I would like to send thanks to all of the individuals who completed my budget survey.  I received hundreds of responses and they were very useful to me as I debated the biennial budget.  These are the percentages of yes’s and no’s and the questions included in the survey.

 1. Do you support increasing state government spending by nearly 8 percent and taxes by $3.2 billion as the governor is proposing in the 2009-11 budget?

Yes 2%            No 93%

2. Do you support a new $270 million tax on oil that will be passed on to all consumers at the pump?

Yes 5%            No 95%

3. Do you support the $1.2 billion increase in taxes that was passed by the governor and legislative Democrats this year without a public hearing? This tax increase has been cited as a reason hundreds of jobs were lost in our current economic downturn.

Yes 2%            No 96%

4. Should the existing cost controls placed on local government spending that aid in keeping property taxes in check remain in place?

Yes 85%         No 12%

5. Should automobile insurance requirements be changed, as the governor is proposing in the budget, if those changes will drive up the cost of auto policies by up to 43 percent?

Yes 2%            No 97%

6. The governor is proposing in his budget to cut the use of active GPS tracking for violent child sex predators and use passive tracking to monitor these sex offenders. Passive tracking would notify law enforcement personnel only after a sex predator violated his or her parole, or after a crime had been committed. Do you support this cut to close the budget deficit?

Yes 13%          No 85%

7. Should taxpayer dollars be used to provide health care and retirement benefits to unmarried domestic partners of state government employees?

Yes 8%            No 92%

8. Do you support, as the governor has proposed in his budget, giving new mothers on state welfare benefits 24 weeks of paid leave when mothers not on welfare receive up to 12 weeks of leave that may or may not be paid? This change in Wisconsin’s welfare program will cost roughly $1.5 million over the next two years.

Yes 2%            No 98%

Don’t forget to Recall Governor James Doyle.  Sign up here: www.RecallDoyle.com

Be sure to read the fascinating comments below by clicking on “comments”, below,  or clicking on the title of this post above and scrolling down to the comments.

He has tested, serviced and sold products made by Mercury Marine, the boat-engine maker that has called this city home for decades. He worked 24 years for the company and for the last 21 years has operated the Mr. Marine boat dealership.

So, Lloyd took notice when news began to surface this month that Mercury Marine might be looking to consolidate operations, either in Wisconsin or in Stillwater, Okla.

“It would be a devastating blow here; they’re the No. 1 employer in town,” Lloyd said, calculating the potential impact of Mercury choosing Oklahoma over Wisconsin.

The business climate in Wisconsin, due to State of Wisconsin socialist or what is called “progressive” spending programs, is deteriorating rapidly.  The Wisconsin State Assembly is moving Wisconsin toward socialist policies at lightning speed.    It must be obvious that the Democrats in charge are the worst offenders by far.  However, it should be noted that many, but not all, Republicans use smoke and mirrors to pretend they are for Freedom, Capitalism and Constitutional principles.

We The People have to work peacefully to restore the American Dream.  To start we can recall Gov. James Doyle, the ring leader of tax and spend, business and job killing budgets that has placed Wisconsin citizens  in grave economic harm.

www.RecallDoyle.com

See the rest of the Mercury Marine article here: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/49395002.html

We need to reign in State of Wisconsin Government spending and taxation, before the last business and person to leave has to be told where the light switch is and to lock the door.  We can either do nothing and lose businesses, jobs and our money through all manner of taxation or we can do something peacefully to turn this around.  But sitting and doing nothing while the State of Wisconsin politicians have their way with spending, policy and our taxes will only make it worse.

Automobile Insurance Gets Worse in Conference Committee Budget

Drivers from Northeast Wisconsin to Subsidize Milwaukee

Yesterday, the Senate passed a budget that was approved by a Conference Committee on a 17 to 15 vote with your senator, Dave Hansen voting in favor.  A Conference Committee is a panel of legislators formed to iron out differences between the Senate and Assembly when they pass different budgets.  The budget that came out of that committee raises taxes over $2 billion, property taxes an additional $1.5 billion, and increases government spending by nearly 7 percent.  As well, there are non-fiscal policy provisions that changed in this budget compared to the Senate and Assembly versions, including those dealing with automobile insurance.  This change is very important for Northeast Wisconsin drivers who, if it is enacted into law, will be paying higher insurance rates to subsidize high risk drivers in areas like Milwaukee.

In the Conference Committee budget Wisconsin automobile insurance policies would have the highest mandatory minimums in the nation and drivers would be required by law to hold insurance.  This would force drivers to pay higher premiums in order to keep from breaking the law.  The budget also included a hidden line that will force good drivers to subsidize higher risk drivers.  In the Conference Committee bill, insurance providers would be banned from taking into consideration where an individual lives when they set premiums.  In effect, this would force drivers from Oconto, Marinette, and Brown Counties to pay higher premiums to subsidize urban areas like Milwaukee where vehicle theft and collision are more prevalent. 

If this provision passes, Wisconsin would be the only state in the nation to have a complete ban on the use of territorial ratings.  A similar change was recently defeated in Connecticut and Michigan because of the added cost it would force on drivers.  Under the changes in the original budget proposed by the Governor, insurance rates were expected to go up 33 to 43 percent for drivers in Wisconsin.  With the Conference Committee addition, rates will go up even more and these added costs will disproportionately fall on Northeast Wisconsin drivers with clean driving records.

Current automobile insurance requirements in Wisconsin are sufficient to cover over 90 percent of all auto collision claims and without mandating automobile insurance, the percent of uninsured drivers in Wisconsin is in line with the national average.  By increasing the cost of auto insurance the percentage of uninsured will surely rise.  

The Conference Committee budget is expected to be voted on in the Assembly this evening.  No amendments can be offered to a Conference Committee budget.  If it passes the Assembly, it moves to the Governor for signing.

Folks,

We here at WIN (Wisconsin Interests Now) are working to www.RecallDoyle.com to STOP these sorts of devistating effects on our State of Wisconsin economy, jobs, businesses, earnings, freedom and our individual rights.  The Socialist / Communist tyrannts, headed by none other than Diamond Spendthrift WEAC Union Doyle, have to be stopped.  Look at the report above that clearly shows you how much MORE they are going to be taxing us.  The report above doesn’t even fully tell you about numerous other taxes and fees that you are going to be hit with for just daily living transactions of various sorts. 

See: The Roth S.O.S. Report for all sorts of taxes and fees that we are going to have to pay.

Did you notice, above, that the State of Wisconsin actually INCREASED the budget?  Did you know that the State of Wisconsin deficit is TWICE that of California on a per capita basis?  But yet they increase the size of the budget?  On a per capita basis this means that our taxes and fees are going to have to increase twice as much as the poor people of California. 

If you want to STOP these sorts of MASSIVE increases WE HAVE TO www.RecallDoyle.com.  Sign up to become a volunteer to get fifty signatures on the RECALL DOYLE petition.  This whole thing is starting to stink!  And, we need to flush the Doyle-lett before Wisconsin stinks so bad we are all forced to leave just for our family’s survival from the spending and taxation stench.

Sign up as a volunteer to Recall Doyle at www.RecallDoyle.com TODAY!  It is financial survival for our families.

“Going forward, my mind will be open to every solution—except one.  We should not – we must not – and I will not – raise taxes.”  – - Governor Doyle’s 2003 State of the State Address given when Wisconsin faced a $3.2 billion deficit

At a time when families are struggling to pay bills and keep their jobs, the Governor is proposing to add to their burden by raising taxes and increasing government spending ($4.5 billion) to record levels.  The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a memo this week that detailed all of the fee and tax increases in the budget.  The tax and fee increases are roughly $1.5 billion and $240 million respectively.  These increases do not include $1.2 billion in tax increases that were in the budget repair bill proposed and passed by the Democrats in just 48 hours last month.

Some of the tax increases include:

·         the creation of a new income tax bracket that will raise income taxes over $300 million.

·         raising capital gains taxes $180 million.

·         increasing tobacco taxes by over $343 million which would make smokers pay roughly the same in taxes to the state of Wisconsin that corporations making over $10 million do.

·         increasing nursing home taxes on our elderly by $70 million.

·         raising gas taxes by $270 million.

Some of the fee increases include:

·         a gun purchasing fee increase from $8 to $30.  That is $15 higher than what was requested to operate the Department of Justice background check program.

·         an increase in boat registrations between $6 and $23 depending on boat size.

·         a waste fee increase by $48 million that will increase costs to consumers and small businesses.

The priorities of Wisconsin’s elected leaders should be creating jobs and easing burdens on families during this economic recession.  The Governor’s budget does neither.  Raising gas taxes will not create jobs; it will crush small businesses and truckers who use vehicles as an essential tool for business.  As well, families will see more of their hard earned money go in the gas tank instead of to pay other essential bills. 

Raising income taxes will not create jobs or ease burdens on families.  These taxes will give incentives to high income individuals to move out of the state leaving lower income families to foot the bill of every expanding government.  These policies outlined in the Governor’s budget are not good for the state of Wisconsin.  I will work to change these policies and continue to support job creating proposals that our state residents desperately need.

Currently the budget is being debated in the Joint Committee on Finance.  After the budget passes that committee, it will be voted on in the Assembly and Senate before it heads to the Governor’s desk for signing.  The budget could change at every step and be vetoed by the Governor as well.  The Democrats control the Joint Committee on Finance, Assembly, Senate, and the Governor’s office. 

Tax and Fee Memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau

Governor Doyle, joined by legislative Democratic leaders, introduced a budget repair bill this week.  Wisconsin is currently facing a $594 million budget deficit and by law the Governor must introduce a repair bill if expenditures exceed revenues by more than .5 percent in a fiscal year.  The repair bill is separate from the biennial budget bill which has not yet been introduced by the Governor and has a projected $5.7 billion shortfall.  Under Governor Doyle, Wisconsin has had 6 budget repair bills in 6 years. 

To close the deficit, the Governor and legislative Democrats are proposing a tax increase on health care of close to a billion dollars over the next two years, a business tax increase of $215 million, a sales tax increase of $61.3 million, and an ‘iPod’ tax of $10.9 million.  The total tax increases amount to over $1.2 billion in our current and following two fiscal years.  These tax increases do not include potential taxes included in the biennial budget yet to be introduced.

The budget repair proposal also includes spending $300 million in advance of expected federal stimulus dollars on transportation projects.  However, the projects were picked by Democratic leaders behind closed doors with no oversight.  As well, the budget repair bill does not include the creation of a bipartisan oversight committee for stimulus funds which was proposed by Assembly Republicans.  Republicans were not included in any negotiations on the budget repair bill either.  Potentially spending billions in taxpayer dollars is something I feel deserves oversight.

Businesses have been shedding jobs as our economy is declining.  Initial unemployment claims in 2009 reached 26,015 as of February 7^th and continuing claims totaled 175,928.  With jobs being lost, the last thing we should do is increase the cost of doing business in Wisconsin.  One of the first places employers look to trim costs is with employment.  It is one of the few areas where employers have monetary control and it constitutes one of the largest parts of a business’s budget.  Raising prices to make up for costs is not reasonable during a recession when consumers are less inclined to spend.

If government raises taxes and takes more money from families and businesses, more jobs will be lost.  This pushes more individuals on public assistance programs such as BadgerCare and unemployment.  This increases state spending which in turn increases taxes, deficits, and job losses.  It is a vicious cycle that must be stopped.  To create jobs and save the jobs we currently have, the state must make employing someone cheaper and doing business in Wisconsin more attractive than in other states or countries.

The way to get out of this deficit and curb job losses is to give families and businesses control over their own money by reducing the amount government takes from them.  The state budget should not take priority over the budgets of our state’s families.  Businesses and families are cutting back on spending so, why should government be any different? 

I will work with my colleagues to push for spending cuts over tax increases.  Since Governor Doyle took office, government spending has increased by 25 percent and state borrowing by 60 percent.  If spending over that time were in line with growth, the state would have roughly $1 billion more in the bank and imagine how many jobs would have been saved.

Reality Check: The Governor has proposed ‘lapsing’ $125 million in the budget repair bill, not ‘cutting.’  This has been misreported by many media outlets and means that in reality there are no ‘cuts’ included in the budget repair bill.  ‘Lapsing’ funds is an accounting gimmick which simply put, means the funds are wrapped into the next fiscal years budget for the agency who’s funds are being ‘lapsed.’

Assembly Update – January 30, 2009

STATE OF THE STATE

Governor Doyle delivered his annual State of the State address this Wednesday.  He discussed our state’s economic outlook, $5.75 billion deficit, and briefly touched on his priorities for this budget.  This address comes at a time when jobs are being lost, businesses are closing, and consumer confidence is at an all time low. 

To tackle these problems, I am pleased that the Governor mentioned this is not a time for new big government programs.  I agree and think priority one should be creating and retaining jobs by putting more money in the pockets of the people instead of the wasteful hands of government.  Unfortunately, I did not hear in the address how the Governor plans on solving our economic problems while both creating jobs and balancing the budget.

Wisconsin’s deficit is fourth largest in the nation and number one per capita.  How is it that we are in the same category as such states as California and New York?  Since Governor Doyle has taken office, government spending has increased by 25 percent.  Government credit card borrowing has increased by 60 percent.  Doyle has grown the state employee workforce by 4,900 in the last year alone after promising to cut state employees by 10,000 by 2010.  This has occurred while private sector jobs have dropped by 66,000.  

In Governor Doyle’s 2003 State of the State address, he stated, “The simple fact is this: We’re spending too much – and we have been for a long, long time.”  At the time of his address, Wisconsin had a $454 million deficit and we were staring at a $3.2 billion budget shortfall.  This sounds similar to today.  Since that time, Governor Doyle has requested increased spending and borrowing of over $7 billion.  Now we face a $594 million deficit and a $5.75 billion projected shortfall.

The Governor praised some accomplishments in his address.  He took credit for Republican initiatives such as making health insurance premiums tax deductible and eliminating the tax on social security.  He also lauded himself for bringing Wisconsin out of the top-ten taxed states.  Something that would have never happened if the Republican controlled Assembly had not eliminated 98 percent of the Governor’s tax increases in last session’s budget.

The priorities of this legislative session should be addressing our economic downturn, creating and retaining jobs, and expanding business development.  By realizing how we arrived at this point, we can hopefully not repeat the same mistakes.  We should reduce spending, lower taxes, and put more money in the pockets of Wisconsin residents.  That is how we will create jobs and pull out of this economic recession.

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MAKE STIMULUS

DOLLARS TRANSPARENT

 AND ACCOUNTABLE

Wisconsin is expecting to receive billions of dollars from the federal stimulus proposal currently making its way through Congress.  When this money arrives it should be spent on projects and services that put people to work, create new jobs, and truly do stimulate our state’s economy.  To make sure this happens I joined my Republican colleagues in proposing a bipartisan legislative panel to approve stimulus spending.

This panel would make sure the money is spent wisely and keep government accountable to the taxpayer paying the tab.  This would also make the process more transparent and easily scrutinized by Wisconsin residents.  The name of the panel would be the Joint Committee on Economic Stimulus Accountability, or JCESA and would consist of ten legislative members.

The proposal to form this oversight committee was resisted by the Democratic majority and did not pass.  However, I will continue to fight for openness and accountability.  Wisconsin is expecting billions in stimulus dollars that will be paid for by future generations.  We need to make sure this money is “timely, targeted, and temporary.”  To make sure this is the case oversight is needed.  I will keep pressing for this type of accountability.

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TWO BILLS PASS

 ASSEMBLY

The legislature held its first day of session this week.  Two bills were passed.  I supported Assembly Bill 1 which was titled the “Wisconsin First Act.”  The bill sets a ‘goal’ for state and local units of government to buy a minimum of 20 percent of their goods and services from local businesses.  Republicans improved the bill by increasing the original 2 percent ‘goal’ to 20.

Even though local and state governments already purchase a large portion of goods from local businesses, setting a ‘goal’ of 20 percent is laudable.  We should attempt to purchase goods from in-state when possible and fiscally prudent.  However, this bill will not create jobs or spur business development in a way that will turn our economy around; more must be done.

The second bill brought forward by the new Democratic majority was the “American Jobs Act.”  The title sounds great, but what does it do?  The bill would require state contracts be performed by businesses operating in the U.S.  That means that Wisconsin would no longer award contracts to the lowest bidder.  This would increase costs to state taxpayers.  Additionally, our state doesn’t currently track this information which would add even more costs to taxpayers if we wanted to form a system and track this information accurately. 

The non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau suggests that the “American Jobs Act” proposal may put Wisconsin in violation of the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement which we are a signer of.  The passage of this bill also raises the question; why is the governor and commerce secretary traveling overseas on trade missions spending taxpayer money if we as a state have no intention of trading our goods with the goods of other nation’s?

Marinette Marine has been shedding jobs due to our recent economic downturn.  They are a subsidiary of an Italian enterprise, Saputo Cheese in Lena is a Canadian company, Carver of Pulaski and Cruisers in Oconto sell yachts throughout the world.  My point in mentioning these local businesses is that we live in a global marketplace.  This proposal may adversely affect these businesses and others at a time when we should be fostering their growth, not burdening them further.  

Our state exports totaled over $20.3 billion in 2008 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  That is a number we should be trying to increase, not decrease which would kill more Wisconsin jobs and businesses.  If we put up walls around the state, cutting off our businesses from foreign markets, we can only expect them to do the same.  Losing over $20.3 billion is something our state businesses can not afford. 

Wisconsin needs bold and educated action to address our recession and create jobs.  These bills are neither and I hope the new Democratic majority takes a more realistic and expansive approach moving forward.  Our families deserve it.

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Please know that I am always happy, and in fact look forward to hearing from constituents. Therefore, if you know of someone who might find this E-newsletter of interest, please feel free to forward it to them. Also, please have them contact me at Rep.Nygren@legis.wisconsin.gov and state “add to E-Mail Updates” in the subject line.

If at any time you want to be removed from this list, simply send me an e-mail asking to unsubscribe.

State Representative John Nygren
State Capitol – Room 127 West – Post Office Box 8953 – Madison, Wisconsin 53708
Telephone: (608) 266-2343
Email: Rep.Nygren@legis.wisconsin.gov
On the Internet: Representative Nygren’s Web Page

‘The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.’; and Whereas, the Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and no more; and whereas, the scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and Whereas, today, in 2008, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government. … Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 2nd session of the 51st Oklahoma Legislature: that the State of Oklahoma hereby claims sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution of the United States. That this serve as Notice and Demand to the federal government, as our agent, to cease and desist, effective immediately, mandates that are beyond the scope of these constitutionally delegated powers.”

The U.S. Congress has got to learn that they are agents of the INDEPENDENT States and that the States are NOT agents of The Federal Government.  The Liberty Tree Lantern believes that such a bill would provide for a shield against unconstitutional legislation that is so prevalent amongst the tyrants in Congress.

For just one example of multitudes The Liberty Tree Lantern asks; Of what right and by what authority, under The Constitution of The United States of America, does “our” agent, our servant Federal Government have to tell the State of Alaska that they can not drill or explore for oil in their own state?  Alaska and it’s citizens want to explore for oil in ANWR in the most fervent way.   Alaska has been fighting to do so for years.  But yet both Houses of Congress has the audacity to deny Alaska its Constitutional rights as protected under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments.  Who the hell do these despots think they are? The Liberty Tree Lantern would advise Alaska to also draft a similar bill so that they too can declare and benefit from the freedom guaranteed in The Constitution, which especially in this case, will benefit all our fellow countrymen and our posterity, from sea to shining sea.

The Liberty Tree Lantern intends to keep its readership informed of future developments with regards to this highly important matter which just might also protect us when the “The Perfect Storm” has fully engulfed us.

See previous articles:

• http://captkarl.blogivists.com/2008/07/20/notice-and-demand-to-the-federal-government-open-letter-to-state-assemblyman-john-nygren/
• http://captkarl.blogivists.com/2008/07/24/second-request-to-assemblyman-john-nygren-for-state-sovereignty/