Ode to Wisconsin

What a bad day for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is a state known for its extremes in its seasons. Winters often see temperatures drop well below zero and the summers can sometimes rival Floridian heat and humidity. As a result of this, rarely do Wisconsinites have a time of the year where they are not running the air conditioning or their heat. After all, winter is the best seven months of the year in Wisconsin.

For some reason, out of the eight people representing Wisconsin in the House of Representatives, only three of them had the sense to vote against the toxic American Clean Energy and Security Act, which is riddled with all kinds of tax increases and fees that most people do not even know exist.

Some of the number crunching has led some actuarial tables to calculate a staggering 171% increase in natural gas prices due to the new legislation. That it bad news for Wisconsin since it does not have so-called "clean energy" in any great amount such as nuclear power plants. Wisconsin is expanding its wind power capacity which is akin to filling a swimming pool with a dixie cup.

The summers will not be much of a bargain for Wisconsinites either as they are now faced with the possibility that the purely evil coal industry is staring directly into the face of another tax increase.

Are these legislators that out of touch that they cannot see that these costs will be passed on to the people that pay their utility bills? Can they not see that they just dramatically raised prices on their constituents should this legislation pass through the Senate?

Here in Wisconsin, the neighbor immediately to the south has nuclear power plants. That just may convince more Wisconsin-based companies to leave.

The Kyoto Protocol does not include China and India. Many more Wisconsin jobs will likely continue to move abroad to get out of this state and nation's toxic tax environments.

And then there is the 2009 Wisconsin State Budget.

Here are just a few of the tax and fee increases: garbage tax, elimination of QEO for state teachers, in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, increased capital gains taxes, cell-phone tax, digital downloads tax, cigarette tax, work permit fee, increased auto insurance coverage requirement, etc.

This budget is toxic and is increasing taxes, fees, and spending in a recession.

The two combined are a major blow to anyone living in Wisconsin for any prolonged amount of time.

Both bills are major fiscal blunders. The Senate can stop "Cap and Trade," but it is unlikely. The unintended consequences could lead to this bill being one of the top five worst public policy blunders ever made.

Walking Toward a Better Wisconsin

“Whimsically Persnickety” is not a partisan blog. Instead, it is a blog that examines public policy in the interest of the people that pay for the public officials and benefit from their decisions. “Whimsically Persnickety” is not a fulltime or daily blog, but a common observer of local politics of southeast Wisconsin, the state of Wisconsin, and the United States.

After seeing the Wisconsin state deficit spiral out of control to the tune of nearly $7 billion, the bureaucracy of the local and state governments expand obscenely, and the tax levies increase in several communities on the local level as well as statewide, “Whimsically Persnickety” endorses Scott Walker for governor of Wisconsin.

Scott Walker’s leadership of Milwaukee County has been a bright spot in a state that has become a tax hell. Walker has been able to avoid raising taxes and has been able to effectively cut unnecessary items from the Milwaukee County budget. He has done this despite working with a Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors that has been rather hostile toward most of his proposed budget cuts. Its chairman, Lee Holloway, has been one of Walker’s most consistent critics.

Walker’s combination of refusing to increase taxes, accept temporary federal stimulus money, and add unnecessary items to the county budget have enabled Milwaukee County to run a budget surplus in a state that has consistently seen its fiscal number run in the red.

Walker has left the option of school choice as one to be pursued with greater vigor. This has not made him friends within WEAC, but instead offers an alternative for families of students that live within sub-par school districts. This position offers a choice to people that previously did not have a choice when it came to education.

Scott Walker will have a difficult time should he win election in 2010, but he inherited a bloated Milwaukee County bureaucracy and has managed it superiorly. The state of Wisconsin needs this management in order to raise and exceed the existing standards and credibility set by the current administration.