This Just In ...

Wisconsin has been at the forefront of a national conversation for the last 18 months. We have been firsthand witnesses to a battle that has been raging for years. The question that has been dominating discussions here in the Badger State has been the role of government and how much we are willing to bow down to its ever increasing influence. The reason we are at the center of this debate is because we have been able to see two drastically different approaches to government reign here in Wisconsin.

One side said that tax increases were the answer, that deficits didn’t matter and the public employee unions were in charge. The other said that we need to control spending, that Wisconsinites had been taxed enough and large scale changes were needed to reform our budget. The apex of this debate came to a head on Tuesday night when the citizens of our state decided the path forward for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s voice was heard loud and clear, we support leaders that stick to their word and deliver results.

The facts over the last year and a half have been clear. A $3.6 billion deficit was turned into a $154.5 million surplus, property taxes were lowered for the first time in 12 years and more than $1 billion was saved through Act 10. When the people of Wisconsin were armed with the facts they were able to make the decisions necessary to continue to move our state forward.

Scott Walker’s name was on the ballot but it was his policies on which people were voting. Wisconsin made the choice to approve policies that will last for generations. The reforms of the last 18 months are about more than any one politician or political party. This wasn’t about politics, this was about the facts. 

Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin has been engaged in a conversation with the people of Wisconsin and we have moved the debate. When the left engaged in name calling, chants and threats, we worked to educate the people of Wisconsin and arm them with the facts. Folks took that education to the polls and voted to move Wisconsin forward towards prosperity.

With any luck, these reforms will spread across the country. States like Illinois and California have shown us what happens when deficits are ignored and tax increases are the answer. Wisconsin will once again be the model of reform in America. We led the nation in welfare and education reform in the 90’s and once again states will be implementing the “Wisconsin Reforms.”

But the work is far from over. We can’t rest on our efforts and claim victory. For long lasting reform we need to continue on the path of economic freedom and limited government. If Wisconsin is going to continue to be a leader we need to make sure that the 2013 budget builds on these reforms and continues to put us on a path to prosperity.

For Liberty,

Luke Hilgemann
Wisconsin State Director
Americans for Prosperity