Wis. Rep. Keith Ripp on the Budget Repair Bill

We have some of the finest public servants in the country who truly care about the people they serve. This is not an attack on unions. Instead, it is a tough decision, which was made after acknowledging that, for years, Democrats and Republicans alike have avoided fixing our state budget problem.

Last fall, I heard from thousands of people across Dane, Columbia and Sauk Counties about bringing jobs and fiscal stability back to Wisconsin. In the last four years Wisconsin has increased spending by 14 percent and raised taxes by over $4 billion. During that time no growth occurred, we lost thousands of jobs and the state continued to endure multi-billion dollar budget deficits.