Monday, August 17, 2009

Sorry Fond du Lac, No Stimulus for You!

Yesterday Scott Walker stopped for a campaign event in Fond du Lac. It was a Republican event, so I was thinking that he might actually state his real opinion on the federal stimulus money that has been pouring into our state in recent months. Despite his cheerleader's desperate defense, Walker has been all over the map on the issue. Unfortunately I couldn't find any reporting on the event in the local Fond du Lac media, so I don't know if he even brought up his opposition to the federal stimulus money.

Absent any report on the event, I will do Walker the favor of proclaiming his position on the issue myself. What an honest Walker might have said yesterday is "Sorry Fond du Lac, you need to give back that terrible stimulus money! You don't need it and I don't like it!" Unfortunately what that means for that community is that they would not get to fund some of the following project examples in their area:

  • Just announced a few days ago: Community development block grants to the tune of $471,305 for the Fond du Lac and nearby counties. It will pay for job training, job development, and help for domestic abuse victims (among other things).
  • Fond du Lac is in line for over $7.5 million for education related funding provided by the federal stimulus.
  • Over $1.6 million for energy efficiency grants, transit funding and more.
  • Fond du Lac County is receiving over $2.4 million for economic development, child support enforcement and in immunization funding. The county is also receiving over $500k for its Farm Service Agency.
  • Over $5 million in area road construction and bridge related projects.

Now I realize that Scott Walker probably didn't level with the folks in Fond du Lac yesterday (even if it was a strictly partisan crowd), but he is simply not a fan of the federal stimulus plan and apparently doesn't approve of these (and other) local projects that have been funded because of it. Sorry Fond du Lac! In a world run by Scott Walker, there would be no stimulus for you!

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