After years of out of control spending, the State Assembly finally passed a balanced state budget, 60-38. Let me say that again — this budget eliminates our state's $3 billion deficit and balances the budget by leaving a surplus.
This shouldn't be a shocking statement, but due to fiscal irresponsibility of previous administrations, this will be Wisconsin's first balanced budget in many years.
We did it by enacting true budgetary reforms, making tough decisions and cutting unnecessary fat, rather than using the accounting tricks of the past.
Unlike recent budgets, we did not rely on raising taxes, transferring money from segregated funds or using one-time federal money.
In fact, this budget takes a look at our state's finances like any family or small business would — don't spend money you don't have and when times are tough you must tighten your belt.
The budget contains many positive provisions that I fully support, including:
• Eliminates the $3 billion deficit.
• No tax increases.
• Permanent property tax freeze, resulting in an average $700 savings per homeowner.
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• No fund raids.
• Eliminates more than 1,000 state positions.
• Deletes the $587,000 child care earmark for state employees located in Madison.
• Makes significant welfare reforms and requires penalties for failing or refusing drug tests for unemployment.
As with any budget, the 1,500-page document did have some pieces that I did not support. I believe that overall spending should have been lower and have concerns with the amount of bonding.
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However, this budget is a step in the right direction and takes Wisconsin out of the red and into the black.
Although I did not agree with everything in the budget, I felt at the end of the day that supporting the budget bill would be the best action for our community and state.
I was just wondering how State Senator Randy Hopper, Republican was able to get his mistress a state job. Is the right track you are talking about one where republicans can shaft an unemployed person get them a job and screw the rest?
Judy Forgianni
Oshkosh Wi
June 22, 2011 | 12:17 PM
1)First of all the deficit gets eliminated every year 2)Wait until Walkers special interest tax cuts kick in and then tell me again how he is balancing the budget 3)tax cuts on special interests and the elimination of the low income tax credit means more taxes for the poor, and less for a couple of corporate bigshots, politifact says promise broken 4) property tax feeze comes at the cost of 10% of the income of state workers... so working people take cuts and the money goes to whoever has the biggest and the most houses? 5) I laugh at no fund raids, employee insurance fund raids, 106 million in mass transit aids from the segregated transportation, $35 million in sales tax receipts on vehicle sales 6)eliminates job positions????? i thought he ws producing jobs not increasing unimployment 7) cuts insurance since a 10% paycut wasnt enough for state employees 8) Do welfare reforms include cutting health programs and giving himself complete control to make further ajustments as he sees fit 9) Oh and on top of being on un-employment, if you fail a drug test you have to survive ( in addition to the extra week of no income that all unemployed people have to survive withought thanks to walker and the republicans) a year withought any income. I don't know about you, but that sounds a little harsh and the people who need unemployment are often not the ones who can survive withought a weeks income, let alone a year. I found this article entirely politically driven so I felt the need to show the otherside of the coin
No fund raids? Is this guy crazy or just out of his mind? Pension fund raids, taking money from schools eliminating jobs when the General Walker said he wanted to create jobs, I mean WHAT? No tax increases. Give the rich their fair share. After all, they bought the last election didn't they? Who IS this August guy?
I feel you are out of sorts....Education should be our #1 priority....and yes, did you ever look at the cost of education for these teachers and also going back to school....of course you didn't....we have teachers in our family and my mom and aunt were both teachers....it is expensive and no, none of you would understand....I see how many others make tons of more money and do not need to continue their education nor pay for the summer school when they attend....they deserve every penny that they earn....would you be willing to work with kids - lower grades and or high school level....of course not....to treat the teachers the way they are being treated is BAD....where is our education going....what kind of children will end up now with the way you are pushing this....Wisconsin is not and has not been poor....my kids go to school early in the morning and bring home work to do after dinner....how many professions are doing that....yes, the police put them selvels in danger and so do the teachers....then why is this happening....
I feel you are out of sorts....Education should be our #1 priority....and yes, did you ever look at the cost of education for these teachers and also going back to school....of course you didn't....we have teachers in our family and my mom and aunt were both teachers....it is expensive and no, none of you would understand....I see how many others make tons of more money and do not need to continue their education nor pay for the summer school when they attend....they deserve every penny that they earn....would you be willing to work with kids - lower grades and or high school level....of course not....to treat the teachers the way they are being treated is BAD....where is our education going....what kind of children will end up now with the way you are pushing this....Wisconsin is not and has not been poor....my kids go to school early in the morning and bring home work to do after dinner....how many professions are doing that....yes, the police put them selvels in danger and so do the teachers....then why is this happening....
Nice to see all the big government, pro-union, welfare state hacks are out in force. Wonder what they'll be saying in a year when services haven't diminished, people haven't lost their jobs, the budget is balanced, and armageddon HASN'T arrived?
The wonderful James Doyle literally stole money from the hwy. funds and from the Dr's malpractice insurance. He should have been prosecuted. While I feel bad for the teachers I feel they should pay their fair share just like we do. Sorry but paying for their ins and benefits isn't going to kill them. Hard times call for hard decisions and Scott Walker made it very clear while campaigning that balancing our budget was his top priority. I give him alot of credit for not backing down to the Union. Union's started out in this country as a great thing but they are no more than common crooks in this day and age. Go Walker!!
the union has gotten to you as well... Whats wrong with teachers paying towards their heathcare and pension? Whats wrong with holding the dead weight accountable, and paying more to those that show results? The sun came up today, it's beautiful, the world did not end as we know it... We as a Country are ranked much lower in educational aptitude then other developing nations, yet are spending nearly $15,000 per child to educate in the public schools. How much is enough? How much more will it take? If you are unhappy with your present pay, benefits, and or pension, you are welcome to seek other employment. The correct term by the way is collective bargaining priveleges, not rights..
joe taxpayer
June 29, 2011 | 03:34 PM
How much money is it going to take to teach these kids? Let us have a bottom line figure and stop all this constant we need more, more, more and more money every year. When I was working and had a job I didn't get a raise every year and yet I kept improving my job and getting more responsibilities handed to me. I didn't get more money for it in fact I lost money. So let's just stop this constant crying about how the teachers have it so bad because of funding. Money doesn't teach, the teacher does that. When I went to grade school there was 2 different grades in the same room and the same teacher taught both grades on the same day. The classroom held over 60 students combined and all of the students learned their lessons and the teacher didn't run off screaming. Plus we didn't have computers or Ipods back then either. Just books, paper and chalkboard in the classroom. If the teachers don't like the conditions then change professions and stop picking my pocket for more money.
Looks like for awhile, anyway, the public sector bloodsuckers are going to have to take a break from wasting our money. Wisconsin citizens whining about less spending are only doing this because they are the guilty ones! Many of us private sector have had to deal with less pay, no guaranteed jobs, higher health costs( and not a $20 monthly increase!) etc. As for education, we have some of the laziest, dumb, unmotivated, ill-prepared kids since time began. If you paid for results like that when buying a car or building a new house, the next day you would be consulting a lawyer. Crap in, crap out. Lets fire all of the lazy welfare recipients working for us in Madison!
Scott Walker Fan!
The very dumb city of LAKE GENEVA
Obviously you are one of the laziest, dumb unmotivated students, otherwise you would have done a little homework on the subject you tried to make a comment about. Before offering an opinion it would be wise to know what you are talking about. First of all the private sector had unions long before the public sector was allowed to unionize which explains the loss of manufacturing in this country. Second, none of the teachers you are berating are against paying their fair share of pension or health care, what they are upset about is that some of the pension benefits they lost we given instead of pay raises to help Districts keep costs down during contract negotiatons. Third, the lazy, unmotivated, and dumb students you speak about are that way not because of teachers, but the lack of parental oversight. so if we follow you line of thinking parents should be spade or nuettered for their inability to raise children properly. I would suggest you spend at lesat one day, two if you can shadowing a teacher either at the High School or Middle school then see if what they do or don't do is the cause of the problems you think todays' students have and if teachers receive compensation above their ability. Most of all do a little background checking...ie.. homework before you spout rhetoric about something you have no knowledge. I don't hear you begrudging police and fire personnel for their trough eating on the tax payer dime. Guaranteed early retirement at age 52, uncontested comp time, (which is figured into pension pay), non-contributing health and pension benefits. How many millions is that costing us taxpayers. P.S. I am neither a teacher, union member, or a Democrat. Actually I am a long time Republican with strong management ties and anti-union tendencies.
1. My opinion is only toward public sector unions. I never mentiond the private sector. As for your thoughts about private sector unions, I agree. They were setup as unsustainable. You can't be competetive as a business when competing against the global market. I bet you shop at Target or Walmart. Your shoes, clothes, car(maybe not all of it), food(a lot), tv etc. were probably bought buy you MOSTLY because of price. You are exercising your free market rights. Now I not going to give you an econ101 lesson here, but I think you get the idea. Let me know if you don't.
2. Public sector creates nothing. There are no goods or services created. All it serves is as an arm of local/state/fed. govt. If you think the public sector has something special, your plain wrong. Look at the most recent huge bureaucracy, TSA. So big, so inefficient etc. Govt. creates jobs, not goods/services. A good portion of these jobs higher than the county level are massively redundant. Try the Elkhorn D.L. facility to see YOUR state using YOUR money the best way possible. I hope your retired for the amount of time you will be there!
3. You are right, parents are to blame for much of the problem. There are plenty of 40 somethings living in their parents basement. Regulation and law is also to blame. Can't spank a kidd, expel them only after numerous problems. Didn't you ever see you H.S. coach put someone into the lockers? Worked well as a first hand experience for my public school years. If your older, ask any Catholic school grad from the 50"s about boxing it out with the priest.
4. School specific here. Did you know that the Deaf school FLIES students home on the weekend? Private charter to Superior, WI. Also FLIES them back. Ask a teacher there what the return on our investment is on that school. You would be shocked.
5. All Public Sector jobs are rife with waste and corruption, even fire and police. How to fix it? V O T E. Looks like Tyler is trying to do what we voted him to do. Not like D.C. with a one way idea. The way to solve this is to trim budgets, lower expenses, shared costs(I'm private pay healthcare, no one helps me), plan better, work smarter, work harder, less welfare. Our country was founded with the idea that you can suceed or fail at what you do, but you will always be FREE to try it. Lets help the orphaned, elderly, those down on their luck(but not forever), and the truly needy. If you ran a business like any govt. entity is run you would have the "out of business" sign up in a month. America is not the land of free handouts my friend, it is opportunity that drives our nation and it is that reason why we are the envy of the world. Not many people knocking on the door to Iran to get in and build a better life. How many U.S. citizens do you think Mexico catches sneaking in everyday?
Lastly, why do you need to point out who you aren't? You are trying to hide your true colors.
First I pointed out what I am not to make it clear that my arguements being pro-teacher were not tainted and avoiding being accused of being a teacher, union member, or a Democrat. No other reason then to save arguement time.
Thanks for the econ 101 refresher it has been a couple of decades, but I assure you unnecessary. I am somewhat surprised in your second letter. Your statements and position were much more lucid than your first.
You are correct in the thought, or at least I agree that the liberal left has ruined education with the laws and regulations limiting educators ability to get a point across. I just took your inaccurate accussation of the teachers as the sole reason for the downfall of the literacy that is lacking in todays young. I am glad that we agree that parental guidance or lack thereof is the bigger contributing problem to the situation then the ability of our educators to teach.
As for Walker for President, I think I will wait and see how he does in this position first, kinda 50/50 so far. Good move in trying to mend the budget, but lost points by showing "Good Old Boy" tendencies with the police and fire unions. That is the system that got us into the political mess we are in today.
Citizen of Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
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