It's beginning to look as though the state of Wisconsin is becoming a national model for the old adage, "you get what you pay for."

During last November's gubernatorial election, Scott Walker campaigned feverishly on how he had saved Wisconsin taxpayers billions of dollars in tax cuts during his eight years in office. He didn't explain how he accomplished that great feat, but let's review.

He and his Republican colleagues reduced state employees' and teachers' take-home pay, slapped restrictions on what taxes local governments and school boards could raise, significantly cut aid to higher education and chiseled away at the State Department of Natural Resources' conservation and environmental programs.

So, yes, Walker and his crew did manage to lower taxes, especially to corporations and their rural cousins, the huge farm conglomerates. Some no longer pay state taxes at all.

But, now we're just beginning to see the results. Wisconsin, which for decades had been among the top 10 in the country for its transportation infrastructure, its schools, its university system and, with the likes of Democrats like Gaylord Nelson and Republicans like Warren Knowles leading the way, its stewardship of its natural resources.