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More Signers of the Pledge

This weekend, I sent a request to each of the 52 Wisconsin Assembly Republicans asking them to:

pledge that you will not vote for a budget that includes any tax increases or any fee increases that aren’t directly related to the cost of delivering the service.

Rep. Leah Vukmir responded in the affirmative over the weekend. 

Today, I received three more responses in the affirmative. 

Rep. LeMahieu
Rep. Lothian
Rep. Pridemore

Please take the time to contact these champions for the taxpayers and let them know that you support them.  They are going to get a lot of heat to raise our taxes and they need to know that there are many of us out here who support them.

Here are their responses:

Thank you for writing.  Rep. LeMahieu does not support Governor Doyle’s Budget and will not vote for a Republican version, or conference committee version of the budget that has tax and fee increases.  Rep. LeMahieu feels the constituents on the 59th assembly district are already overtaxed.  Rep. LeMahieu has always been there; he has always been against the gas tax, the soda tax, the nursing home tax, the real estate tax, the cigarette tax, the beer tax, the hospital tax, and the increase in the levy limits from 2% to 4% for local governments.  All of the increases in the budget he opposes as well as general tax increases on the constituents of his district.  He will work hard to make sure that Speaker Huebsch doesn’t bring a budget up for a vote with a tax increase.  Thanks once again for contacting our office.

And…

Owen,

Thank you for contacting me regarding my views on the budget thus far. I am proud to pledge my vote AGAINST any tax or fee increases. It is really quite simple: I campaigned and asked my constituents for their votes promising I would not support tax or fee increases. I have always prided myself on being up front with my constituents. I will NOT turn my back on those who have entrusted me as their voice in Madison. Candidates on both sides of the aisle campaigned last fall promising fewer taxes and less spending. It is my hope Legislative Republicans will be the ones who keep that promise and stand firm on our core conservative principals.

Again, thank you for your question. Please feel free to contact my office at any time.

Tom

Regards,

Thomas A. Lothian
State Representative
32nd Assembly District, Wisconsin
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

And…

Hello Owen,

Thank you for supporting an effort to lower taxes.  I would be happy to sign this pledge, because I was not elected to this office to raise taxes.  I firmly oppose any attempt in the Governor’s budget to raise our state’s already high tax burden!  New taxes on hospital patients, the poor, oil (that will raise gas prices) and small businesses are unacceptable. 

I will not support increased taxes however; I am not the Governor or a member of the Joint Finance Committee.  The Governor can use his liberal veto authority to create new sentences in the budget.  This leads to disingenuous practices by him if he wishes to pander to his special interests and create more government.  That is why I supported an amendment to get rid of this veto power, but the Senate Democrats have blocked a vote on this amendment that would have eliminated the Governor’s liberal veto authority before this budget is finalized. 

The Joint Finance Committee is currently debating the Governor’s budget and instead of eliminating his tax increases, they are adding more.  The budget should go straight to the Senate and then the Assembly now so we Republicans can come up with a no tax increase budget.  I will fight to do so and only vote for a budget if it contains no tax increases. 

I understand the number of people concerned with this budget.  This issue will be heavily debated in the months to come.  I pledge that I will not support higher taxes in any form at this time in the 2007-09 budget.

Thank you for pushing this effort to lower taxes in Wisconsin.  I hope many other legislators sign this pledge.

Sincerely,

Representative Don Pridemore
99th Assembly District

And here’s the current map of which areas of Wisconsin are represented in the Assembly by people who give a crap about the taxpayers:

Posted by Owen at 1827 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

1. I really like what you are doing here Owen.  And these reps need to know that a number of people read this blog….good stuff.  Please keep it up. 

   I’m not quite sure what happened to the momentum from Scott Walker in 2002…..somehow we went from getting the TPA to tax and spend hell again.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 21, 2007 at 1910 hrs
   
   
   

2. As Everett Dirksen, the late Republican Senate Minority Leader, was fond of saying “When I feel the heat, I see the light.” 

   Owen: Keep the fire stoked!

   Posted by Mark Block on May 22, 2007 at 0638 hrs
   
   
   

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