MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The conservative chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court accused her liberal colleagues of a “raw exercise of overreaching power” after they flexed their new majority Wednesday and fired the director of the state’s court system.
The four liberal justices, on just their second day as a majority on the court after 15 years under conservative control, voted to fire Randy Koschnick. Koschnick held the job for six years after serving for 18 years as a judge and running unsuccessfully as a conservative in 2009 against then-Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson, a liberal.
“To say that I am disappointed in my colleagues is an understatement,” Chief Justice Annette Ziegler, now a member of the three-justice conservative minority, said in a lengthy statement after Koschnick was fired.
Ziegler said the move undermined her authority as chief justice. She called it unauthorized, procedurally and legally flawed, and reckless. But she said she would not attempt to stop it out of fear that other court employees could be similarly fired.
“My colleagues’ unprecedented dangerous conduct is the raw exercise of overreaching power,” she said. “It is shameful. I fear this is only the beginning.”
Fellow conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley blasted the move in a social media post, saying, “Political purges of court employees are beyond the pale.”
Category: Politics – Wisconsin
Democrats File Petition Protesting “Rigged” Maps
by Owen | 1327, 2 Aug 23 | Law, Politics - Wisconsin | 3 Comments
They better be careful. One can be prosecuted by the DOJ for saying that you think the electoral process is unfair or manipulated.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A lawsuit filed Wednesday asks Wisconsin’s newly liberal-controlled state Supreme Court to throw out Republican-drawn legislative maps as unconstitutional, the latest legal challenge of many nationwide that could upset political boundary lines before the 2024 election.
The long-promised action is backed by Democrats and was filed by a coalition of law firms and voting rights advocacy groups. It comes the day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped from a conservative to liberal majority, with the start of the term of a justice who said that the Republican maps were “rigged” and should be reviewed.
Controversy as Marketing Tactic
by Owen | 0726, 1 Aug 23 | Culture, Education, Politics - Wisconsin | 2 Comments
One of our faithful readers pointed this out to me. The author of one of the books that is being challenged in West Bend campaigned for the three liberal board members who were elected in April.
Watch on TikTok
While not denying that this author is a radical leftist who wants to indoctrinate children to her beliefs, this is also a rather smart marketing tactic. There is almost an unlimited number of books that a school district can choose to put in front of kids. By stoking controversy, this author is creating a group of passionate adults who are demanding that schools buy HER book.
Smart, eh?
Immoral people act immorally in all things
by Owen | 0714, 1 Aug 23 | Culture, Education, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a sample:
The West Bend School District is in the news again for promoting adult material to minors, but that controversy, while important, ignores the elephant in the classroom. Let us first discuss books and appropriate material for minors.
[…]
In most contexts, adults allowing access to, much less showing, graphic sexual material to children would rightly be considered deviant or predatory — like a creepy guy showing porn to his 10-year-old neighbor. In West Bend, as in other communities, there is now a passionate group of adults who insist that access and advocacy of such materials for children in school is paramount and any opposition to such is akin to Goebbels burning books before the Berlin Opera House in 1933. Such bombastic parallelism is the mark of a soft mind and softer morals.
With a near infinite amount of material to make available to our children, our government schools are obligated to curate content to the values and customs of the majority of their constituents. San Francisco will have a different perspective than West Bend — or so one would think. With the availability of school choice, parents of any economic means can and should be diligent about putting their kids in environments where the other adults are teaching values contrary to their own. If the school will not support parents, then the parents are obligated to take action in the best interests of their children.
While sex and books attract the ire of the community in West Bend of late, left unremarked is how the school district continues to spend the community into oblivion with absolutely no restraint or respect for the taxpayers. Let us consider just four important numbers: 6,623. 5,972. $87.5 million. $108.7 million.
According to the West Bend School District, in 2018, the district had 6,623 students and spent a total of $87.58 million. In 2023, they had 5,972 students and budgeted spending a total of $108.7 million (final audited numbers of what they actually spent has not yet been published).
That is a 10% decrease in students; a 25% increase in total spending; and a whopping nearly 42% increase in spending per pupil in just five years. During the period of a 10% student decline, spending on staff and on facilities increased. There has been no perceptible effort to reduce spending in proportion to the reduction in the number of students they serve.
Nazis in Watertown?
by Owen | 1852, 30 Jul 23 | Culture, Politics - Wisconsin | 10 Comments
In what appears to have been an attempt by the FBI or ANTIFA (or some such group) to generate controversy and distract from the fact that there were kids attending a highly-sexualized drag show in a park, a bunch of dudes in khaki pants and black face coverings, showed up in Watertown chanting and waving Nazi flags. The response has been interesting.
First, let’s try to figure out why a photojournalist, from New York just happened to be in little Watertown, WI to stumble upon a bunch of alleged Nazis protesting a drag show. Odd, eh? Her video shows her staying at a hotel, so it doesn’t look like she was visiting family or anything. Then she was back in New York within 24 hours. Strange, eh?
Putting that aside, the reaction has been telling. People’s reactions fell into two basic camps. Leftist activists immediately jumped on the videos decrying Nazis and painting the picture that only Nazis would oppose drag shows in front of kids. This was the intended reaction of the alleged Nazis staging the event. Almost to a person, Righties immediately identified the alleged Nazis as fake – FBI or some leftist group – pretending to be Nazis in order to give Leftists an excuse to have reaction #1 above.
What’s the truth? I think that the alleged Nazis were fake. We have seen Nazi protests for my entire lifetime and before. They tend to be pretty proud of their bigotry and don’t mind showing their faces. They also don’t usually wear slacks, but they DO usually have swastika flags that are replicas from the Third Reich – not goofy black and white versions. So yes… this seems staged and just in time for the runup to a presidential election.
Am I cynical? You bet I am. Experience will do that to you.
s
Leftists take control of the judiciary
by Owen | 0815, 28 Jul 23 | Law, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
Here is my full column that ran in the Washington County Daily News this week. I’m not optimistic.
Beginning next week, extremist leftists will control two of Wisconsin’s three branches of government when activist Justice Janet Protasiewicz takes her seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin did not spend $8 million to elect her in the most expensive state Supreme Court race in the history of our nation to not expect dramatic results. Dramatic results we will see.
For the last fifteen years, the state Supreme Court has had a majority of judicial conservatives. This largely meant that they had a restrained view of judicial power and a strong respect for the separation of powers. A look at their most “controversial” rulings, as characterized by leftists, will find that the high court usually ruled to affirm whatever law was as written unless it ran afoul of the constitution. Such was the case in their rulings on Act 10, School Choice, drop boxes, and many other cases brought before them. Judicial conservatives’ refusal to supplant the will of the people, as expressed through their elected representatives, with the latest leftist orthodoxy has been a source of immense frustration for Wisconsin’s leftists.
All of that changes on August first. When Protasiewicz takes her seat, the court will have a majority of judicial liberals – all of which are also ardent political liberals – who have a dramatically different view of the role of the court. In their view, the court is merely an extralegislative body through with they can, and will, enact their political agenda when it proves to be too difficult through the elected legislative process. With the Supreme Court’s accepted role as the final arbiter of law, it is in a powerful position to dictate law when the people get too uppity and refuse to tow the leftist line.
Wisconsin’s leftists know that they will likely not get control of the legislature for some time to come. Their ideas are too unpopular in the majority of Wisconsin’s districts (no matter how they draw them) and turning out the leftist voters in Milwaukee and Dane Counties will never get a Democrat elected in Waupaca. The Democratic governor has already done a masterful job this year in neutering the Republican-led legislature. They intend to use the Supreme Court to make the legislature insignificant in the governing of the state.
The list of issues that leftists will put before the Supreme Court to rule their way is very long. There is already a case pending regarding Wisconsin’s prohibition of abortion. It will likely make its way to the court by the end of the year and Wisconsin’s infanticide industry will reboot.
With Wisconsin being a battleground state for the 2024 presidential election, the National Democrats filed a case last week that will ask Wisconsin Supreme Court to permit ballot drop boxes even though the court correctly ruled them illegal last year. Notice that the Democrats are not attempting to pass a law to allow drop boxes. They are expecting the court to impose their will. The court absolutely will enact the policy goals of the Democratic Party. We can expect the Democrats to push further to loosen Wisconsin’s election laws regarding things like Voter ID, registration requirements, absentee ballot rules, and others in order to maximize the opportunity for people to cheat.
Leftists are also likely to launch an effort to get the court to throw out the current district lines – likely with trumped up accusations of racism – in order to get the court to gerrymander the states political districts in favor of Democrats. They will not be able to create a Democrat majority this way, but they will put their thumb on the scale.
Leftists are also talking about launching cases to have the Supreme Court decide in their favor on massive public policy issues that have been debated in the state for decades. Very soon, expect the Supreme Court to make rulings that gut School Choice, overturn Right to Work, undermine Act 10, and put fangs into the mouth of the DNR. When the majority of the justices on the Supreme Court do not recognize any limits to their power and authority, we can expect them to act accordingly.
Make no mistake. The state and national leftists have been working and planning the takeover of the Supreme Court for years. They are not going to show any restraint in reshaping the state to their ideology irrespective of how much the little people bleat. Wisconsin is going to be a very different state in two years.
West Bend Teachers Mad About Health Insurance Change
by Owen | 0649, 26 Jul 23 | Education, Politics - Wisconsin | 2 Comments
Teachers are mad. Water is wet. I wish they got this angry about the porn in the curriculum.
According to the district, the changes would lead to lower deductibles and lower out-of-pocket maximums, and employees will have two plans to choose from and three family sizes to choose from for the plans. There will be additional incentives for the second plan and minimal employee premium increases from 2023.
One reason for dropping the current HRA model was that the district had to reserve an increasing amount of dollars each year due to rollovers, which led to less dollars being available for wage increases. Another was that not every employee used it the same and received the same benefit from it.
However, during the School Board meeting on Monday, teachers spoke out against the plan, with some saying they had been promised the HRA benefit as a form of compensation in addition to their salaries.
“I am concerned about the district’s decision to take HRA dollars away from teachers who had been promised this money as part of their compensation,” said Shelly Krueger, a teacher in the district for 32 years. “… I urge the school board and the district administration to reconsider its decision to take HRA money away from our teachers, otherwise future promises may sound empty.”
“It was understood that one of the possibilities in new health insurance plans meant that the HRA may be discontinued. It was not, however, made clear until the July 10th board meeting that teachers that have banked their HRA money, me as one of them, which was given to them as part of their compensation, would have that money taken away from them by the district without having any additional compensation in return,” said teacher Hailey Dougherty. “There are teachers with thousands of dollars saved in their accounts, and taking away that money is robbing teachers of their overall compensation. I strongly encourage the board to speak with HR and find a solution to allow teachers to use this money that has been earned.”
Here’s the rub:
an HSA works more like a bank account that the employee can put money into before it is taxed, whereas an HRA is an employer-funded plan.
Wisconsin School District Sued Over Hiding Actions
by Owen | 0806, 25 Jul 23 | Culture, Education, Law, Politics - Wisconsin | 2 Comments
If they are afraid to tell the parents what they said, they why are they saying it to the kids? The fact that they explicitly said that it had to be verbal is a clear effort to keep it out of the reach of public records requests. And hiding behind a BS “investigation” is another well-worn tactic of governments to hide what they are doing. If there actually was an investigation, it would take all of about 15 minutes to investigate this.
And, separate from the issue of the content and children, this is another case of a meeting that could have been an email.
In June, Eau Claire Area School District [ECASD] students were allegedly “required” to report to a classroom where they found their orchestra teacher Jacob Puccio, a school counselor, and the ECASD Diversity, Equity and Inclusion director Dang Yang.
Students were allegedly told that Puccio would be undergoing a gender transition from male to female from a “scripted statement” that was read to several classrooms of elementary and high school music students throughout ECASD.
Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) alleges that the statement was crafted by ECASD to “ensure that students received information in a particular way.” Furthermore, WILL claims that parents are still not aware of what was read to students and want to know the details.
[…]
According to an email obtained by Fox News Digital, McCausland responded saying, “I briefly talked with and forwarded your email on to Dang Yang (the ECASD Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion); the district specified that the script I read on Monday needed to be a verbal presentation only and was not to be shared electronically. He should give you the info you need, but let me know if you need anything else. Thanks – [redacted] had a fantastic first year here in band, hope you all enjoy your summer!”
[…]
The complaint filed by WILL states that a Wisconsin statute requires that public entities comply with their duties “as soon as practicable and without delay” and that “no justification exists” for withholding the statement that was read to students.
“The District withheld the requested record despite it’s not being subject to any statutory or common-law exemption to the public records law. The District is therefore required by law to produce the record,” the complaint states.
Leftists take control of the judiciary
by Owen | 0755, 25 Jul 23 | Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
My column of the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. I’m not optimistic about the next decade or more in Wisconsin, and I think control of the legislature matters less than ever. Here’s a part:
Beginning next week, extremist leftists will control two of Wisconsin’s three branches of government when activist Justice Janet Protasiewicz takes her seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The Democratic Party of Wisconsin did not spend $8 million to elect her in the most expensive state Supreme Court race in the history of our nation to not expect dramatic results. Dramatic results we will see.
[…]
Wisconsin’s leftists know that they will likely not get control of the legislature for some time to come. Their ideas are too unpopular in the majority of Wisconsin’s districts (no matter how they draw them) and turning out the leftist voters in Milwaukee and Dane Counties will never get a Democrat elected in Waupaca. The Democratic governor has already done a masterful job this year in neutering the Republican-led legislature. They intend to use the Supreme Court to make the legislature insignificant in the governing of the state.
[…]
Leftists are also talking about launching cases to have the Supreme Court decide in their favor on massive public policy issues that have been debated in the state for decades. Very soon, expect the Supreme Court to make rulings that gut School Choice, overturn Right to Work, undermine Act 10, and put fangs into the mouth of the DNR. When the majority of the justices on the Supreme Court do not recognize any limits to their power and authority, we can expect them to act accordingly.
Make no mistake. The state and national leftists have been working and planning the takeover of the Supreme Court for years. They are not going to show any restraint in reshaping the state to their ideology irrespective of how much the little people bleat. Wisconsin is going to be a very different state in two years.
A long stride on the path of racial equality
by Owen | 2046, 21 Jul 23 | Culture, Politics, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
Here is my full column that ran in the Washington County Daily News earlier this week.
In the United States Supreme Court’s landmark ruling Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College, the court prohibited universities from discriminating against prospective students because of their race. While the ruling is specific to racial discrimination by universities, it has much broader implications.
The brilliant Justice Clarence Thomas revealed the broad consequences of the ruling in his concurring opinion when he definitively wrote, “the Fourteenth Amendment outlaws government-sanctioned racial discrimination of all types.” In the majority opinion of the court, Chief Justice John Roberts definitively stated that, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”
It does not get any clearer than that. Discrimination in favor of one race consequently discriminates to the detriment of another race. Equality can only exist when we actually treat people equally.
For this reason, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Wisconsin’s most important private organization in defense of the Constitution, launched the “Equality for All Agenda,” in which they are calling for the repeal of all race-based laws and programs. WILL’s accompanying report highlights several examples of how various Wisconsin governments discriminate on the basis of race.
For example, the state of Wisconsin’s Ben R. Lawton Minority Undergraduate Grant Program gives grants to anyone who is a black American, American Indian, Hispanic, or people who hail from Laos, Vietnam, or Cambodia. This grant program specifically excludes white Americans, Middle Eastern Americans, Persian Americans, Indian Americans, non-Hispanic South American Americans, and all of the other races that make up the kaleidoscope of the American experience. The grant program is inherently racist.
In a throwback to the era of “separate but equal,” the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers racially segregated student housing, “to provide a living experience focused on supporting students and allies who self-identify within the Black diaspora.”
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development launched the New Workforce Equity Grant program after the pandemic. These grants are awarded companies in southeastern Wisconsin that create training programs for underserved communities, which are defined as, “Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women.”
The University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine gives grants to programs that, “focus on underserved and marginalized communities, including but not limited to, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American, rural, and low-income communities.” One can focus on underserved communities without segregating them into racial categories. Poverty, for example, affects all races.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation runs a Diverse Business Development Program that only provides support to, “minority-, woman-, LGBT and veteran-owned businesses.” Once again, the program specifically discriminates on the basis of race and other factors that have nothing to do with the worthiness of the business.
The list goes on. The fact is that racial discrimination permeates our governments at every level. From the state of Wisconsin to our local government school districts, people of favored races are granted preferential treatment, opportunities, and money while people of disfavored races are excluded from these opportunities. This kind of racial discrimination was intolerable in 1860. It was intolerable in 1960. It is intolerable in 2023.
As Justice Thomas so eloquently put it in his concurring opinion, “the solution announced in the second founding (his reference is to the transformative 14th Amendment written after the Civil War) is incorporated in our Constitution: that we are all equal, and should be treated equally before the law without regard to our race. Only that promise can allow us to look past our differing skin colors and identities and see each other for what we truly are: individuals with unique thoughts, perspectives, and goals, but with equal dignity and equal rights under the law.”
Our nation has had a long road to racial equality. We have a long way yet to go. The Supreme Court’s ruling is a long stride in the right direction. Now it is up to all of us to see that the principles announced in our Declaration of Independence, written into the Constitution in the 14th Amendment, and affirmed in Students v. Harvard, are upheld by our government, our businesses, and ourselves.
Republicans Retain Assembly Seat
by Owen | 0718, 19 Jul 23 | Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
Good. It was low turnout, as expected for a special election, but the GOP managed to hold onto the seat by a decent margin.
GRAFTON — A Republican will hold the District 24 Wisconsin Assembly seat after Paul Melotik comfortably defeated Democrat Bob Tatterson in a special election Tuesday. The Grafton businessman, Ozaukee County Board member and Grafton Town Board member will replace fellow Republican Dan Knodl, who vacated the seat earlier this year after being elected to replace Alberta Darling in State Senate District 8. Assembly District 24 covers parts of Grafton and Mequon in Ozaukee County, Germantown and Richfield in Washington County and Menomonee Falls in Waukesha County. Melotik won Ozaukee and Washington counties by about 6% points each. Tatterson won by nine votes in Waukesha County, which is made up of nine wards in Menomonee Falls.
Melotik said during the campaign that the district remains a conservative one, and that he was the best choice for the seat because, as a conservative Republican, he has “a proven record of advocating for smaller, more efficient government.”
A long stride on the path of racial equality
by Owen | 0715, 18 Jul 23 | Culture, Law, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a part:
In the majority opinion of the court, Chief Justice John Roberts definitively stated that, “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”
It does not get any clearer than that. Discrimination in favor of one race consequently discriminates to the detriment of another race. Equality can only exist when we actually treat people equally.
For this reason, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, Wisconsin’s most important private organization in defense of the Constitution, launched the “Equality for All Agenda,” in which they are calling for the repeal of all race-based laws and programs. WILL’s accompanying report highlights several examples of how various Wisconsin governments discriminate on the basis of race.
[…]
The list goes on. The fact is that racial discrimination permeates our governments at every level. From the state of Wisconsin to our local government school districts, people of favored races are granted preferential treatment, opportunities, and money while people of disfavored races are excluded from these opportunities. This kind of racial discrimination was intolerable in 1860. It was intolerable in 1960. It is intolerable in 2023.
As Justice Thomas so eloquently put it in his concurring opinion, “the solution announced in the second founding (his reference is to the transformative 14th Amendment written after the Civil War) is incorporated in our Constitution: that we are all equal, and should be treated equally before the law without regard to our race. Only that promise can allow us to look past our differing skin colors and identities and see each other for what we truly are: individuals with unique thoughts, perspectives, and goals, but with equal dignity and equal rights under the law.”
Our nation has had a long road to racial equality. We have a long way yet to go. The Supreme Court’s ruling is a long stride in the right direction. Now it is up to all of us to see that the principles announced in our Declaration of Independence, written into the Constitution in the 14th Amendment, and affirmed in Students v. Harvard, are upheld by our government, our businesses, and ourselves.
Milwaukee County to Vote on Tax Increase
by Owen | 1811, 17 Jul 23 | Politics - Wisconsin | 1 Comment
As sure as Chris Christie won’t pass on a free doughnut, yes, they will vote to increase taxes.
A special joint County Board committee recommended approval of the county tax increase with two key votes — a 5-0 vote by the personnel committee and 4-3 vote from the finance committee. Supervisors Sequanna Taylor, Steve F. Taylor and Juan Miguel Martinez voted against the hike.
With the committee approvals, the full Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will take a final vote on July 27 on the measure, which would nearly double the current county sales tax from the existing 0.5% to 0.9%.
The beginning of a long winter
by Owen | 1817, 14 Jul 23 | Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
Here is my full column that ran in the Washington County Daily News earlier this week:
One must give credit where credit is due. Democrat Gov. Tony Evers has had as successful a year as any governor in Wisconsin history, and he did it with strong Republican majorities in both houses of the Legislature. He has begun his second term in office with a lengthy string of accomplishments.
Earlier in the spring, the governor struck a blockbuster deal with the Republican Legislature regarding shared revenue. In this deal, the state would increase spending through the shared revenue program by a record $275 million. The deal also increased spending on government K-12 schools by a record $1 billion. The governor negotiated with the Republicans to allow the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to increase sales taxes (without asking the voters via a referendum) to help plug the massive budget hole that threatens to put both governments into bankruptcy after years of mismanagement.
For all of those spending increases, the governor agreed to increase spending on school choice and to allow some restrictions and requirements on the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County in exchange for their authority to increase taxes. Milwaukee leaders are already threatening to sue over the restrictions while they keep the tax money. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will toggle to a radical leftist majority on August 1 and liberal leaders throughout the state are counting on the court to advance leftist policies by striking down conservative laws. The governor is also counting on the court to require onerous restrictions on school choice schools, which is why his agreeing to an increase in spending on school choice was likely considered to be a minimal price to pay for such government expansion.
Evers was just getting started. Taking the big-spending budget bill crafted by legislative Republicans that already increased spending by almost 10%, Evers used his powerful veto to reshape the budget to his liking.
The biggest change was in the income tax. The Republicans had written a tax cut into the budget that would have simplified and lowered the state income tax such that it would have resulted in a $3.5 billion tax decrease. Evers reshaped the tax plan to where it is actually a $603.4 million tax increase. That is a swing of $4.1 net increase in taxes with a strike of his pen according to the estimate by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The governor does not have the power to appropriate that money, so it will be seen in future years as an unallocated budget surplus that will burn holes in the pockets of politicians. We remember that we entered this budget with a $7 billion budget surplus that was completely spent.
In addition, the governor used his veto pen to give local school districts the power to increase the property tax levy by $325 per pupil per year until the year 2425. That is over four centuries of tax increases that, if local school districts tax to the max like usual, will result in an increase in school spending of $130,650 per student, or $111 billion increase in K-12 taxing and spending with the current student population.
The governor was not done. Not by a long shot. Evers vetoed the part of the budget that would have eliminated the 188 diversity equity and inclusion positions currently in the University of Wisconsin System. These are positions specifically designed to advance the latest leftist doctrine on race and gender. In an era of declining enrollments, closing campuses, and scarce money, the governor ensured that the primary purpose of using the university system to preserve and advance leftist ideology is protected.
In this same vein, the governor vetoed a provision that would have prohibited the use of tax dollars being used for gender reassignment or gender transition programs for adults and children through Medicaid. These programs will continue unabated under the governor’s watch.
The governor even found time to protect leftist interests in Washington County, where he vetoed a provision that would have begun the process to fund the joining of UW-Milwaukee at Washington County and Moraine Park Technical College into a single school. Both campuses have seen drastic reductions in enrollment, but the taxpayers will continue to support both campuses thanks to the governor.
All told, the governor delivered on his campaign promises and advanced his ideology. Under his watch, Wisconsin will see record increases in government spending coupled with record increases of property, sales, and income taxes to support that spending. He has reset the baseline of state government spending to the highest level it has ever been. His party has waged successful campaigns to put radical leftists on the Supreme Court to further protect and advance his ideological beliefs.
Were I a leftist, I would be applauding his success in the face of a Legislature controlled by the oppositions. As a conservative, however, I lament that Evers has pushed Wisconsin into what will be at least a decade of decline.
Pray that it is only a decade.
Milwaukee Mayor Brags About Tax Increase to Ask for Campaign Contributions
by Owen | 2235, 13 Jul 23 | Politics - Wisconsin | 5 Comments
Wow. The balls on this guy…
Friend,
This week, our city marked a monumental victory with the approval of a local sales tax by the Milwaukee Common Council. This new revenue stream is a triumph not only for our city’s financial independence but also for every person who calls Milwaukee home.
For the first time, Milwaukee will have some ability to control our future. This new sales tax means visitors to our city for the first time will be paying to help underwrite city services.
And, we as residents will ensure that we get to keep police officers and firefighters on the street, keep our libraries open, and make sure we can continue to provide basic services like snow plowing, garbage pickup, streetlight repair and filling potholes.
Over the last few months, I have worked closely with both Republicans and Democrats to get us to this point. While no elected official ever wants to raise taxes, this is an important step to keep us working towards our goal of a stronger, safer, and more prosperous city for all of us. The creation of a local sales tax now aligns Milwaukee with other major cities around the country.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the tremendous efforts of my colleagues on the Common Council, especially President José Pérez. They have been strong advocates for Milwaukee, and came together to do what’s right for Milwaukee. Together, we will continue to address new state rules limiting our flexibility, including finding creative ways to invest in our transportation infrastructure, supporting our diversity and inclusion efforts, and ensuring we are policing the smartest way possible.
Since taking office, I have spent every day fighting for the betterment of this city and every day it is an honor to serve. Though we have accomplished a lot, there is still a ton of work to be done. I look forward to getting it done.
I will be up for election again in April, and we must have the resources necessary to run a robust campaign.
I need your help now. During this crucial week, can you please chip in $25, $50, or $100 to help us gear up for next April?
Donate
Thank you for your continued support. Together, we are absolutely making a difference.
Best,
Mayor Cavalier Johnson
Paid for by Cavalier for Milwaukee
Cavalier for Milwaukee
5027 W. North Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53208
United States
Mileaukee Jacks Up Sales Tax
by Owen | 1455, 11 Jul 23 | Politics - Wisconsin | 4 Comments
What began as a tense and unpredictable day at Milwaukee City Hall Tuesday ended with the Common Council’s backing of a 2% local sales tax by a wider margin than required.
The critical vote offers the city a new revenue source to avert major service cuts in 2025 even as some council members said it would put additional financial pressure on residents living in poverty.
[…]
Afterward, Pérez said he was a bit surprised it passed with more than the minimum 10 votes required. Ultimately, the tax passed with 12 in favor and 3 opposed.
Milwaukee County Looks at Ways to Get Landlords to Rent to Section 8 Tenants
by Owen | 0710, 11 Jul 23 | Economy, Politics - Wisconsin | 2 Comments
This is a good example of the power of incentives.
“If Milwaukee County cannot use a metaphorical stick to force landlords to accept tenants with a Section 8 voucher, then we should consider offering a carrot,” Rolland told the Journal Sentinel. “At the end of the day, Milwaukee County is healthier when everybody can find a safe place to live.”
The Section 8 tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher Program was designed to help with rental assistance for low-income residents and families with a family income of no more than 50% of the median income of the county, roughly $27,396, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
[…]
In 2018, the County Board amended the County Code of General Ordinance about fair housing and included “receipt of rental or housing assistance” as a protected class.
“Big picture: the ordinance was well-intentioned, but after five years of it being in place we can see that renters were not getting the help that they needed,” Rolland said. “And today we know that punishments for landlords are unenforceable.”
Milwaukee County tried to force landlords to rent to Section 8 tenants and it failed. In the end, whatever minimal risk a landlord takes to avoid renting to Section 8 tenants is outweighed by the potential risk of renting to them.
What the politicians fail to understand is why many landlords avoid renting to Section 8 tenants. We all know why… you can identify the apartments in town that accept Section 8 tenants. They tend to be the ones that are the most run down and trashy. They are the apartments that we encourage our adult children to avoid.
Why? Because many (not all) Section 8 tenants treat their apartments like crap. They don’t care for it and often leave it damaged when they leave.
Why? Because they aren’t using their own money to pay for it. The tenant lacks the pride of ownership, even if it is rented, that comes with paying for something with money that he or she earned through the sweat of their brow or firing of neurons. There is no incentive for the tenant to care for the apartment because it costs them nothing to treat it like crap. Thus, many landlords avoid them because the landlords do bear the costs of damage and neglect.
So let’s follow the train of thought… if Milwaukee County creates a bundle of financial incentives for landlords to accept Section 8 tenants, it will likely work for some. More landlords will accept Section 8 housing. Why? Because they are no longer bearing the burden and cost of damage and neglect to their properties. That burden will shift to the taxpayers who are funding the incentives.
So in the end, the taxpayer becomes the forgotten man who bears all of the risks and costs and derives none of the benefits. The tenants benefit from subsidized rents. The landlords benefit from both the additional tenants and the additional incentives. The taxpayer is paying both bills plus their own rent.
Thus spins the flywheel of ever-growing government.
The beginning of a long winter
by Owen | 0628, 11 Jul 23 | Economy, Politics - Wisconsin | 0 Comments
My column for the Washington County Daily News is online and in print. Here’s a part:
One must give credit where credit is due. Democrat Gov. Tony Evers has had as successful a year as any governor in Wisconsin history, and he did it with strong Republican majorities in both houses of the Legislature. He has begun his second term in office with a lengthy string of accomplishments.
[…]
Evers was just getting started. Taking the big-spending budget bill crafted by legislative Republicans that already increased spending by almost 10%, Evers used his powerful veto to reshape the budget to his liking.
The biggest change was in the income tax. The Republicans had written a tax cut into the budget that would have simplified and lowered the state income tax such that it would have resulted in a $3.5 billion tax decrease. Evers reshaped the tax plan to where it is actually a $603.4 million tax increase. That is a swing of $4.1 net increase in taxes with a strike of his pen according to the estimate by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The governor does not have the power to appropriate that money, so it will be seen in future years as an unallocated budget surplus that will burn holes in the pockets of politicians. We remember that we entered this budget with a $7 billion budget surplus that was completely spent.
In addition, the governor used his veto pen to give local school districts the power to increase the property tax levy by $325 per pupil per year until the year 2425. That is over four centuries of tax increases that, if local school districts tax to the max like usual, will result in an increase in school spending of $130,650 per student, or $111 billion increase in K-12 taxing and spending with the current student population.
[…]
All told, the governor delivered on his campaign promises and advanced his ideology. Under his watch, Wisconsin will see record increases in government spending coupled with record increases of property, sales, and income taxes to support that spending. He has reset the baseline of state government spending to the highest level it has ever been. His party has waged successful campaigns to put radical leftists on the Supreme Court to further protect and advance his ideological beliefs.
Were I a leftist, I would be applauding his success in the face of a Legislature controlled by the oppositions. As a conservative, however, I lament that Evers has pushed Wisconsin into what will be at least a decade of decline.
Pray that it is only a decade.
Milwaukeeans Rage at Prospect of Higher Taxes
by Owen | 0739, 7 Jul 23 | Politics - Wisconsin | 2 Comments
Huh. Who knew? Perhaps they should have been this energized at the ballot box.
Scores of Milwaukee residents turned out Thursday evening to voice their opposition to a proposed 2% city sales tax just days before Common Council members are set to take a critical vote on the new revenue source.
“They’re telling us if we don’t pass the 2% sales tax then we’re going to go bankrupt. Well, then we’ll go bankrupt,” Beverly Hamilton-Williams said to applause at a town hall at Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. King Dr.
[…]
The frustration residents at the senior center expressed over the sales tax — and the bevy of changes to Milwaukee policies included in the new law that allows the city to enact it — stood in stark contrast to a smaller, more conversational town hall held at the same time by council members from the city’s south side.
[…]
Before the Steering and Rules Committee vote on June 26, Ald. Mark Borkowski raised concerns about blowback from constituents if council members were to vote to implement a sales tax that doesn’t enhance city services.
“Current services suck,” he said.
Californians Move to Texas in Droves
by Owen | 0739, 6 Jul 23 | Culture, Politics - Texas, Politics - Wisconsin | 2 Comments
They are like locusts. Let’s hope they leave their politics behind.
About 300 Californians moved to Texas each day in 2021 – a staggering 111,000 people, newly released data shows.
That is double the 63,000 that made the same move in 2012, according to a new report from Storage Café, which examined California-Texas migrations patterns over nearly a decade.
Of those that moved in 2021, nearly half were millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and headed to counties around major cities such as Austin, Houston and Dallas.
The study found Californians were lured from their state by a number of factors, including cheaper housing, lower taxes and booming work opportunities thanks to Texas’ tech and energy industries.
Fueling that shift was the COVID pandemic which increased the number of people that could work from home, releasing them from traditional commitments that would tie them down.
Note that Wisconsin looks more and more like California every day – especially after this last state budget.
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