Matthew, the year after that, we had Alex. And now like a lot of folks in America, you know, your family and your job take the time away from you from finishing it up. But I don’t think anybody — and I’ve got a master’s degree in taking on the big-government special interests, and I think that is worth more than anything else that anybody can point to.”

Walker’s lack of a college degree is a problem for his presidential aspirations. No president since Harry Truman has been elected to that office sans degree. Having a college degree has become a standard expectation for the office. One could argue that this expectation is unjust. We all know brilliant people who do not have a college degree and have been around plenty of Dr. Dullards. A college degree is generally a decent indicator that someone at least has a moderate amount of intelligence and the sticktoitiveness to finish a degree, but it is not a perfect indicator. Still, we have come to expect that our presidents will have achieved some tertiary education.

Overall, Walker’s response to the question should be pretty simple. He should say, “like most Americans, I didn’t complete a college degree and I wish I had, but I have a built a record of success and experience that has prepared me for higher office.” Reasonable people would respect a response like that and judge him on his record. I believe that is the message he is trying to send, but his clumsy claim to have a “master’s degree in taking on big-government special interests” is distracting. He’d be better off just leaving that part out.

Walker Faces Opposition From Conservative Base

by | 1910, 2 Jan 1515 | | 0 Comments

Indeed.

But as he prepares for the possibility of taking his winning record into a campaign for president, Walker is running into trouble from an unexpected source: his own overwhelmingly Republican Legislature.

Walker, who’s trying to polish an image of a governor who gets things done efficiently, is confronting lawmakers who want to flex their increased political power by wading into difficult issues, such as right-to-work legislation, to score major conservative victories.

The governor wants no part of it. He wants a buttoned-down agenda centered on the budget and tax cuts, done on a brisk campaign-friendly schedule, and is skirting big showdowns that could take months and bring hordes of protesters back into the streets in Madison, much like the turmoil of his first months in office. Walker enraged labor unions after taking office in 2011 by passing legislation that effectively ended public employee unions’ bargaining rights, sparking weeks of demonstrations and a recall election that Walker survived.

His message about the new right-to-work efforts hasn’t been getting through.

Walker Tells GOP Senators to Take a Pass on Right to Work

by | 1729, 18 Dec 1414 | | 5 Comments

Argh.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker is telling Republican state senators he wants them focused on his agenda, not passing right-to-work legislation.

Walker spoke to senators during a caucus meeting in the Capitol on Wednesday.

Walker mentioned right-to-work briefly as he was outlining his priorities of cutting property taxes, consolidating state government and passing a school accountability bill. He says debating right-to-work early in the session would distract from what he wants the Legislature focused on.

For a governor presiding over a state that is lagging the national average in private sector growth while also signaling that he will likely deny the Kenosha casino, Walker needs to stop pushing back on right to work. Politically speaking, he will damage his presidential primary chances by pushing against agenda items that are strongly supported by the conservative base. Practically speaking, right to work will likely help improve Wisconsin’s economy and Walker’s obstructionism is hurting potential job growth.

Molotov!

by | 0736, 11 Dec 1414 | | 0 Comments

This is kind of funny.

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that he doesn’t remember sending a letter about a menorah that is signed, “Thank you and Molotov.”

“My guess is it was a typo,” Walker said when asked about the slip-up by reporters at the governor’s mansion.

Walker presumably meant to write “mazel tov” in the undated letter that was addressed to prominent Milwaukee attorney Franklyn Gimbel. The letter was written when Walker was Milwaukee County executive and was first reported on Wednesday by the Cap Times.

It’s more funny to see lefties trying to make hay out of a typo from a letter from over a decade ago. That’s how desperate they have become to try to score political points against Walker.

Walker Should Be Clear on His Positions

by | 1228, 9 Dec 1414 | | 4 Comments

Jessica McBride nails it.

I actually think Walker opposes gay marriage and amnesty, wants to kill the Kenosha casino, and will NOT veto right-to-work legislation. Wish he’d just come out and say it. In the words of Machiavelli, “But they took that middle course which is pernicious in the extreme, when the question to be decided affects the fate of men.”

Walker Does Not Shut Down Spending and Tax Increase

by | 1610, 19 Nov 1414 | | 4 Comments

I was hoping for something firmer.

MADISON — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told The Associated Press on Tuesday that significant changes will be made to the state Department of Transportation’s proposal to increase taxes and fees on drivers by $751 million, but he did not specifically say what he wants altered.

The budget was submitted to the governor on Friday by Transportation Department Secretary Mark Gottlieb, a Walker appointee. The proposal would raise the gas tax 5 cents a gallon, impose a fee for new purchases amounting to $800 on a $32,000 vehicle, and create a $50 annual charge for owners of electric and hybrid cars.

Walker refused to rule out anything in the department’s budget, including a gas tax increase he previously opposed.

Walker Has Decades to Run

by | 1611, 17 Nov 1414 | , | 0 Comments

Ouch.

“Whether it’s two years, six years, 20 years from now, because at 47, I mean I think about Hillary Clinton, I could run 20 years from now for president and still be about the same age as the former secretary of State is right now,” Walker said in an interview with the local Fox affiliate published Sunday night.

Walker Calls on Congressional GOP to “Put Up or Shut Up”

by | 2030, 10 Nov 1414 | , | 0 Comments

Indeed.

It’s put up or shut up time. Those were the words I spoke to the newly elected Republican majority in Wisconsin back in 2010. With both houses of the legislature and the governorship in Republican hands for the first time in more than a decade, it was our time to prove that the trust voters placed in us was warranted. That we would do what we had said we would do. That we would turn things around.

Those are the same words I share with Republicans preparing to lead both houses of Congress come January. Your election is a message from the American people that they want change. So go big and bold.

Walker Sets Second Term Path

by | 2154, 5 Nov 1414 | | 1 Comment

Good.

“We’re going to be even more aggressive now, because I think we’ve got an even stronger ally in the Legislature,” Walker told his cabinet.

He said he was talking about work on the state budget, but also work beyond that.

Walker said he’ll work with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and individual legislators on making government more effective.

makeitso

Governor Walker Wins Election

by | 2124, 4 Nov 1414 | | 2 Comments

Fox News and ABC News have called it for Governor Walker.

Congratulations, Mr. Governor!

 

As the results finish coming in, it will be interesting to see what the margin will finally be. I predicted that he would add to his margin of victory over the recall election. We’ll see if I’m right.

Rabid Walker Vandalizes Property

by | 0549, 4 Nov 1414 | | 2 Comments

I wrote a headline from the lefty perspective for this post. Good, eh? In any case, I guess he’s lost the Minnesota vote.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker might have committed a political version of football’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on a piece of material that will be part of the Minnesota Vikings new $1 billion stadium.

According to the New York Times, Walker says he wrote a little message on one of the beams to be used in the roof.

What’s it say? “Go Packers.”

Turnout Expected at 57%

by | 2100, 30 Oct 1414 | | 0 Comments

Not that their history with predicting these things is very accurate, but…

Statewide turnout in Tuesday’s election is expected to be the highest for a midterm election in at least 64 years, but still shy of the 2012 recall election, according to the state’s nonpartisan election agency.

The Government Accountability Board is predicting turnout will reach 2.5 million, or 56.5 percent of the state’s voting-age population.

That would be just short of the 57.8 percent turnout in the 2012 gubernatorial recall election, but far lower than the 70 percent turnout level for the 2012 presidential election, GAB director Kevin Kennedy noted.

The more I think about this election, the more I think that Walker is going to win handily. He beat Barrett in the recall election by 7 points. That was at a time when passions were at the absolute highest on both sides. In the macro sense, nothing has really changed since then. No significant legislation has been passed. No major shifts have happened in the economy or employment picture. There haven’t been any major scandals. There are no major shifts in any of the key dynamics since the recall election.

Also, Burke is a far weaker candidate than Barrett. Barrett was a well-known former Congressman and mayor of Wisconsin’s largest city. He was well-liked and was well-funded for the election. By contrast, Burke came into the race as an unknown with no elected experience (save a short stint on a school board) and a sketchy resume.

Without anything shifting, I have a hard time picturing any voter having changed their mind about Walker since the recall election. The people who hate him do so just as much as they did in 2012. The people who support him do so just as much as they did in 2012. If everyone just shows up and votes like they did in the recall election, Walker wins easily. And in this case, the weak candidacy of Burke will likely keep a fair number of independents and core Democratic constituencies from turning out in great fashion.

Predictions are always iffy, but put me down for a Walker win. If I have to put a number on it, I’ll say Walker 54, Burke 46.

That being said… get out there and vote, folks.

More Confirmation That Burke Was Fired From Trek

by | 2157, 29 Oct 1414 | | 3 Comments

Again… not shocking for anyone who knows how to spot red flags in resumes. It is just remarkable that after months and months of campaigning, the media is just now getting around to discovering this less than a week before the election.

Two former high-level executives of Trek Bicycle claim that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke was forced out as head of European operations for her family’s business 21 years ago — an allegation that Burke and the company denied, labeling it a last-minute smear campaign.

“I’m not saying she was incompetent,” said Tom Albers, former Trek chief operating officer who left the company in 1997. “Maybe this job was too big for her.”

[…]

Albers said in an interview Wednesday that he was sent to Europe by Richard Burke, the company founder and Mary Burke’s father, to look into problems with the European sales expansion that Mary Burke had been entrusted to head up in the early 1990s.

Albers said John Burke had concerns that his sister was not working out as the point person on the difficult job of switching from outside distributors of Trek bikes in Europe to a company sales force that spanned different countries, cultures and languages.

“I came back and pretty much reinforced what John Burke had told (Richard Burke) that this wasn’t working, and a change had to be made and a change was made,” Albers said. “I felt she was under water and it was going to be very difficult to turn it around.”

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