All good things come to those who wait. Patience is a virtue. Make sure you plan ahead.

We’ve all heard these overused nuggets of wisdom before from a parent or other adult figure, but they can be just plain annoying to hear when we are impatient and raring for action.

So when state Republicans were finally handed the reins of power after years of having their agenda foiled by a Democrat-controlled Legislature and governor’s office, it’s perfectly understandable for them to be antsy and not want to listen to the critics.

“When we came into office, it was crystal clear the people of Wisconsin wanted some real reform and real action, and we were chomping at the bit to make that happen,” said Andrew Welhouse, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald. “It’s a good thing the Legislature is hitting the ground running.”

Some may question, however, if this mad dash of legislation and policy change isn’t coming at the sacrifice of care and scrutiny.

For example, the Legislature recently passed a tort reform bill that would limit the amount of punitive damages a person can collect when suing a business for injuries to $200,000 or twice the amount of compensatory damages. This was one of five proposals Gov. Scott Walker touted during his campaign as “economic development measures.” The bill was hotly debated, with Democrats criticizing the bill as unnecessary and a threat to consumer protection.

Republicans also began the push for a bill to require a photo identification card – like a driver’s license – when registering to vote, a proposal that has been shot down before by the former Democratic majority. Opponents voiced their concerns that such a bill would disenfranchise voters who were unable to obtain a state driver’s license or identification card, as well as many out-of-state University of Wisconsin students who are in fact state residents for 75 percent of the year.

The Legislature also passed another Walker pet bill giving tax deductions for a health savings account, which the governor signed into law on Monday. Though 10 Democrats voted for the bill, most were opposed because it did not guarantee job creation and carried a $48 million price tag – a steep cost, given the current budget shortfall facing the state.

And with the precarious budget situation in the state, Assembly Democrats also opposed two other Walker special session bills: one that would give businesses relocating to Wisconsin a two-year tax credit and one to increase the economic development tax credits. These measures are slated to hit the Senate floor today.

In fact, Sen. John Erpenbach, D-Middleton, asked potential Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch on Monday how the state could manage to offer tax breaks without tax increases to help alleviate the shortfall. Huebsch only said the taxes are high enough and the state can’t keep squeezing residents for more money.

Now, partisan bickering is by far not a new thing, and it is true that Democrats did plenty of ignoring while they were in control of the Legislature. But when bills are going around the Capitol that are sure to cost the state millions of dollars in revenue and not so sure to bring economic development, that’s when a red flag shoots up for me, especially given the focus of this special session is supposed to be job creation.

Along with the fact that consumer protections may take a hit for the sake of a “favorable” business climate, I just have to raise my eyebrows at Republicans and ask what exactly this grand economic development scheme entails.

To be fair, Republicans may have a feasible plan in mind to reconcile their tax incentives with the need to close a budget gap, but so far they have kept mum on the details. For the moment, the only solution if there’s no money coming in is to make sweeping cuts to government programs, which will pain some residents just as much as a higher tax.

So while looking at the bills before the special session of the Legislature, I would like Republicans to be more transparent with their logic supporting these economic development measures – before they get rushed to Walker’s desk for a signature.

Alicia Yager ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and French.