Hilgemann: Wisconsin leads the way
Wisconsin has been at the forefront of a national conversation for the past 18 months. We have been firsthand witnesses to a battle that has been raging for years. The question dominating discussions in the Badger State has been the role of government and how much we are willing to bow down to its ever-increasing influence. The reason we are at the center of this debate is we have been able to see two drastically different approaches to government reign in Wisconsin.
One side said that tax increases were the answer, that deficits didn’t matter and the public-employee unions were in charge. The other said that we need to control spending, that Wisconsinites had been taxed enough and large-scale changes were needed to reform our budget. The apex of this debate came to a head on Tuesday when voters decided the path forward for Wisconsin. Wisconsin’s voice was heard loud and clear: We support leaders who stick to their word and deliver results.
The facts over the past year and a half have been clear: A $3.6 billion deficit was turned into a $154.5 million surplus, property taxes were lowered for the first time in 12 years and more than $1 billion was saved through Act 10. When the people of Wisconsin were armed with the facts, they were able to make the decisions necessary to continue to move our state forward.
Gov. Scott Walker’s name was on the ballot Tuesday, but it was his policies on which people were voting. Wisconsin made the choice to approve policies that will last for generations. The reforms are about more than any one politician or political party. This wasn’t about politics; this was about the facts.
Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin has been engaged in a conversation with the people of Wisconsin, and we have moved the debate. When the left engaged in name-calling, chants and threats, we worked to educate the people and arm them with the facts. Folks took that education to the polls and voted to move Wisconsin forward toward prosperity.
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