Thanks Gov. Evers: Republican exposed for having ignored Rural communities and Farmers for 8 years!!!

Wisconsin Republicans are the laziest do nothing "representatives" you'll find anywhere.

1. State Parks Get All Funding Cut: For example, Republicans hate undeveloped publicly owned land that doesn't pad some private companies bottom line...like parks. So they passed and defunded state parks:

Gov. Scott Walker wants to remove state tax money from the operation of Wisconsin’s state parks and make them self-sustaining … proposing to remove all general-purpose revenue to operate Wisconsin state parks, trails and recreation areas - 46 state parks, 14 state trails, four recreational areas and two national scenic trails; In place of tax revenue, the governor is proposing that operation of the state park system be funded by entrance and campsite fees.

But that didn't work out so well. Sadly, Democrats failed to remind voters how we got to this place. You'll also notice ONLY Republicans came to rescue our parks...from themselves?:

2. Farmers Ignored, Rural Areas Completely Ignored, until Gov. Evers Exposed them: With little time left at the Capitol, Republicans are now scrambling to make Gov. Evers special session focus on farmers and rural communities something they came up with...after 8 frigging years of doing nothing, borrowing liberally from Evers first budget. You remember that, the one Republican Rep. Robin Vos and Sen. Scott Fitzgerald tossed into the trash bin. 

In fact, Republicans abandoned farmers completely under Walker. I wrote this back in Jan. 2016:

Scott Walker's $3.6 million budget cut to the UW Extension should get rural Republican voters riled up. It continues the Republican assault on their own rural constituents that keeps them frustrated and angry at their own government. The UW Extension "provides farmers with technical assistance, nutrient management and more," but those days are slipping away, thanks to cuts signed by Walker. UW-Extension, which applies research and expertise across the state in myriad areas, has been forced to restructure ... cut $1.2 million from county-level programs, $1.7 million from campus programs and state specialists and $700,000 from the administration.

Vos and Fitzgerald are now trying to cover their asses and look like heroes after arrogantly removing Evers first budget efforts. Hell, they're even blaming Democrats. Remember, Scott Walker ruled over the state for the last 8 years, so who's "they're?" Seriously, Vos actually said...

"It's nice that they're playing catchup, after literally almost a decade of ignoring rural Wisconsin."

Believe it or not, now they want to evaluated how the UW had been helping farmers after dumping the UW Extension program 3 years ago. Again, Republicans are rescuing farmers from their own bad legislation!!! You can't make this stuff up:

The package includes two bills aimed at the University of Wisconsin System. One would require the UW System to study the current problems facing farmers and evaluate how the university is helping support farmers through curriculum and staffing of agricultural programs. The other bill would require the UW System to develop an agricultural science and technology program. (Plus) amended versions of two of Evers’ bills...items included in Evers’ 2019-21 budget, including similar health insurance deductions for self-employed individuals, dairy processing grants and increasing dairy export spending. However they were removed by the Republican-led Legislature.

Adam Warthesen, director of government and industry affairs at Organic Valley, said the state's efforts are coming too late for many dairy farmers who have gone out of business in the last few years. "We should be out in front and figuring out what's going to help agriculture earlier in every year," Warthesen said. 

And rural Republican voters just keep putting these people back in Madison.

They even wanted to make it easier for farmers to lose their farms...not kidding: Walker went after Rural Farmers Estates to Fund Medicaid:

WSJ-Dee J. Hall: The state Department of Health Services has new powers under the state budget to recover money from the estates of people whose loved ones have received Medicaid funding for long-term care … the Legislature’s own nonpartisan legal and financial agencies have warned that the changes … could violate federal law. Critics say the changes could prompt some elderly couples to divorce and make it harder for children to inherit the family farm or business. A couple’s home is exempted … But proceeds from the sale of that home could be taken by the state to repay Medicaid used to pay for a spouse’s nursing home or other long-term care. An elder law attorneys said, “It greatly expands the types of property the state can go after … In the past, the state could not go after the property of the (non-Medicaid receiving) spouse.”