Facing a record deficit that forced them to raise taxes and fees by $2.1 billion to balance the budget, Assembly Democrats added millions for projects they can brag about back home – a $500,000 upgrade for an opera house; $50,000 for a shooting range; and $46,000 for a town’s recycling bins.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said the approval of the projects made it easier for the 49 Assembly Democrats to vote for the 2009-’11 budget, which will go before the Senate as early as Wednesday.