Amen!

Steve Ebbie,
What Scott Walker has done is exactly what you are saying you want; doing what is best for all, not just the few. Union teachers and other state workers have been ripping you and I and everyone else off for years. Do you have a pension that is funded for you by the state? Do you get virtually free health insurance? Can you retire at a young age, draw full retirement and go back to work at the same job making full pay while drawing full retirement? If you and your liberal friends stop and think for a second, this is just what you wanted; take money from the people who have more and give it to the people who have less. I understand that only applies when you are on the receiving end, getting the free stuff, but those of us out here working our butts off trying to make a living are tired of supplying the free stuff. Get it now?

Robert,

I work hard. I own a small business. You could take my taxes down to zero and I would not hire one extra employee. Demand is what drives hiring. Scott took money out of the pockets of thousands of state workers who now have that much less to spend. You could argue that it was your money. Do you expect your taxes to go down? Will you save a few dollars? At what cost? What should we give up? Our fine parks, plowed roads, making sure that those among us do not go hungry or if hurt get no care?

Wages and benefits were negotiated in good faith. Scott has never negotiated. State unions were ready to make concessions. Scott refused to meet with them. He referred to them as the “haves” and the rest of the state as the “have not’s”. To me, that is not a smart business approach. If he would have We only need to look around the country to see that there is a concerted goal put together by think tanks that have nothing to do with what is in the best interest of the general good. It is a money/power grabbing philosophy that has me troubled.

If you think that you are in the same boat as the top 1%, guess who will be expected to do all of the rowing. I believe in "shared" sacrifice. Trickle down does not work, never has, never will.

Regardless, nothing either of us says will influence each other.

Robert,
If Scott Walker was so hellbent on saving money by cutting state employee salaries, why did he get rid of all the civil service legislative liaisons' and Departments' legal counsels' positions and make them governor appointed? So he's able to put all his buddies in jobs for more money than previous employees and control everything with each Department.
One good example is Cindy Archer. She resigns from her appointed deputy secretary position at the Department of Administration but was then appointed into the legislative liaison position at the Department of Children and Families for more money than her predecessor. DCF didn't get to hire who they thought was the best fit -- they were told by Walker that's who you get.
Also, his budget is more than the past budgets. Where are the savings from cutting all this money from the union employees????? Lining the pockets of his buddies and campaign donors with corporation tax breaks. Sure hope that helps you out. Sorry, but I'm with Steve on this.

you say, "State unions were ready to make concessions" You must be kidding! The unions will never, I repeat never give concessions unless forced to. I know because I was in a union. They would rather see layoffs. You are pretty liberal with my tax dollars as you say whats a couple extra hundred dollars in taxes, you forget that its been a couple hundred every year since Dolye was governor. Don't you understand we already pay too much in property taxes, we are in a recession and the private sector middle class can no longer afford to pay for you or your relatives lavish health plans and expensive pension plans. This state is not retirement friendly and people will continue to move out if things go back to your democratic status quo.

@gm....Not all unions are the same. Public employee unions do not have the same rights as private sector unions. They are forbidden from taking any kind of job action. So what real power do they have? Doyle furloughed state union workers 16 days and the employees and union had no choice but to accept it.

Down with Walker thuggery! Down with paying cronies and their kids double or triple what other people are making, down with making everyone else take a pay cut while drop out Scooter gets a raise and gives his felonious cronies raises! Down with cutting my kids schools and giving out corporate handouts when our state is "broke."

Yeah, leave the state.

@JRH...Part of the dependency on property taxes has been our choice to fund government through income tax, property tax and to a lesser sales taxes. Other states which have lower property taxes use a different taxing and fee matrix. We exempt in this state a number of services from sales tax and have the lowest sales tax in comparison to our neighboring states. We also have a ridiculously low state alcohol tax. These are all potential funding sources that could be used in lieu of property taxes.

@Lyle -

Of course I'm aware of the funding matrix involved via the various avenues of tax collection available and the choices made in assigning emphasis upon certain avenues, such as the locally collected and distributed property tax.

However, this does not change the fact that despite such a high level of local level tax collection and distribution, that WI ranks 10th highest in the nation as far as state government spending on a per capita basis is concerned. WHY is this the case if our already high property taxes are supposed to counter this out and reduce such a heavy burden from the state government? Obviously, it’s not working as intended or there’s a big problem somewhere that needs to be resolved immediately!

The simple fact is that Wisconsin has a spending problem and for far too long the government (both state and local) hasn’t been serious about maximizing value/quality per taxpayer dollar collected and spent, otherwise, with the amount of money we’re spending at both the local and state levels, we should be leading the nation in everything - and obviously we aren’t.

Like I said, so far, Walker has merely addressed the buoying surface of the iceberg – now he needs to start chipping away at the even bigger problems that lie below the water line. Only then will Wisconsin truly start to get back on the right track. And when he does, get ready for an explosion of prosperity unlike anything this state’s ever seen!

@JRH...Please give the source of 10% ranking. I am still waiting on Walker's prosperity. I hope I don't have to wait too long, I'm old.

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=32&cat=1

@Mike...Doyle didn't systematically dismantle the state government.

@Lyle -

And what's so wrong with returning decision making ability and control over certain matters to local level governmental entities? Of all people, I thought that you'd appreciate localizing that kind of power and responsibility which would have the effect of encouraging more people to participate in their government at the local level. Of course, this is in stark contrast to centralizing power in the hands of a few at the state level, as Doyle and many of his predecessors did with various pieces of legislation spanning a wide variety of issues.

Where exactly is your concern here, and why do you view returning power and control to localities as a detriment as opposed to being positive change in the right direction?

@JRH...I don't object to handling things at the lowest level of government. However, there are a number of functions that shouldn't be shifted from the state to the lower government entity. The power for local school districts has always ultimately rested in the local hands. The state, in order to equalize funding to school districts took the on the role of taking funds and passing them out. It started at 67% and now it's down to 41% and change. The state has used their power to force local entities onto a fiscal diet. If the power was really local and not just an illusion then the locals could make a choice and raise levies without state government interference. So in answer to your statement, what local control? It's an illusion and choice has been taken away.

@Lyle -

I understand your point about how local level control is somewhat illusory, and I agree with you on this point. But that's also somewhat expected with the amount of aid that the state provides to localities, despite the relatively heavy property tax burden, is it not? The level of control over a variety of issues granted by Walker's administration thus far is still more than what previous administrations have allowed, which is at least a step in the right direction, which was the main point I was trying to make.

Once localities start exhibiting a certain degree of fiscal responsibility, then they'll continue to get even more power and control. As I stated in the above thread, Wisconsin spends way too much money for the kind and quality of results that we have realized.

8th highest property tax collection and local level spending in the country.

10th highest state level tax collection and spending (on a per captia basis) in the country.

Combined with our sales and excise tax burdens, Wisconsin easily ranks as one of the top 5 most heavily taxed states in the country! And yet, what have we the taxpayer received for this massively excessive spending? We should be at or near the top in every qualifying criteria imaginable for the amount of money our state and local governments spend - but we're not. So obviously, we could be achieving the same results we have now by spending far less money to do it. After all, if other states are beating us while spending less, then it has to be achievable!

@Sensibility...Sometimes you have to stand your ground and force a negative to gain a balance to a given inequity. It takes courage and the knowledge of how to play "brinkmanship". I see a great deal of "professional educational incest", whereas educators are managing educators. I don't want schools to follow corporatist models, since schools are not businesses, but common fiscal processes can be applied to school oversight.

You think so huh? Why the recall ?

What was once a great state? This States high property taxes force people to move once they retire. Govenor Walker is attempting to change this. You either don't pay property taxes or you are a puplic sector employee.

If he is I sure feel pity for you.

Who cares. The important thing is he's doing a GREAT JOB as Govenor for this over taxed State! Why are you so angry? Did you have to kick in just a little for your lavish health plan? Join the rest of the private middle class who have been contributing for years.

@Sensibility...Please don't misconstrue my statement. It shouldn't have taken "Walker's Reforms" for school districts to take control and bargain in good faith. I am a strongly committed social democrat and I believe and support workers rights. However, I will work to maintain a fair and balanced working relationship between management and employees. Do not overreach and become tyrannical or vengeful in your new found position. Even as management or owner, I never forgot that I needed those employees. Act 10 will not remain the same and will be revised many times until it is finely a good working statute. Eventually compromise will prevail and people will adjust.