Billionaires Bought Wisconsin: Now What Are They Going To Do With It?
Big money, mostly from outside the state, bought the recall election for Scott Walker. Now they want a return on their investment
A brief review of Governor Scott Walker's biggest donors revealed more than just Diane Hendricks (net worth $2.8 Billion) giving Walker a $500,000 retainer to deliver a “red state”. She was not the only billionaire to make a down payment on a “Red: right to work” Wisconsin.
Las Vegas Casio owner Sheldon Adelson (net worth $24.6 Billion ) gave the Baptist preacher's son $250,000 to break the unions in Wisconsin. Adelson, the CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Casino organization which includes the Venetian Casinos in Vegas and and Macu has had a long history of problems with unions at his casinos. Imagine what he would be worth if it wasn't for those pesky unions and their selfish working conditions, health insurance and, God forbid, retirement plans. Breaking the unions in Wisconsin will help Sheldon back in Vegas.
Interested in getting rich fast? How about Amway? You know, the multi-level marketing scheme that asks you to make money by selling average products to your brother-in-law at a profit that you pass on to the guy who suckered you into this pyramid in the first place. Entrepreneurship for the morally ungrounded. The Grandfather of Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic, Richard DeVos (net worth $4.2 Billion) has given our governor $250,000 to keep Ponzi schemes, excuse me, pyramid schemes alive in Wisconsin. DeVos is also the big money behind the “Right-to-Work” legislation recently passed in Michigan. Like all other billionaires, DeVos wants a return on his investment.
Private equity firms have prestige among the Red State folks. John W. Childs (net worth $1.2 Billion), CEO of the Boston equity firm of J.W. Childs Associates is investing $100,000 in Wisconsin via Walker's campaign. A master at leveraged buyouts, he has not invested in Wisconsin without expecting a return.
Warren A Stephens (net worth of $2.7 Billion) of Little Rock, Arkansas, who is the CEO of Stephens Financial Management, Louis M. Bacon (Net worth $1.4 Billion), a hedge Fund Manager from New York and Patrick G. Ryan (net worth $1.1 Billion), who is the CEO of Ryan Specialty Group, a Chicago Brokerage, have each invested $100,000 for a piece of Scott Walker's soul.
Add these seven donors together and they are worth a combined $38 Billion and have contributed $1.3 million dollars to purchase Wisconsin. To put this in perspective for the reader, Imagine you were worth $38,000. This is comparable to you giving $1.30 to buy a governor's soul and eventually a state. A wise investment for them, a nightmare for the citizens of Wisconsin.
Additionally, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has contributed $800,000 to defend Walker during the recall election. They were both rewarding him for delivering on the ALEC concealed carry and “Castle Doctrine” legislation and also making a down payment on any gun control legislation that might be submitted by naive progressive legislators who might think that the NRA purchased governor and Republican legislators have any small piece of a soul left.
As this new legislative session begins in January 2013, we will begin to see how Walker and his ALEC Republicans deliver on the Billionaires' investment. They have been purchased to be anti-union, anti-environment, anti-taxes, anti-public education, anti-poor, pro-”free market” and, of course, anti-gun control.
IT WILL BE PAY TO PLAY AS USUAL IN FITZWALKERSTAN. WE MUST BE VIGILANT!
