Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Bad News Budget

The Assembly Republicans (less Jeff Wood) passed their version of a budget on Tuesday. For a group that has decried policy-making in budget bills in the past they indulged themselves this time like a church choir on Saturday night.

Let's take a look at some of the items Brett Davis and his cohort voted for.

1) No more straight ticket voting. The R's are tired of being dragged down by candidates like Scott Walker and GWB.

2) The elimination of BadgerCarePlus for farmers. Wasn't this a cornerstone of Brett's campaign flyers last August?

3) A zero balance for the Statutory Required Balance. Apparently the R's have figured out a way to make rainy days illegal.

4) $96 million in cuts to the UW alongside cuts in student aid. The Republicans officially no longer believe that knowledge is power. In a land of stupid people Steve Nass is king.

5) A freeze in property taxes to match the millions in un- and underfunded mandates on local governments. They believe in letting your alder take the fall for the hard cuts that they are unwilling to take. When the price of a bag of garbage hits $3 you can thank the Republicans.

6) Shared revenue cuts of no less than 5% with 12% and more to some communities. Lets see, the price of a fire call now is $500. Will the Republicans be happy when it hits $1000?

7) Cuts $85 million from the JFC version of the budget for local school funding.

8) Blocks single citizens younger than 65 from the Homestead Tax Credit

9) Expanded the tax-sucking sinkhole of for-profit schooling to Racine.

The Republican budget is a document full of platitudes that is unpassable. It is just as unrealistic as the document the Dems brought out two weeks ago. It's time for both sides to stop posturing and make a budget for the people of the whole state, not just Dane and Ozaukee Counties.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ok Grumps share with us what the dems want and how much that will cost us. The tax payer