Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker.
Credit: educationvotes.nea.org
In July, Wisconsin governor and presidential candidate Scott Walker signed a budget that slashed $250 million from his state’s higher education system. Wednesday, he signed a bill that would spend $250 million of taxpayer funds on a new stadium for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
It is difficult to think of a clearer illustration of a politician’s comically misplaced priorities.
I should say upfront that, if you want to get nit-picky about it, the two figures aren’t exactly comparable. For starters, the stadium spending will be spread out over 20 years. And once you include bond interest, the cost to Wisconsin residents is expected to hit $400 million. Meanwhile, only about $80 million will be coming exclusively from the state government—the rest will basically be financed by the city and county of Milwaukee, and by a $2 surcharge on tickets to events at the Bucks’ current stadium. You could also argue that, […]
