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Don’t Put Them On The Table

Well, now that the JFC is done, the real battle is about to be joined.

Hundreds of budget provisions are a step closer to becoming law, including higher fees for residents registering their cars and renewing their driver’s licenses; a rise in the cigarette tax; and increasing University of Wisconsin System tuition.

The budget advanced without recommendation, with the committee’s eight Democrats supporting it and its eight Republicans opposing it.

The Democratic Senate and Republican Assembly will now rewrite key parts of the budget drafted by the committee.

In its last day of deliberations, the committee on Friday let stand Doyle’s plans to increase the cigarette tax by $1.25 a pack and impose a new tax on hospitals. It also left intact Doyle’s plan to expand a land-buying program that would cost $1.6 billion over 10 years.

Over the past six weeks, the budget-writing panel deadlocked on many key issues, and in most cases that left in place - for now - Doyle’s plans.

The Democratic Senate will take up the budget this month. The Republican Assembly will then modify it.

After the two houses pass their versions of the budget, legislative leaders will meet in a conference committee to broker a compromise budget. That process could stretch into the fall even though the new fiscal year starts July 1. Doyle can rewrite the budget sent to him with his sweeping veto powers.

That last point is so incredibly important.  Governor Doyle has the most powerful veto powers of any governor in the nation.  Republican leaders must remember this as they go into budget debates.  It will meaningless to trade a tax increase in one place for a tax decrease somewhere else.  Governor Doyle has proven time and time again that he is not a man to be trusted and will likely just veto out the Republicans’ side of the deal.

For example, let’s say that the Republicans agree to Doyle’s $370 million oil tax in exchange for a tighter property tax freeze.  It is entirely possible - if not virtually certain - that Doyle will just veto out the property tax restrictions while leaving his oil tax in place.  The Republicans don’t have the votes to override any Doyle veto, so the taxpayers end up getting it in both ends.

This is why the Republicans must flat out reject any tax increase - anywhere.  Don’t make deals.  Don’t try to trade one tax for another.  Just say no.  There is still plenty of room for negotiations to take place in how the State of Wisconsin prioritizes its spending, but those negotiations need to take place without putting tax increases on the table. 

As for Rep. Jeskewitz, I’d be happy to show you some areas in the budget to “cut” if you can’t manage to find any.

Posted by Owen at 0831 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

1. I see you never responded to my argument about shared revenue. You going to take a crack at making an educated argument about which programs should be cut, or are you going to take the easy way out again?

   I liked the Belling piece you linked to. Typical. Just make a statement that government revenues should be cut and then complain that people might want to know where those revenues would come from. Kind of like a liberal only in reverse. No wonder our national debt (tax on my kids) is so high.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 12, 2007 at 2033 hrs
   
   
   

2. Owen,

   “the real battle is about to be joined”

   Surely you jest:)

   These guys were bought and are continually paid for by the special interest groups that you continually whine about. WEAC, the roadbuilders, need I continue?

   ATV is right, if you think you have some answers to the fiscal crisis that is only beginning to be illuminated, voice them. How much to who? what ? where?

   Let us see some constructive criticism amd analysis. Dare we wish to expect some prioritization of spending priorities. And don’t give me that “its there job to figure it out” BS.

   You are all full of what not, how about what should?

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 12, 2007 at 2056 hrs
   
   
   

3. “Dare we wish to expect some prioritization of spending priorities. “

   Great point. Across-the-board cuts to programs are more damaging to the overall effectiveness of any operation than making priority decisions and funding only what you really want or need or what has been shown to work.

   If only the political hacks would step off the safety of the sidelines, put their money where their mouths are, and explain specifically what should be cut, what should be kept, why, and what the effects would be. I guess a liberal hack has the advantage in that regard, since they’ll always say, “fund everything at the max because it’s important”.

   This gutlessness is why our property taxes and our national debt are so high…they take the easy way out by spending everything but not raising the revenue to fund it. Just pass the bill on to the next generation and take the credit for cutting taxes. Jeskewitz might be gutless for having to ask the question, but at least she makes the point that elected officials have to listen to the conservatives tell them to cut anything and everything at the same time the liberals are telling them to fund anything and everything, while none of them really knows much about anything themselves. Not a fun situation to be in.

   Hey Owen, I hear the national deficit is much lower this May than last year…sounds like the time for another round of debt-financed tax cuts.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 13, 2007 at 0622 hrs
   
   
   

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