Hoisted By Your Own Petard

Scott Walker loves to repeat his "I've held property taxes low" talking-point as some sort of validation and/or credibility for his (allegedly) superior vision and management skills. The County portion of property taxes were down 0.6 percent last year. The City's portion was down 2.5 percent, while the State was down 7.4 percent.

So, using Scott Walker's own logic, Governor Doyle and Mayor Barrett have an even better vision and even better management skills.

Getting Railed

Here is a perfect example of why Democrats continue to lose elections. They back-peddle and compromise...on everything. Jim Doyle has halted the Milwaukee-Madison rail project due to Walker's incesant whining. You're not out of office yet, Jim. You're still governor. Act like it!

Why does Doyle even invite Walker in to talk about this? Walker flatly stated that although he'd meet with Doyle about the issue before assuming the governorship, he was already certain he wouldn't change his mind and wants the rail project stopped. Do Walker and his archaic followers understand that Milwaukee is one of only a few major urban areas that does not have such a rail system? In economics and planning this is known as a comparative disadvantage. In fact, nearly every major city and region around the world have some type of rail system to move people on a daily basis.

"If Governor-elect Walker opposes the project, U.S. DOT has made it clear that the money will go to one of the many other states that intend to move forward with high speed passenger rail," stated Doyle. As Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary, has personally informed Walker, the federal government will not allow this money to be used for roads - squashing Walker's phony campaign claim that he would redirect the money to roads.

And, any money Wisconsin has already spent on the project would have to be paid back. Is this fiscal conservatism? Saying no to a linkage within a national infrastructure project, allowing millions of dollars to be wasted, and losing hundred of jobs? Talgo has already said that if the project disappears the company will also leave. That doesn't sound like being open for business to me. It is a completely unnecessary and self-induced clusterfuck of epic proportions for the incoming governor.

Walker complains about yearly operating costs; a primary reason he opposes the line. Always looking out for the people. What a guy! Oops, I mean, always holding out for more money for his corporate cronies. Less money for rail means a singular focus on the road-building cabal. 90 percent of the Milwaukee-Madison line would be covered by the federal government, just as they do with the Hiawatha line. If his supposed concern is operating costs, he has no concern!

What is happening in Wisconsin? This is embarassing. The government is us! Continually berating the government has accomplished nothing. Other than transferring control to unscrupulous hucksters like Scott Walker and the Republicans which have increased inequality while siphoning public dollars for their private playgrounds. Perpetually calling for deregulation and tax cuts on the rich in hopes of something trickling down to the rest of us is like cutting off one's nose to spite his/her face. We're only hurting ourselves by falling for their bullshit.

[I am so sick of hearing the economic-know-nothings preaching how tax cuts spur investment and job growth. We have been deregulating and cutting taxes the last forty years. This has also coincided with a highly volatile experience for the majority of workers - stagnating wages, dwindling retirement, and increased health care costs. If this is the "investment" and "growth" these "experts" are talking about, I want to hear from some other experts.]

The government is here to do things for all of us. It is not the public relations arm of business. It is here to provide us a legal system, clean water, transportation, fire and police protection, etc. It is what makes us a nation and a community. Government is not a business. It is a caretaker, a foundation, a backbone, a nurturer. Our own history has shown us that when we use the government properly - to build dams, highways, trains, public spaces; to invest in technology and medicine; to establish law and regulate commerce - we experience a shared prosperity.

Let's get back to a politics that benefits all us us. Not a politics that benefits the well-off and well-connected. The majority of our country can surely get on-board with that.

Extortion & Mercury Marine

Governor Doyle said, “The State of Wisconsin has offered an aggressive package to assist Mercury Marine. I am certain this package is sufficient to sustain Mercury Marine’s market leadership, and to allow it to consolidate and operate efficiently in Wisconsin. I am equally certain that Wisconsin’s offer is competitive with any other offer from any other state.”

And, I’m sure, as of this moment, the politicians in Oklahoma are putting together and inflated package of giveaways to ensure Mercury Marine moves to Stillwater. Oklahoma already has enabled Mercury Marine to avoid a tax penalty of $1 million. This was due to an earlier incentive given to the company to create jobs – which they didn’t do – and were, therefore, supposed to pay a penalty – a clawback.

Here’s a plan: Let them move. Then we’ll declare the former Mercury Marine site blighted. The state can then take it over using eminent domain. Next, we can declare the site a TIF district and use the money to make investments into the site. We’ll have the state institute a transitional management team, employing former Mercury Marine workers to build green technology – windmills, solar panels, etc. This might allow even more federal stimulus money since it would be an infrastructure and green project.

This is better than tolerating these companies holding cities hostage and stealing millions of dollars with the threat of moving out of town.

Also, since Jim Doyle isn’t running for governor next term, he could use his legal and political knowledge to start drafting legislation to put an end to this “Economic War Among The States”.

(Un)Shared Sacrifice

Ed Garvey (at Fighting Bob) takes, supposed Democrat, Governor Jim Doyle to task for proposing to solve Wisconsin's budget problem by cutting school aid, laying off state workers, and cutting local government aid. I've previously posted on this topic. As Ed says, "Lead or get out of the way."

Sort of related: how is it that we can "bail out" banks and insurance companies (even though the problems were totally creations of their own doing), yet we cannot provide financing to prevent massive state and local budget cuts/lay-offs (which provide the workforce, services and institutions local citizens and infrastructure depend on)?

Auditors Wanted

Governor Doyle has been talking of cutting 32 full-time jobs at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue to deal with the state budget deficit. Unpaid taxes in Wisconsin are estimated at $1 billion (obviously part of the deficit problem). It seems we need those 32 employees, and could even hire more workers, to collect the owed taxes and to perform audits, making sure the state is getting the revenue it needs and verifying that everyone is paying their fair share.