The headline says it all: County troubles threaten State contracts

Milwaukee County officials are pleading with the state not to trim major contracts for programs that help the poor, elderly and disabled.

State leaders say bungling by the county in running its public assistance call center and food share program put them on alert and led to a denial of a related $2.4?million job training grant. The state also is considering shifting at least part of the contract for operating an expanded Family Care program to a private vendor. The program provides community-based services to seniors and people with disabilities.

The bottom line? After years of ideological posturing by the leaders – and I use the term loosely – of this County for the sole purpose pushing privatization and meaningless campaign slogans, the State is threatening to pull it’s funding for key programs in Milwaukee County because they’ve been run so terribly. See also: federal dollars for transit.

The thing is, this isn’t just about ideology or governing theories. When the State threatens to pull funding, it not only affects those who receive the benefits of the programs in question, but those who provide the benefits as well.

Chris Liebenthal is one of those social workers for Milwaukee County who is facing the very real possibility of losing his job as a result of the inaction and mismanagement by our County Executive here in Milwaukee County, Scott Walker.

Chris also has a weblog which empowers him to tell his very personal story to the world.

I’d highly recommend taking a few minutes to read what he has to say about this issue.

While Walkers rhetoric may boost his cred with conservatives across the State, it also has a very tangible impact on the lives of real people here in Milwaukee County.

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