Just a couple of days ago, Scott Walker, Fartfuhrer of the Totalitarian Corporate Plutocracy of Fitzwalkerstan, formerly Wisconsin, was crowing about how he had balanced the budget. He was lying, of course. He had a balanced budget when he was elected, but despite gutting worker’s compensation and services for citizens, all his giveaways to the Koch Brothers and other corporate criminals have built up a significant deficit. Now that Fitzwalkerstan will be getting mortgage relief for homeowners, the Fartfuhrer’s plan for that money has nothing to do with the homeowners.

Millions of dollars that are supposed to help Wisconsin homeowners trying to pay mortgages could instead end up helping balance the state budget. The controversy started brewing Thursday. Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen announced they were going to take roughly 18 percent of bank-paid mortgage settlement funds to help balance the state budget. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said that’s wrong. "This is a bait and switch. These funds are clearly intended for people who lost their homes, for neighborhoods that have been devastated by the foreclosure crisis. And instead, the governor and the attorney general are saying well let’s just take this money for something wholly unrelated to this crisis," Barrett said. A spokesman for the governor said he would not make any new comments on the part of the settlement being used to balance the state budget… [emphasis added]

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I have little doubt that once the money hits the general fund, a significant portion will find its way to paying people to fight the recall effort, just as he had county employees working on his campaign for Governor.

Ed Schulz interviewed Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and State Senator Lena Taylor.

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The recall cannot come too soon.