Buried deep inside Walker’s 144-page contested budget bill are 10 lines, unrelated to employee takeaways or union rights, which would allow the state to sell to or contract with a private corporation any state-owned heating, cooling and power plant, “with or without the solicitation of bids,”
The no-bids option could mean sweet deals for the ultra-right Koch brothers, who are major business and political players in the state, and who gave generously to Walker’s 2010 gubernatorial win.
The brothers founded and help finance Americans for Prosperity, a Virginia-based far-right “astroturf” group that is orchestrating the current actions of Walker supporters on the ground. The group’s budget jumped from $7 million three years ago to $40 million in 2010.
Phillips also said that AFP is working with state officials and right-wing activists in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania to curtail public employee benefits or union rights.
The Koch-backed group has been bussing supporters into Wisconsin to counter the massive union-led protests.
No comments:
Post a Comment