Sunday, March 4, 2012

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Kleefisch Won't Challenge Recall Petition Signatures

Rebecca Kleefisch

Recall elections for Lt. Governor Kleefisch and Governor Walker move one step closer to taking place, which could cost taxpayers nearly $17 million.

By H. Nelson Goodson
March 4, 2012

On Thursday, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch (R) announced that she will not challenge more than 850,000 recall petition signatures filed against her. Kleefisch claimed her campaign didn't have enough time to review all the petitions. She didn't say, if any errors were found to disqualify some of them.
Last week Monday, Governor Scott Walker's (R) campaign had also announced that Walker would not challenge the 1 million recall petition signatures calling for a recall election. His campaign staff and close to 13,000 volunteers were able to only review about 400,000 petition signatures within the 30 days allowed by a judge. Walker had asked for more time to review the petitions, but a judge denied Walker's request.
The Government Accountability Board (GAB) is expected to also requested more time from a judge to review petitions for Walker and Kleefisch to determine, if there are enough signatures to have a recall election. The GAB has until March 19 to finish reviewing the recall petitions.
With Kleefisch and Walker deciding not to challenge any of the signatures assures the recall election will move forward. Governor Walker and Lt. Governor Kleefisch will be the first high level state government elected officials to be recall in Wisconsin's history. Walker's expected political downfall was triggered by cutting nearly a billion from public education, eliminating bargaining rights for some state employees, appealing instate tuition for undocumented immigrants and trying to cut state health care funds for low income families, especially children.
In the last five months, Wisconsin has lost more private sector jobs than have been created. The month of January is also expected to show another month of reported job losses by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The unemployment rate has fallen, simply because thousands of people collecting unemployment benefits have been dropped from state statistics because benefits have terminated. Most of those dropped from employment statistics remained unemployed, pennyless, homeless and unable to find jobs. Governor Walker and the Republican controlled legislature has done absolutely nothing to aid those who are unemployed at no fault of their own and can no longer get unemployment insurance benefits.
A Primary recall election could be held on early May and a General election in June, but the GAB hasn't decided yet when to have the election. The cost for a Primary election could cost up to $9 million and a General election $8 million.
Democrats, grassroot organizations and state employees who lost union bargaining rights are looking forward to oust both Governor Walker and Lt. Governor Kleefisch this year.

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