Uppity Wisconsin

Why do we have to read the Milwaukee Biz Blog to find this out?

  County Supervisor John Weishan explains how Scott Walker has diverted money from maintenance of capital projects, and what that has meant:

Milwaukee County currently has a 0.5-percent sales tax that, at its inception in 1991, was to be used to pay for debt service on capital projects or to pay cash for those capital projects.

In 2002, shortly after being elected County Executive, Scott Walker was successful in changing that county ordinance, enabling him to divert millions in sales tax revenue from the capital budget to the operating budget.

Over the last eight years, more than $112 million in sales tax revenue has been diverted from capital fund to the operating budget.

My Dear Republican

"While each member of the Senate caucuses with his Party, what each of us hopes to accomplish is distinct from his party affiliation. The American people do not care which Party solves the problems confronting our nation. And no Senator, no matter how loyal he is to his Party, should or would put party loyalty above his duty to the state and nation."  ---Arlen Specter, on changing from Republican to Democrat, April 28.

April 27, I mail this letter to to the Republicans of the Joint Finance Committee.
April 28, Senator Specter resigns from the Republican Party.

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Dear Republican Elected Official


I am a small-business owner of a nationally known service located in downtown Milwaukee. For over 30 years, I have observed your allegiance to the larger corporations and their needs, while generally you are condescending to us small business owners.

Your party puzzles me, locked into old issues that are evaporating as fast as stimulus funds from Washington.

My impression is that to a Republican a "small business" has revenues from 10 million and upward to the value of Marquette Electronics when it was sold to GE. (By the way, the former owner of that business is someone you should spend time with: he understands the connection between public transportation and local economies; his streetcar plan is a homerun for our city. )

BusStop. Vote Yourself $43 Million Tax Relief

The November 4 Referendum On Transit, Parks And Emergency Services.

Attention Milwaukee: This is a Yes. Vote Yes.

This is real tax relief.

If we approve the referendum, we empower State government to deliver real tax relief. In two ways we are asking the State:

1. Please take these three services off of the property tax. Off. Removed. Gone. Vamoose. Forever.

2. Please shift these services to a one percent sales tax. Dear Governor, with your support we can collect $43 million from visitors to help pay for our city's needs.

"With a 'yes' vote, residents can send the message that community deterioration - which ailing transit and suffering parks fuel - isn't an option."<http://www2.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=807309>

So, where does the $43 million come from?

BusStop - No You Can't

As promised, Scott Walker has vetoed a Milwaukee County Board referendum. The referendum's goal is worthy: property tax relief from parks and transit expenses. Visitors share the costs with a modest sales tax increase. The natives pocket the difference.

To explain why citizens are forbidden a vote in Milwaukee County on their property taxes -- one of the most annoying and unfair taxes ever invented to siphon our wallets -- he ought to step to a microphone and address the citizens with three simple honest words:

"No You Can't."

Laughter would be healthy. History -- which is now moving in the Yes direction - makes this man funny.

There is a way to make a city work for everyone. Walker's politics of "no" are moving against history. Look at him.

Proof of his History Deprived Mind? Well, his veto claim that "There already was a referendum on this issue...."  Lena Taylor actually refused to support a new sales tax.

BusStop. Watch Your Language

The good news is that the Milwaukee County Board might be able to override Scott Walker's veto. At stake is a referendum to take parks, emergency services and transit off of the property tax. The bad news is that we may be talking ourselves into a defeat at the polls.

I plead with all bus and park loving citizens: Stop and think what you are saying. Watch your language.

• We know that reducing Property Tax is a winner.
• We know that talking Sales Tax is unpopular.
• So, why don't we talk about Property Tax Relief?
• Talk about how this referendum will deliver Relief.
• That visitors to Milwaukee County will now help us fund our buses and parks.
• That the County will reduce your property tax while funding parks, emergency services and transit.
• That our bus system will have a chance to pull out of its death spiral.

This referendum will inspire oceans of vigorous conversation throughout the County. It is not merely a sales tax hike; it is more. It is a chance for County residents to grab a some relief in one smart vote.

Scott Walker, who plans to veto County Board action calling for a spring referendum on raising the sales tax in Milwaukee County:

"I think the public wants us to manage the resources we currently have without raising taxes and find a way to provide those core services,” Walker said.

There would be one way to find out for sure what the public wants.

What would be wrong with letting the public express itself in a referendum?

Conservatives like Walker are all for "letting the people decide" on issues like gay marriage, which they think (wrongly) will help them at the polls.

But he's afraid to find out whether people value parks and other counry services enough to willingly pay more in taxes to support them.

Bottom line: He's afraid he might not like the answer.