Boots & Sabers

The blogging will continue until morale improves...

Owen

Everything but tech support.
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1345, 31 May 15

Impasse on Transportation

We knew this sticking point was coming.

Joint Finance Committee co-chairman Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said Friday, after the committee approved large cuts to the University of Wisconsin System and Department of Natural Resources, that GOP lawmakers have reached an impasse with Walker and amongst themselves on the transportation budget.

“We need to come to an agreement with the governor,” Nygren said. “He’s pretty much taken all of our options off the table and we don’t see the bonding out there as a great option.”

Once again, the entire argument is frustrating as can be. For example:

On Thursday, Walker told reporters he could support an increase in the gas tax or vehicle registration fees if it’s offset by tax cuts elsewhere. But Nygren isn’t holding out much hope for that possibility, and even wouldn’t rule out working with Democrats to override a Walker veto of any possible fee increases.

We have the Republican Governor, who wants to borrow to support the spending, versus the Republican legislative leaders, who want to raise fees to pay for the spending. Really? WHAT ABOUT THE SPENDING! Nobody seems to be at all concerned with the bloated transportation budget in the first place.

And keep in mind, these are the same people who refuse to repeal the prevailing wage law which could reduce the spending by hundreds of millions of dollars in one swoop.

Wisconsin’s Republican “leadership” has jumped the shark.

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1345, 31 May 2015

5 Comments

  1. Dave

    Did you ever think that some increases in spending are warranted? I don’t know that is the case here as it is more about not offending the construction companies that supply large sums of money to the governor and legislature. So one wants to spend the money on the construction interests through borrowing and the others want to raise fees to pay off their construction buddies but they forgot about the holy pledge to Grover Norquist that Walker and any other Republican candidate genuflect to. The Republicans continue to cut taxes even when they know it will create shortfalls, then when shortfalls occur because the money is not there they complain about too much spending and want to cut programs that help large segments of the population. However, they never seem to cut the financial giveaways to the wealthy. This is what “money is free speech” looks like. Get used to it.

    Oh, and of course we get rid of prevailing wage since that has the effect of supporting a broad middle class. Let’s try to squeeze all workers on government projects to the cheapest possible worker rather than a highly qualified worker. Talk to me about that when the projects the cheapies work on implode within an unreasonably short time.

  2. Owen

    Talk to me about that when the projects the cheapies work on implode within an unreasonably short time.

    Like they do in the 18 states without a prevailing wage law? We aren’t operating in a vacuum here.

  3. Jadedly Unbiased

    I not worried about projects imploding. Everything is inspected and has to be up to code. The rest of what Dave seems to have some merit. What happened to true conservative principles?

  4. Kevin Scheunemann

    Jade,

    Dave advocating “true conservative principles”?

    That’s hilarious.

  5. Jadedly Unbiased

    Kevin,
    Re read an try to keep it in context. I question “what happened to true conservative principles” because I think there is some merit to what Dave says and he’s clearly coming from a liberal position. Do you understand? Let me try again, Republicans in a Madison have “jumped the shark”… “What happened to true conservative principles?”

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