silent E speaks

Another one bites the dust in Wisconsin….

JSOnline:

Osceola – Polaris Industries Inc. says it will shut down it plant in the western Wisconsin city of Osceola.

KARE-TV reports that police were outside the plant when officials announced the closure Thursday.

The Medina, Minn.-based maker of snowmobiles, ATVs and Victory motorcycles says it’s moving many of the operations to a new facility in the Monterrey-Saltillo area of Mexico.

Polaris will continue to make snowmobiles in Roseau, Minn., and motorcycles in Spirit Lake, Iowa. Some operations will be moved to Roseau and Spirit Lake.

Polaris also says it’s negotiating to sell some of its parts manufacturing processes and equipment in Osceola to suppliers who’d continue making components there.

Polaris is one of Polk County’s largest employers with several hundred positions.

Gov. Jim Doyle issued a statement late Thursday saying the decision was “difficult to accept” and that the state would provide resources necessary to help the community with services and assistance to workers and their families. He also said the state would pursue new possibilities for the facility and “do everything possible to keep jobs in Osceola.”

Score yet another victory for the Doyle Administration…… No pun intended.

I’m still trying to figure out why Fox 6 spent 12 seconds on this story while it sends a reporter to cover the Obama efigy burning non-story…..

A few years back you may remember Governor Doofenschmirtz and the democrats raiding the Medical Malpractice Fund to pay for deficits in his budget….. You know….. To pay off his buddies.

Well the fund seems to be a bit short handed these days…..

JSOnline:

The state’s medical malpractice fund closed its books with negative net assets for the last two fiscal years after legislators and the governor drained $200 million from the fund to prop up the state budget, a new audit says.

The shaky economy and record claims against the fund also contributed to the poor condition of the account, said the report released Tuesday by the Legislative Audit Bureau.

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature pulled $200 million from the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund in 2007 to balance the state budget. They said the account could afford to give up the money because of a surplus, but the fund has performed poorly since then, auditors said.

Doctors are required by law to contribute to the fund to help pay for medical malpractice claims that exceed what is covered by private malpractice insurance.

Over 100 million dollars short……

Now you may remember that the state was sued over this pillaging of funds and a Madison judge ruled in favor of the state….(big shock)… This case is pending in the state supreme court which should rule sometime this summer. If the supreme court rules in favor of the doctors there is going to be big problems.

Any bets Jimmy leaves the state when his term is over???

According to the folks over at Blogging Blue via The Politico, Diamond Jim Doyle, a wholly owned subsidiary of WEAC, will not be running for another term.

He’s probably figured he’s done the damage he set out to do and he’s done with it…….

There is hope..

Well it won’t be a whole lot if you live in predominantly republican leaning school districts.

Check this link to see how much your state school aid has dropped under Governor Doofenschmirtz’ and the democrats latest budget.

Kettle Moraine will lose almost 2 million (12.48%) in state funding.

Are you ready for tax increases and fee increases and fleeing business???

It’s here folks!!!!! The Gov signed the worst budget in Wisconsin history. The budget that was so bad, it had to be done in a cloat of secrecy in the middle of the night.

How are you liking your hope and change now????

The headline on JSOnline reads:

Senate, Assembly May Resolve Budget Differences In Private

This whole budget “NEGOTIATION” has been held in secret with NO input allowed from dissenting voices. The democrats in Wisconsin have been running roughshod over everything and everybody in their way to fund all of the garbage they can that has NO CHANCE of passing on it’s own merit in stand alone bills.

How bad is it?????

Glad you asked.

JSOnline:

Leaders of watchdog groups criticized the continued budget secrecy.

“Politicians never seem to learn that operating in secrecy only convinces the public that they are hiding something and makes people that much more suspicious of all politicians,” said Mike McCabe, head of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

“If informal, secret negotiations over the weekend end with agreement between the state Senate and the Assembly, citizens will wonder how they arrived at that agreement and what was changed or promised in order to get there,” said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause in Wisconsin.

DANG!!!! If you’re a lefty getting blasted by lefties like Heck and McCabe, you’re in some deep doo doo.

Tigers eating their young…… But hey…… You won…. Right?

Don’t say you weren’t warned………

After doing most of their work behind closed doors in late night sessions, the assembly democrats managed to muster 50 votes to pass the worst budget in the State’s history.

Leah Vukmir reports a vote of 50 ayes to 48 nays.

It’s now on to the State Senate.

Bend over citizens……. Jimmy’s drivin’

It’s amazing what politicians will do when a major donor isn’t happy with them……

In case you missed the Open Letter from Jack Waterman I posted yesterday… It’s HERE.

Well it seems the democrats got the message.

JSOnline:

Madison – Assembly Democrats decided Wednesday that they wouldn’t rewrite Wisconsin’s liability laws as part of the state budget.

Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee recommended changing the rules for when a person or business could pay all damages in civil cases. Now, someone must be 51% or more liable to pay all damages; Doyle wanted to drop that to 1%, while the committee recommended putting it at 20%.

But Democrats who run the Assembly said they didn’t want to go along with that provision in a closed-door meeting. The office of Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan (D-Janesville) announced the decision.

Business groups railed against the proposed change to liability laws, saying it would drive companies out of business and raise insurance costs. Trial attorneys counter that the changes are needed to make the system fairer for victims.

The following is an ad that was placed in the Wisconsin State Journal. I heard Vicki talking about it this morning but I was just figuring it was going to be another letter placed in a paper by C.R.G. or another watchdog group. Then came the zinger. The guy who paid for the ad and wrote the letter was Jack Waterman.

A few years back, I met Jack at a bar in Reedsburg. We were both there for a birthday party. We talked for a while, although it was 10 years ago and I don’t remember much of what we talked about, I thought Jack was a good guy…. A smart guy and a great businessman. If I would’ve been politically active at the time we probably would’ve had a pretty good debate going.

Here’s the content of Jack’s FULL PAGE ad in the Wisconsin State Journal……..

AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR DOYLE AND WISCONSIN’S DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATORS

Apparently the Governor’s Office and your caucus are forcing an unpalatable, non-fiscal item in our all-important budget bill that is jeopardizing not only this bill, but the hopes of getting our economy back on track.

Called the ‘Joint and Severable’ provision, it is a legal concept that is the darling of tort lawyers everywhere!  If this piece of ____________________(pick your label: pork…earmark…force-fed special interest legislation) is allowed to remain, it will single handedly:

1. Force a Wisconsin defendant, who is as little as 1% at fault in a lawsuit to pay up to 100% of the damages if the other defendants are unable to, under the Governor’s original proposal.

2. Cause many small businesses to lay off workers.

3. Force insurance companies to increase their rates on both individuals and businesses.

4. Make it impossible for some Wisconsin businesses to get insurance.

5. Most importantly… it will cause runaway inflation to Wisconsin residents because the people we do business with will have to raise their rates to cover this nonsense provision

Pull ‘Joint and Severable’ out of the budget bill…re-introduce it as a ‘stand-alone’ bill, and let its merits determine its future!

The fine people of Wisconsin deserve no less!

Sincerely,

Jack Waterman

Lifelong democrat, retired, Wisconsin Dells

AUTHORIZED AND PAID FOR BY JACK WATERMAN…

Not his wife, not his kids, not any special interest group.  I’d just like to bring some common sense back to the democrats, “the way it used to be”!

**************************

I’m wondering if the democrat politicians in this state will even notice when a fellow democrat tries to smack a little common sense into them.

I’m think probably not but I’m giving Jack an “A” for effort.

H/T: Julie the Real Estate Lady and her Man for buying the paper and sending me the contents of the ad.

Here’s a list of garbage in the “BUDGET” from JSOnline. Good thing they got this done in time to make the democrat fundraiser today. That’s the representative government of Wisconsin at it’s finest……

Cigarette tax:The committee voted to raise the cigarette tax by 75 cents a pack, to $2.52, starting around Sept. 1.

Oil tax:Democrats agreed to impose a new tax on oil companies to help pay for roads. Oil companies would be barred from passing on the tax at the pump, but critics say that measure won’t withstand a court challenge and drivers will end up paying the tax.

An effort to remove the tax failed 6-10, with Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing) and Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) joining the committee’s four Republicans.

Income tax:The committee voted to raise the income tax rate to 7.75% for the richest 1% of Wisconsinites.

Earmarks: The committee signed off on $28 million in bonds for a School of Nursing facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

They also provided: $6.6?million for a Yahara River project in Dane County; $5?million for the Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corp.; $4 million for planning a joint museum for the State Historical Society and Department of Veterans Affairs; up to $1.25 million for Manitowoc Road in Bellevue; $1.1 million for the AIDS Network and AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin; up to $500,000 for Washington Street in Racine; $500,000 for an environmental center in a park that borders Madison and Monona; $500,000 for the Oshkosh Opera House; $500,000 for Eco Park in La?Crosse; up to $430,000 for Highway X in Chippewa County; up to $400,000 for State St. in Racine; $250,000 for a bridge on S. Reid Road in Rock County; $250,000 for the Madison Children’s Museum; $125,000 to remodel an Eau Claire library; $100,000 for Huron Road in Bellevue; $50,000 for a consortium of seven Dane County schools; $50,000 for the Chequamegon School District; $50,000 for an Eau Claire County shooting range; $50,000 for a playground in the Town of Beloit; $37,200 for the City of Stanley in Chippewa County; $25,000 for the Root River Education Center in Racine; and $20,000 for a pedestrian path in Rock County.

Driver’s licenses: The committee adopted a provision that would allow illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses. The licenses could be used for driving but not for other purposes.

Rep. Pedro Colón (D-Milwaukee) said it would reduce the number of unlicensed drivers on the road and released letters from law enforcement officials backing the idea because they would know more about drivers they stop.

“If you can’t ID them, you can’t assess how dangerous they are,” Colon said. “You spend?.?.?.?hours on a traffic stop that yields nothing but a broken traffic light.”

The cards would have a unique design to distinguish them from other licenses. They would say in bold lettering that they could not be used for purposes other than for driving.

But Republicans said they thought the provision would make it easier for illegal immigrants to get government services and commit voter fraud.

“There’s a whole lot of clerks who take that driver’s license as verbatim that someone is here legally” and can register to vote, Vos said.

License plates: The committee decided to keep in place a requirement that vehicles display two license plates and that drivers get registration stickers to put on their plates every year. Doyle wanted to eliminate the stickers and allow just one plate to save money.

W-2:The committee agreed to overhaul Wisconsin Works, the state’s welfare-to-work program. Among other changes, the committee approved eliminating a program that reduces parents’ benefits if their children aren’t attending school.

Debt:The state would delay $285 million in payments, helping the budget immediately but increasing long-term interest costs, under the committee’s plan.

Tax credits:Democrats put off scheduled tax breaks for health insurance premiums and child care, having them take effect in 2011 instead of this year.

QEO:The committee voted to eliminate, in July 2010, the qualified economic offer used to settle labor contracts and restrict teacher compensation. Teachers have long argued the policy has kept their salaries lower than their counterparts in other states, while others say the QEO helps keep local property taxes in check.

Hospital tax:The committee agreed to increase an assessment on hospitals and expand it to ambulatory surgery centers. Because the tax increases the state’s Medicaid budget, it draws more federal aid, which helps the hospitals and goes toward balancing the state’s budget.

Health insurance:Health insurance plans would have to cover treatment of autism, mental disorders, alcoholism and drug dependency under the committee’s action.

Auto insurance:The committee recommended increasing the minimum amount of car insurance people would have to buy. People would still have the option to drive without insurance, but if they did buy it, they would have to purchase more coverage than they do now.

All this done behind closed doors. It’s not hard to see why.

A draft has been released and you can find it and read at the MacIver Institute.

A brief synopsis of some of the crap was posted by Soapbox Jill via Senator Joe Leibham over at Real Debate Wisconsin.

So says Gov. Jim Doyle…

Here’s Doyle’s idea of not raising taxes compliments of Senator Ted Kanavas:

Senator Ted Kanavas lists 30 Doyle tax increases

April 30, 2009: Day 30: The Property Tax

April 29, 2009: Day 29: The Medical Records Tax

April 28, 2009: Day 28: The Child Care Tax

April 27, 2009: Day 27: The Birth Certificate Tax

April 26, 2009: Day 26: The Driver Record Tax

April 25, 2009: Day 25: The Phone Tax II

April 24, 2009: Day 24: The Air Emissions Tax

April 23, 2009: Day 23: The Boat Registration Tax

April 22, 2009: Day 22: The Vehicle Environmental Impact Tax

April 21, 2009: Day 21: The Hunting Tax

April 20, 2009: Day 20: The Gas Tax

April 19, 2009: Day 19: The Great Lakes Water Compact Tax

April 18, 2009: Day 18: The Assisted Living Facilities Tax

April 17, 2009: Day 17: The Investment Tax

April 16, 2009: Day 16: The Garbage Tax

April 15, 2009: Day 15: Right to Keep and Bear Arms Tax

April 14, 2009: Day 14: New Upper Tax Bracket

April 13, 2009: Day 13: The Hospital Tax

April 12, 2009: Day 12: Easter Sunday, No Release

April 11, 2009: Day 11: Vital Records Tax

April 10, 2009: Day 10: BadgerCare Plus Tax

April  9, 2009: Day 9: UW Tuition Increase

April  8, 2009: Day 8: The Capital Gains Tax

April  7, 2009: Day 7: The Work Permit Tax

April  6, 2009: Day 6: The Tailgate Tax

April  5, 2009: Day 5: The Seed License Tax

April  4, 2009: Day 4: The Justice Information Tax

April  3, 2009: Day 3: The Cigarette Tax

April  2, 2009: Day 2: The Phone Tax

April  1, 2009: Day 1: The Nursing Home Bed Tax

For details on these taxes, stop by Senator Kanavas’ website….

H/T: Jay Weber

Good thing they had a study done or they may never have figured this out…

JSOnline:

Study finds millions in waste at Milwaukee Public Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools could save as much as $103 million a year if it operated like a well-run business, according to a much-anticipated report that has Gov. Jim Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett taking steps that could lead to a takeover of the system.

The report, released Thursday, concludes that MPS does not have a culture aimed at achieving good results, and is in tenuous financial shape that will worsen without systemic changes.

The report mostly sidesteps the academic side of MPS, concentrating instead on business operations, from busing to lunch programs to purchasing practices to health insurance policies. It found waste in every area – inefficient payroll processing, overqualified maintenance teams, even pencil sharpeners that cost more than $100. The report also found more than five dozen central office jobs with six-figure salaries.

Spending outside the classroom is about a third of total MPS spending.

“To free up funds needed to close its worrisome academic achievement gaps, MPS must first get its financial house in order,” the report says.

I have this GREAT idea and I’m sure the union flacks will agree with me….. How about we just throw an assload of money at the problem!!!!! Spend money to figure out how to save money.

It’s a good thing Gov. Doofenschmirtz is on the case. He does such a great job at budgeting……

MPS is doomed.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that are 10 states that will be looking to raise income and sales taxes due to a lack of revenue coming in states creating budget deficits. Of course increasing spending by 10% during a recession doesn’t have anything to do with it……

WSJOnline:

A free fall in tax revenue is driving more state lawmakers to turn to broad-based tax increases in a bid to close widening budget gaps.

At least 10 states are considering some kind of major increase in sales or income taxes: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. California and New York lawmakers already have agreed on multibillion-dollar tax increases that went into effect earlier this year.

The story goes on to say that some state deal with the shortfall by CUTTING SPENDING!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmm.

What’s the best thing to do during a recession? Raise taxes according to the Gov.

JSOnline:

Gov. Jim Doyle’s two-year budget includes $1.7 billion in tax and fee increases, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau told legislators today.

That total does not include some tax increases approved in a budget-repair bill that passed earlier, including a $215 million increase in taxes on some businesses and the 5% sales tax on customized software.

In its new report, the Fiscal Bureau said the largest tax increases in the governor’s two-year budget proposal are: $311.6 million by creating a new tax bracket for the highest-income taxpayers; $310.4 million by raising the $1.77 per pack tax on a pack of cigarettes to $2.52; $271.7 million through a tax on excess profits on oil companies; and $180.6 million by raising taxes on capital gains.

The report was made public on the second day of hearings on the 2009-’11 budget by the 16-member Joint Finance Committee.

I love the tax on excess profits on oil companies. Who profits more on a gallon of gas, the oil company or the state? Of course the oil companies wouldn’t pass that along to customers if the state somehow gets away with it.

Now that Captain WEAC, Jim Doyle, has plunged our state into a 5 billion dollar fiscal mess, it looks like he may head off to that cushy job in the sky at the right hand of.…….. Uh…. I mean, it looks like Jimmy has been contacted by the Obama camp and he’ll surely leave Wisconsin to wash his hands of his own mess.

Channel 3000 via WisPolitics

Doyle has said numerous times in the last few weeks that he “intends to remain the governor of Wisconsin” but would have to consider the possibility of an appointment if asked by the president.

WISC-TV asked Doyle following Obama’s election about how hard it would be to turn down an appointment.”I’ve never had a president call me up and say, ‘This what I’d like you to do,’ and if that call were to come — and I don’t think it’s going to come, I wouldn’t expect that it would come, I’m not trying to have it come — if that call were to come, I think I, just like anyone, would have to take it very seriously,” said Doyle.

Yeah, he’s outa here.

While Governor Jim Doyle’s pesky little peasants were trying to keep their houses from floating away, he was hanging out at a golf outing for a while to raise money for ………… HIMSELF!!!!!

When asked to donate the money to the flood victims, Jimmy said…….. Well…… You know what he said.

Here’s what his henchmen said:

Mike Edmondson, Doyle’s campaign finance director, said Wednesday that Doyle will keep the money raised in the event, which is Doyle’s biggest fundraiser. The total amount, he said, will be disclosed in the next campaign finance report due in July. Doyle has not announced that he is seeking a third term.

Edmondson said the fundraiser had been planned a year in advance and that 150 people attended the event. The campaign announcement suggested a contribution of $1,250 per golfer.

********************

Doyle’s spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner called it “a cheap trick” to suggest that Doyle was out of line for appearing at his own fundraiser.

No, Lee, it’s not “a cheap trick”. Cheap Trick is a band. This was just plain common sense.

…… can you have a budget repair bill for a budget that is 652 million in the red and only have 62 million in cuts of current programs.

From JSOnline:

Madison – Legislative leaders announced a budget-repair package today that nets $209 million from refinancing future payments from cigarette and tobacco manufacturers and delays a $125 million payment for public schools, pushing it into the next budget cycle.

The package is scheduled for quick votes this week in the Assembly and Senate to fix a $652 million shortfall in tax collections that were projected when the budget was adopted last fall.

Approval by the Legislature is also to keep Gov. Jim Doyle from delaying or canceling summer highway maintenance and construction contracts that total up to $261 million.

The deal was announced by Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston), Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem) and Democratic Rep. Jim Kreuser. The Republican-controlled Assembly will need some Democrats to vote for the budget deal, because some Republicans are expected to reject it.

Legislative leaders said the package would:

• Net $209 million by paying off bonds, approved in 2001, that sold off the first round of payments from cigarette and tobacco manufacturers. The new deal would issue bonds for expected payments from those manufacturers after 2018.
• Delay $125 million in aid to public schools until July 2009, so it doesn’t count as an expense in the current two-year budget. Doyle has repeatedly said he opposes that delay, which raises the possibility that he may veto it outright.
• Lower balances in surplus state accounts, which were designed as a hedge against emergencies, by $97 million. The required budget-ending balance would drop from $65 million to $25 million.
• Require $69 million in spending cuts in current programs.
• Use $22 million raised by increases in the cost of drivers’ license fees. The money was to be used to implement plans related to the federal Real ID requirements, but the money became available when the federal government extended the deadline.

When the state’s cash shortfall was announced in February, Doyle aides announced that they would also save $125 million by mid-2009 by paying only interest – and not principle – on long-term state debt.

A Kreuser aide said the governor had not indicated whether he would veto any of the budget-repair provisions. Doyle is expected to address the package later today.

What’s not mentioned here is a cell phone no call list provision and an invasive species provision that have absolutely nothing to do with the budget except INCREASE some spending…….

I’m not the first to say this but ALL of the elected officials in this state are a bunch of LOSERS!!!!

Franky Busalacchi thinks you’re not paying enough in gas taxes to fund roads.

From Sykes via WisPolitics:

Raising taxes is never an easy decision. For the good of the country, we have to make this investment.
- Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi, a member of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission, testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee. Busalacchi pitched the commission’s plan to gradually raise the federal gas tax by 25 cents to 40 cents a gallon. Busalacchi argued, “Our (national) infrastructure is in terrible condition. We’re dealing with it every day in Wisconsin.”

From WisPolitics:

  MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle released the following statement today on the results of yesterday’s Supreme Court race:

“It is a tragedy that such a fine judge and good human being was trashed during the campaign. Justice Butler has served with distinction and honor on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and I thank him for his fairness, his sense of justice and his lifelong commitment to public service.”

Hmmmmm. Jimmy seems pissed.