Dear Editor,

I am a student and a parent. I do not agree with Gov. Scott Walker and the ideas he is putting forth. He is going too far in this so-called budget repair bill and the fiscal budget itself.  Gov. Walker seems to be on a mission to destroy the government of Wisconsin and everything good about the state.

Wisconsin has consistently maintained some of the highest standardized testing scores and is ranked 13th in the nation. This is because we have dedicated educators that enjoy passing their knowledge to the next generation and helping them grow. Gov. Walker wants to rip $842 million from the education system, which will force layoffs  and severely hinder a school’s ability to purchase new materials and books. Our children will suffer greatly from the lack of sufficient materials and educators.

Wisconsin also provides BadgerCare for low-income families. My son is currently on BadgerCare. Without it, he would have no health insurance. When he was five months old, he had the first of six ear infections over a span of six months. This was followed by surgery to place drainage tubes in his ears. At that time, I was at Madison Area Technical College full time and on unemployment. My wife was working full time for $8.50 an hour with $100 bonus per month and paying $170 a month for her single coverage health care. We would be facing over $20,000 in medical bills right now with no way to repay them. Gov. Walker wants to lower the ceiling of BadgerCare eligibility from $37,000 of annual income to just $24,000, cutting off 65,000 recipients.

How can we sit back and let this happen? It is time to step up and stop this madness. United Wisconsin has launched an effort to build a database of people who are willing to take part in recalling Gov. Walker. Sadly, Gov. Walker is allowed to be in office for a year, so the official forms will not be sent out until November, but we can be ready when they are. For our sake, your children’s sake, and for the state of Wisconsin please help.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Oertel