Here's To The Debtors

Plan to use Milwaukee County debtors for arena subsidy back

"I think it's pretty sneaky," said Rep. Christine Sinicki, who supported the Bucks proposal last summer but is leaning toward opposing this latest bill. 

"They got the Bucks bill through by taking (the debt collection) out. Now suddenly they're bringing it back," she said.

The controversy over the debt plan has added overtones for the April election in which Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, a supporter of the proposal, faces state Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), an opponent.

Larson and other critics of the debt plan have said it amounts to funding an arena for the Bucks' billionaire owners in part by taking more money from people who often aren't able to pay their current debts. They're also worried about the effect it could have on county offices linked to these debts. Currently, most of this debt is the responsibility of County Treasurer David Cullen and Clerk of Courts John Barrett, who both oppose the legislation.

Abele has said that blocking the debt plan amounts to penalizing people who are paying their property taxes or court fines to help those who aren't. 

Under the bill, Abele could act without county board approval to pass most county debts over for collection to the state Department of Revenue, which has additional collections tools.

Abele is such a tool.

"Blocking the debt plan amounts to penalizing people who are paying their property taxes or court fines to help those who aren't."

Really?

What about all the taxpayers (the majority) that don't want their tax dollars going to billionaire, team owners?

Any politician that signs off on his constituents being on the hook for a new athletic arena is penalizing his constituents.

Debtors need to pay their bills. But if you're a billionaire, just find a compliant politician to push your costs off onto his/her constituents.

Molotov!

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Executive Disorder

Tom Barret, a Democrat, spoke like a Democrat, "I think it would be great if he [Scott Walker] could find another line of work," when asked about the impending recall of Scott Walker.

Chris Abele, Milwaukee County Executive and supposed Democrat, said, "I haven't been staying up nights thinking about it. It's not a driving thing." Asked whether he felt Walker should be recalled, Abele also demurred. "I don't know. It's not something I have a burning passion and opinion about."

The article notes, "Abele as county executive has sought to cast himself as an independent and a pragmatist for whom partisanship is secondary." This is not leadership.

You are a public servant...and you have no opinion on collective bargaining or the governor? As the county executive, you have no opinion about how the state is governed?

As Joseph McCartin states, "In 1959, Wisconsin became the first state to enact legislation recognizing the rights of government workers to bargain collectively." Overthrowing a 50-year labor standard for Wisconsin, a policy never mentioned by Scott Walker on the campaign trail, doesn't make Abele ruminate  even in the slightest?

Not to mention, Walker killing trains, broadband, windmills, numerous federal aid packages and a host of other productive policies and projects that were in the works until Scott Walker took over. Abele has no passion nor thinks about any of this?

Abele wasn't elected to parrot the right-wing with talk of no new taxes and cuts, cuts, cuts. Milwaukee County citizens would like some guidance and direction: provide good, efficient services to the taxpayers and speak to the most pressing and important needs of our community. This whole Walker debacle fits into the latter category, and Abele should be thinking about it.