Is anyone in the governor's office familiar with the word irony?
First it was the plan to give awards to public employees, announced by Gov. Scott Walker with a straight face.
Now it's Walker's declaration of Women's Health Week, which brings this retort from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin:
“At a time when women throughout Wisconsin are gravely concerned about what will happen to their own health and the health of their families, Governor Walker’s proclamation rings hollow...
“Forty percent of the Governor’s budget cuts are from programs that serve primarily women and children.
“The simple fact is, if women’s health were truly a priority for Governor Walker’s administration, he would not be gutting women’s health by eliminating state funding for the health care programs and community services that hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin women rely on everyday.
“Wisconsin women won’t be fooled by this. Governor Walker is saying one thing, but doing another when it comes to women and their health."
Among other things, Walker's budget eliminates $3.8 million for Wisconsin’s family planning program, which supports some 50 local women’s health centers where 30,000 women receive basic health care; jeopardizes an $11 million Federal Maternal Child Health Grant, which supports a broad range of programs including prenatal care, preventive care for newborns, health care coverage for special needs children and programs to reduce infant mortality; eliminates funding that is used to provide cervical cancer screenings for uninsured women; and cuts more than $500 million from Medicaid programs including BadgerCare, which covers the health care needs of more than 686,000 Wisconsinites per month.