Kill The Bill

Still early afternoon on the East Coast but everyone and their grandmother is pouring into Wisconsin to show solidarity with the public service workers. Joe Scarborough summed up the conservative sentiment calling the workers greedy freeloaders on Morning Joe. Fox national news is complaining about the decorum of the demonstrators in sharp contrast to the teabaggers they supported.

But the local Fox affiliate ran a poll rthat showed 55% of Wisconsin voters support the demonstrators and only 40% are against.

Those teabaggers who still support the corporations promise to turn out 4,500 tomorrow in support of Government Walker. Undoubtedly, they will receive extensive coverage by the media.

If you are going to play such high stakes poker, it's best not to let your opponents know what you did. Governor Scott Walker has been caught out even more on his fiscal wizardry.

One Wisconsin Now has issued a statement analyzing the known Walker tax breaks to the wealthy. They admit that they do not have all the additional tax breaks and loopholes he's added since.

This is what Governor Walker has promised so far and the total is for two years:

*$287 million from an income tax cut to the top 1% earners, more than $225,000.
*$187 million from reopening the "Las Vegas Loophole", which allows multi-state businesses to shleter their tax obligations from Wisconsin by opening "phantom" offices.
*920 million by sheltering assets of the wealthiest citizens from a tax on all retirement income.
*243 million from changes to the capital gains reduction.
$1.032 billion--a transfer of $1,032 billion from the general fund to the transportion fund, which instantly creates the same amount of debt in the general fund.
$892 million--Phase out hospital assessment.
$159 million--end the estate tax.
$35 million--Eliminates the tax on private Health Savings Accounts.

The Total Cost: $3.8 billion.

In addition, Walker wants to cut manufacturing taxes, eliminate the corporate tax for the first two years of operations; and reduce small business taxes by 20 percent.

To pay for all this, Walker wants to cut 400,000 children and working families from Badgercare, which are health services for the poorer citizens of the state. Walker will have to cut some $6.5 billion from education, health care, police and fire protection in order to cover all his tax promises and cover any deficit.

So now you know the motivation.

There is some confusion now about whether the state police refused to go after the Democratic Senate leader. Reports suggest they refused and the Governor ordered the National Guard to carry out that duty.

It's fascinating that a state known for its progressive politics should now become the center for the rebirth of progressive politics in the country. This is reminiscent of the early days of union organizing during the age of the Robber Barons, except for the violence.