Walker's not-so-fiscally-conservative Voter Bribes and Corporate Tax Credits Spending Spree

Scott Walker groundbreaking reelection campaign spending tactic is a doozy; give away the store. And even crazier, Wisconsin taxpayers will be on the hook, actually paying companies to stay in our state with their own hard earned wages. Gross mismanagement, comic genius, or breathtaking desperation?

Walker Showers Tax Credit Gifts All Around: Walker's supposed "market driven" reinsurance plan using taxpayer money to support ObamaCare was the big tip-off. Now Kimberly-Clark tax credits are free market "catalytic things." Foxconn fever is here:

 

Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday he'd be open to offering other paper companies Foxconn-style tax credits just days after he floated the suggestion for consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark. "We'd be willing to match for keeping these jobs at Kimberly-Clark and for that matter other major paper companies in the state if you're talking about significant opportunities to keep and grow jobs in the state."

Walker was asked whether the state would run the risk of other companies seeking similar tax breaks. "You do, but for us, what we try to do is say these are catalytic things," Walker said.

Walker's Reelection Year Bribe-New and Improved: This is so shamelessly a voter bribe that it has to be illegal, especially after the proposed yearly $100 tax rebate for every child was limited to just the midterm election, with the added bonus of sales tax holiday. Seriously?

The proposal would cost an estimated $172 million over the current biennium, drawing down about 45 percent of an expected $385 million budget surplus.

The weird Republican idea that surplus revenues are just excess cash, and should be given back instead of being used for rebuilding our states infrastructure, roads, education funding, mass transit, renewable energy investments...etc. is not just bizarre, but leaves that bill to our kids and their kids:

"As I promised, when we have a surplus, we will give it back to you. It’s your money," Walker said in a statement announcing the deal.

 Like Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz said:

(It's) "an election year bribe. The governor might as well save money on postage and just hand these checks out at polling places in November. For seven years, Governor Walker has handed out favors to his donors and corporations to stay in power. Now, he’s trying to do the same with voters, but they’re not going to fall for it."

Walker Won't Budge, Won't Build Roads: After Trump stuck-it to the states by forcing them to pay for most his massive national infrastructure plan, Wisconsin Republicans and Walker are headed for a stalemate:

The state Senate's top Republican says Wisconsin needs to add toll roads if it wants to qualify for a possible influx of federal transportation funds. "I think it forces our hand," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said. Trump's plan would offer states a chance at increased federal funding for infrastructure projects as long as states put up most of the funding themselves. That could be difficult in Wisconsin, where Republicans who run state government have been unable to reach an agreement to raise the gas tax or vehicle registration fees.

Fitzgerald said, "A nickel, a dime on a gas tax? That is not going to fill the pot that's going to be able to match those federal dollars at this point." The state was on the cusp of adding its first ever toll roads last year before the idea was rejected by Walker. The budget that Fitzgerald said would have resulted in Wisconsin being chosen by the federal government to add toll roads. Walker vetoed the study. "We cut the deal already. The deal was in the budget. I mean it was there."

Asked about Fitzgerald's comments, Walker said Wednesday he was not opposed to tolling, but he stressed that he was not ready to support it. "We're not even going to think about it unless we can reduce taxes somewhere else in an equal or greater margin," Walker said.

What's next for GOP? Right to shoot the poor who pose threat...to Wealthy Elite?

Republicans couldn't be more obvious this time:

The House of Representatives voted to change a tax credit in a way that would add $115 billion to the deficit and hurt poorer parents while aiding the well-to-do.

Not surprising is it? The GOP desensitizing scheme continues. Huffington Post:

The House decided to make permanent the child tax credit and expand it to families earning up to $205,000 a year. The credit, which is worth up to $1,000 for each child in a family, would also be indexed to rise with inflation, as would the eligibility thresholds.

The same week Paul Ryan took another shot at cutting aid to the poor with the Orwellian "Opportunity Act," his fellow pirates introduced the jaw dropping "Child Tax Credit Improvement Act" that does away with the tax credit for poor children and their families:

But the new measure fails to extend the part of the credit that was passed in 2009 to help impoverished families and that currently allows parents with annual earnings as low as $3,000 to claim some of the break. That element expires in 2017. Without it, a family would have to earn at least $15,000 to qualify for the credit.

An example worth noting:

According to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, that means a mom working full time at a minimum wage job would receive no help from the credit -- because she would be earning only $14,500. Indeed, that mom would lose $1,725 under the new bill, while a family of four earning $150,000 would gain $2,200, according to the center's analysis. About 12 million people, including 6 million children, would be pushed further into poverty if the measure became law.

I don't even know how to describe the following. Here’s the down-the-rabbit-hole argument put forth by the GOP:

Republicans argued that Democrats were raising a phony issue in pointing to the failure to extend the lower-income part of the credit. They said there was plenty of time to consider that later.

Plenty of time? How about right now?

The bill also includes a provision that would bar … immigrants … somewhere around 80 percent of the children of undocumented immigrants are believed to be U.S. citizens … some 5 million children, about 4 million of whom are citizens, would be cut off from the credit's aid.

 And why not take a few war veterans down with them?

"Its net effect is to push 12 million people, including 6 million children, right into poverty or deeper into it," said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas). "That includes 400,000 veterans and armed forces families who would lose all or part of their child tax credit."

Debt, what debt?

The measure would add $115 billion to the deficit over 10 years because the House did not find any way to offset the lost revenue. So far during this session of Congress, the House has passed permanent tax cuts that would add some $721 billion to the deficit over the next decade.

Ryan's New Tax Plan Gives more to Wealthy Parents with Kids, raises Poor and Middle Class Tax Bracket.

Paul Ryan has a new plan to combat poverty; penalize, tax them and vilify every family out of the public conscience. If enough people hate them, then their sad stories will fill fewer newspapers and disappear forever.

And that "no tax" pledge? Forget it. If it's directed at the poor and middle class, well, it's about time they have a little skin in the game. Got kids? Even worse:

Salon: The right’s new horror show: Forget the talk about modernizing conservatism and making it less nutty. The future's more dangerous than you think.

The so-called reform conservatives released a book of policy proposals last week to much fanfare … the biggest horror show of all is the tax reform proposal, which is nothing more than the usual screw-the-poor pablum.

Their proposed welfare state expansion consists of adding a $2,500 child tax credit to the existing $1,000 child tax credit and personal tax exemption for children …. the restrictions on who can claim these benefits leaves poor families totally out in the cold.

Under the proposal, a family making $70,000 per year who had twins would receive more than $7,000 per year in child welfare payments via the tax code. A family making $10,000 or $15,000 per year who had twins might receive a few hundred dollars in child welfare payments, if any at all. They’d also have the pleasure of seeing their current federal income tax rate of 10 percent bump up to 15 percent.