
The Reclaim Wisconsin Tour has been criss-crossing the state giving citizens a chance to speak out on the local impact of Gov. Walker’s disastrous agenda. Teachers, students, job less workers, community members in La Crosse, Wausau and Eau Claire are coming together to discuss local impact of Gov. Walker’s policies
In Eau Claire, a Mother whose daughter relies on FamilyCare and a lifelong Republican who voted for Gov. Walker took to the Reclaim Wisconsin Podium.
“Eliminating collective bargaining rights is wrong, and it's not the way we do business here in Wisconsin,” said Jeff Huenink, who voted for Gov. Walker in 2010. “The more I learn about Scott Walker, the sorrier I am that I voted for him. If I had known about his extreme agenda and the direction in which he was going to take Wisconsin, I never would have voted for him in the first place.”
Sue Carey’s 18 year-old daughter Katie has Down Syndrome and relies on FamilyCare.
“There is no way to overstate the impact on a family when a child with a disability is not able to receive long-term family care. For many of the families I know who have been wait listed because of Scott Walker’s caps on FamilyCare, it will mean at least one of the parents will have to quit their job to stay home and care for their adult child--taking an economic, emotional, and humanitarian toll on every single person in that family,” explained Carey. “That's why I'm supporting the effort to recall Walker because the people who are getting hit hardest by his wrongheaded policies are the people who need help the most.”
In Wausau, Reclaim Wisconsin Tour participants heard from an employee of Wausau Paper who was laid off after 27 years of service with the company, a local public school teacher who explained that Gov. Walker’s education cuts are compromising quality public education in Wisconsin, and a personal story of how BadgerCare cuts are making Wisconsinites sick.
“Scott Walker has given my family a one-two punch: not only did I lose my job, but my wife, a public employee, lost a big chunk of her income due to his wrong-headed policies,” explained Chuck Stine, a recently permanently laid off employee of Wausau Paper.
In La Crosse, community members heard from students, unemployed workers, teachers and fire fighters about how Walker’s policies are hurting the community and the state at large.
David Ruscher, a job less worker from La Crosse, spoke about the struggle of living in the only state that has lost jobs for six months.
“Gov. Walker ran on a promise to create 250,000 new jobs for Wisconsin,” explained Ruscher. “I have to ask Gov. Walker one simple question, where are the jobs?”
The Reclaim Wisconsin Tour will be making stops in Green Bay, Racine, Milwaukee and Madison and will culminate in a Reclaim Wisconsin March at the Capitol on Saturday, March 10 at 1:00 p.m.