Waterford Taxpayers Association: February 2009

Friday, February 20, 2009

An Email from Rep. Robin Vos

Ten Dollars in Tax Increases For Every One Dollar in Spending Cuts

This week the Senate and Assembly approved Governor Doyle's Budget Bailout Bill to fix a $500 million deficit in the current year's budget. The bill didn't come close to closing this year's deficit - still leaving a $416 million hole going into the upcoming fiscal year. However, it did manage to raise taxes by $1.2 billion. In fact, this "budget repair" bill was so irresponsible, that it contained $10 in tax increases for every $1 in spending cuts.

On Tuesday, Governor Doyle also introduced his biennial budget bill in which he plans to address a $5.9 billion budget deficit over the next two years. Between the two proposals, there are more than $2 billion in tax hikes. The bills tax everything from music downloads, to small businesses, to gas, just to name a very few.

I am very disappointed in Governor Doyle's state budget proposal. When we are facing the worst economic situation in a generation, it's terribly reckless to increase taxes on Wisconsin's families and small businesses.

I am in the process of reading the bill right now. It is 1800 pages and will take some time to get through. When I do, I will give you a full update as to what is in the bill.

Wisconsin Shares Audit Approved After Vos Makes Request

Most of us have been following the Watchdog Reports in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel chronicling the fraud taking place in the Wisconsin Shares child care program. Reporter Raquel Rutledge identified $750,000 in overt fraud. She also identified more than $13 million in overpayments to child care providers. Whether the overpayments occurred because of fraud or bad recordkeeping is unknown.

My interest in the Wisconsin Shares program began during the last budget. I was informed that this fraud was occurring - though I had no idea it was this occurring at such a massive scale - and I set out to do something about it.

Ultimately, I was successful in writing a fraud provision that did make it into the budget and is now part of state statute. It creates an incentive for counties to look for fraud and allows them to keep a percentage of whatever they are able to recover.

However, based on this Journal Sentinel report, it is clear that this problem is so much larger than we knew and will require major reforms to stop this level of taxpayer fraud. Therefore, I recently made a request of the Legislative Audit Committee that they convene and recommend that the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau conduct a full scale audit of the program in order to find major problem areas where we can make legislative changes that ensure this never occurs again.

Fortunately, the committee met today and did approve this audit. I look forward to reading the results of the Audit Bureau's findings and working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stop this horrible misuse of taxpayer funds.

State Representative Robin Vos
State Capitol - Room 321 East - Post Office Box 8953 - Madison, Wisconsin 53708
Phone: (608) 266-9171 - Toll Free: (888) 534-0063 - Fax (608) 282-3663
Email: Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov
On the Internet: Representative Vos' Web Site

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Remember the Spring primary election next is Tuesday Feb 17'th.

Remember the Spring primary election next is Tuesday Feb 17'th.

Education Author and WTMJ Talk Show Host Charlie Sykes on Rose Fernandez Wednesday, February 11, 2009:

"I think there is actually a really good candidate in this race: Rose Fernandez."

"Here is somebody who not only has been an involved parent; she's actually taken on the bureaucracy. Rose Fernandez is exactly the kind of person we need. She doesn't represent the teachers' union; she's willing to take on the teachers' union. She's not part of the establishment; she's willing to challenge the establishment. She is not an educational bureaucrat. She thinks that the system should work for students, what a radical concept. Rose Fernandez is the only one in this race who thinks the schools ought to be about the kids. Not about the unions, not about bureaucracy…"

He later called Rose Fernandez "probably one of the most interesting candidates to emerge in a statewide race in a very, very, very long time."

His comments begin about two thirds of the way through this podcast:
www.620wtmj.com/podcasts/charliesykes/39443567.html?video=pop&t=a