WI Gov Stands by Budget

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is certainly taking the words “won’t back down” to heart. The Republican newcomer said Friday that despite four days of protests, school closures, and a walkout by legislative Democrats, he will not back off his budget proposal that strips the state’s 300,000 public-sector employees of their collective-bargaining rights. Walker said Friday that he took a “bold political move” in creating the proposal and suggested that union members would be better off paying more into health insurance than union fees. Walker also defended specifically leaving out some unions, although four of those unions had backed him in the most recent election. Walker said he believed “a majority of the taxpayers in the state understand” that he refuses to raise taxes to balance the budget.