On the recordJune 6, 2012
I rise to comment on the results of last night's recall election in the State of Wisconsin. After nearly 2 years of heated political debate, the people of Wisconsin made it clear last night that they are not suffering from buyers' remorse. Two years ago, they elected leaders committed to solving their State's budget crisis. Last night, they stood by those leaders for making the hard choices that turned Wisconsin's deficit into a surplus. Yesterday's election was very important. It was important because of the example it provides to the Nation and the world of how a democracy should work, with citizens who disagree vehemently about policy nonetheless coming together to accept the results of an open and fair election. It was important because of the message it sends with respect to public employee unions. Last night's results serve as yet another reminder that the American people want serious answers to our Nation's fiscal problems, and they are tired of having labor unions dictate the terms of our economic recovery. Scott Walker never hid his agenda. He ran for office on a platform of reducing State spending, and Governor Walker immediately began addressing the State's problems after taking office. So what egregious acts did Governor Walker commit during his first months in office to trigger this recall? First of all, his budget repair bill actually required Wisconsin State employees to contribute more to their pensions.…
