Posted on 08/03/2011 12:54:44 PM PDT by milwguy
In front of an invitation only crowd of Rotarians from Menomonee Falls, Rep. Sandy Pasch (D-Whitefish Bay) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) staked out their positions just days before Tuesday’s recall election over Darling’s seat.
It was the second and last joint appearance by the two candidates in what has become a hotly contested recall election that has attracted millions of dollars to the campaigns and third-party groups.
In her comments, Darling stated that she did what those who elected her wanted her to do: work to balance the state budget, reduce the deficit and not raise taxes. She said she did that.
In her remarks, Pasch said Darling had been a moderate for many years in the Legislature, but adopted an “extreme agenda” with her fellow Republicans that approved game-changing policies, including stripping most collective-bargaining rights for many public-sector employees.
As she had done in recent weeks, Darling attempted to link Pasch to Gov. Doyle’s tenure, referring to the “Doyle-Pasch times.”
Pasch has responded by saying that she took office at a time when there was already a billion-dollar-plus deficit. She also has charged that Darling did little to address that deficit while Doyle was governor.
The forum, moderated by WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) reporter Charles Benson, was civil. In what little murmuring there was among the 160 or so Rotarians and other guests seemed to favor Darling. Menomonee Falls is a Republican stronghold in Waukesha County.
Pasch said it was time for a change in the 8th Senate District. The state, she said, has become incredibly divided and Darling does not respect the priorities and needs of the citizens.
“We need shared sacrifice, but we truly have not had shared sacrifice,” Pasch said.
Darling said the choice for voters next Tuesday was clear: either go back to the Doyle era when Democrats were in charge, or move forward with an agenda that balances the budget, reduce the deficit and not raise taxes.
“I was elected to get control of spending and the deficit without raising taxes,” Darling said. “I did listen.”
Pasch said that, while Darling has portrayed herself as a proponent of education, the incumbent cut education, especially in the technical school system.She also said Darling’s claim that school districts avoided massive layoffs and were not hurt by education cuts were misleading.
“Ninety-seven percent of school districts will be harmed,” Pasch said. She said people she had spoken to in the education field feel education has “fallen off a cliff.”
But Darling said she and others in the Legislature had to make tough choices to balance the budget. “People said stop using the credit card. Live within your means,” she said.
The Darling/Pasch race is the most watched election of the bunch because it is in the Milwaukee Metro Area. The public sector unions are desperate to recall Darling to show the other legislators in the state the pwoer they wield. The ad wars are all over the TV, radio, etc.
Pasch claims 'education has fallen off a cliff'....As the parent of a recent graduate who just landed their first job teaching in a public school in the Milwaukee area, I can tell you that statement is completely false.
Pasch and the union would have you think the deal the teachers are now getting is a terrible deal. Last week my kid went to meet with human resources at the school district they will be teaching at and I will leave if to FReepers to decide if they got a raw deal.
The job starts at almost $40k. Of course, the evil taxpayer and school board is now forcing my kid to pay for part of their retirement and health care now so for pension, they will deduct 6% from the salary and then add another 6% paid entirely by the taxpayer. Health insurance for a single policy will cost him all of $76 a month with no copays and $100 deductible. Dental insurance is $7 a month, and vision is FREE.
I saw a stat that said 48% of college graduates this year are either unemployed or have a job they did not even need a degree to land. My kid, while indoctrinated by the liberal education lobby in college, is smart enough to know that he has a pretty sweet deal in these times. A lot of his friends aren't nearly as fortunate, they have no good job prospects and big college debts. \ When Sandy Pasch rants about how the teachers are being screwed, I smile because if not for the steps are awesome Governor took, a lot of teachers may not have retired this spring, and my kid might not have gotten the great job they landed.
Is your kid smart enough to vote for fiscal sanity?
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