If ever a man ran for office under false pretenses, it is Scott Walker, governor of Wisconsin. In a move that may devastate public schools, Walker offers incentives for private charter schools.

Walker has unveiled a budget slashing aid to schools and local districts, cutting an estimated 12,000 jobs. Critics say the plan would devastate Wisconsin’s public education system. As Gov. Walker spoke, thousands of protesters were being denied entry to the state Capitol despite a court order to open the building to the public. We speak speak with Mary Bottari of the Madison-based Center for Media and Democracy’s Real Economy Project.

Keith Olbermann weighs in on Walker and other Republican governors portraying public workers as villains while stripping them of their rights.

In a had-to-be-seen-to-be-believed budget speech this afternoon, Wisconsin’s pet rock of a chief executive, Scott Walker, barely touched on the firestorm that has put his slightly cross-eyed, startled-looking mug on the national map. Absent were references to violating court orders to keep the Capitol open to protesters. No mention was made of unilateral decisions to bolt the Capitol windows shut. There wasn’t a word in there about the no-holds-barred campaign to demonize the Unions as if they were al-Qaeda. Only in passing – by referencing those Democrats who interrupted the knee-capping of collective bargaining rights – did Walker even come close to mentioning the issue that his lit up the night sky of America’s Dairyland.

In short, Walker’s speech sounded about as in-touch and pertinent as one of Hosni Mubarak’s. No; check that; Mubarak eventually got it. When it comes to tone-deaf speechifying (not, obviously, bloodshed), Walker is closer to Colonel Gadaffi.

Indiana’ governor is also attacking worker’s rights trying to convert the state to a ‘right to work’ state, “35 Democratic members of the Indiana Assembly have fled to Illinois to deny Republicans quorum for a vote on a similar anti-union bill.”

Idaho students join in protests to layoff public school teachers by walking out of class.