Kudos to the Waterford Graded School District and other local districts...

The Waterford Graded School district and other western Racine County school districts appear to be looking at sharing resources, staff, etc. as a cost savings measure.

Click here for the article....

Economic Development Ideas Continued
In previous weeks, I've mentioned I have an economic development plan that I've introduced to the Legislature. I recently wrote about my $1000 jobs deduction plan. Another idea I circulated to the Legislature last week is an economic development superfund known as the Governor's Opportunity Fund to provide incentives to companies to relocate or expand in Wisconsin.
It's no secret that Wisconsin has a high unemployment rate and has lost well over 100,000 jobs in the last year. The Wisconsin Taxpayer Alliance reported that Wisconsin has lost 4.3% (6700) businesses between 2006 and 2009. That's a higher percentage than the U.S., as a whole, and any surrounding state, including Michigan.
To stop this huge loss of businesses and jobs, Wisconsin needs a bold plan. By creating a well-funded economic development incentive tool, Wisconsin will be able to rapidly respond and recruit prospective businesses to help replace the jobs and businesses we've lost because of years of anti-business policies.
While the Department of Commerce has long claimed that they have the ability to recruit businesses quickly, it became evident via a legislative audit that most incentive funds at the Department are either too specific or too mired in bureaucratic red tap to be useful. Further, the programs are underfunded.
The Wisconsin Development Fund (WDF), currently funded at $10 million annually, is one such underfunded economic incentive fund housed at the Department of Commerce. Additionally, it's often used as a slush fund to earmark money to specific projects. Just this week the Joint Finance Committee approved another new program to earmark even more money from the WDF for business loans for energy efficiency - further impinging on the flexibility of the fund to direct money for a very specific purpose that will not enhance economic development as a whole.
My proposal would allow for a fresh start with a new approach through a fund that won't be paralyzed by the bureaucracy. The Governor's Opportunity Fund will allow the governor to award grants and loans to businesses based on their job creation numbers and private investment commitments. The fund will also set aside a portion of awards for areas with higher than average unemployment and also for rural communities.
The fund will be a segregated account that I hope will someday exceed $100 million. While I understand that amount may seem implausible, especially in these tough economic times, I do have one idea that could provide existing funding through rooting out waste, fraud, abuse in government programs....but more about that next week.
I truly believe that economic development should be our number one priority. But right now, it's clearly not for the party in charge. I'm sure when the Legislature debates my proposal Democrats will ask how government could possibly be asked to find that kind of money for economic development. But compared to the big government social programs they've chosen to fund this year, any amount allocated to the Governor's Opportunity Fund will pale in comparison to what they've spent.
And, what's more, if we had better economic development tools in Wisconsin, we probably wouldn't need to spend so much on our social programs. Because there's no better social program than a good paying job.

In Typical Moronic Form, Democratic Congressman Thinks Guam Might Tip Over If We Add Troops There!!!

Doyle and the Democrats throwing more of our good money away on choo choo's...

Here's a link to a DOT survey about state involvement in expanding rail service in Wisconsin.

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/state/railplan.htm

Sounds like they have some grandiose plans for our tax money. Survey response deadline is April 5.

Waterford Graded School Board Election is April 6, 2010

Click on HERE to read about all three candidates for two open spots on the WGSD Board!

Americans Following Obama

Judge Andrew Napolitano On Government Run Healthcare

Bad Ideas Abound in Madison

In this Week's Update:
Bad Ideas Abound in Madison
Rep. Vos to Appear on Up Front with Mike Gousha Sunday

This week was a vivid reminder of just how many bad ideas there are floating around Madison. On Thursday, the Assembly Transportation Committee heard a variety of transit bills, including the one to create a Southeast Regional Transit Authority (SERTA) that would be the governing body of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail line.
The bill proposes raising the sales tax, instituting room taxes, car rental taxes or wheel taxes (or a combination of all of them) to fund the train. However, it has taken the Democrats in both houses more than a year to come up with any sort of draft that might be palatable to all interests, and now it looks as though they still can't find agreement. The Racine Post recently posted an insider account of the inner-party strife occurring over this bill. Basically, some Democrats are afraid to vote for tax increases while others, including Governor Doyle, are hell-bent to get a shiny new train regardless of the cost.

However, they would all be wise to take heed of a new survey released today that shows that a majority of the people in southeastern Wisconsin are adamantly opposed to paying higher taxes for transit, even if it results in a direct reduction from the property tax.

This survey only proves what I've been hearing from my constituents for years. I'm hopeful that the people who continue to cry that commuter rail is necessary because it creates jobs will finally put their arguments to rest and realize that they can't pull the wool over the eyes of the general public who know this is nothing but a taxpayer-funded, unsustainable boondoggle.

Another reminder of bad ideas run amok were the 19 committee hearings held this week that heard a myriad of bills - almost none of which addressed job creation. This despite the report released yesterday by the Department of Labor showing only 6 states have experienced greater job loss than Wisconsin and that we're one of only a dozen states that have fewer people working today than at any time in the 1990s. The Department of Labor also reports Wisconsin has lost 71,700 jobs between December 2009 and January 2010.
Finally, I was reminded of a very old bad idea when a Democratic senator admitted this week that she was wrong in voting for a budget that hiked car insurance rates by as much as 33% in some cases. Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) introduced a bill to repeal those insurance increases and Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) joined her in her fight by coauthoring the legislation.

Even though more comprehensive repeals had previously been proposed by Republicans and not supported by Sen. Vinehout, I'm happy she came to her senses and to the side of her constituents, who I'm sure were vocal in their opposition to these increases. But I fear the special interests and trial lawyers who benefit from these insurance rate hikes will be too powerful for any of the Democrats to help Sen. Vinehout in her attempt to repeal these provisions. My prediction is the bill never makes it out of committee and we continue to suffer the consequences by paying much higher auto insurance premiums.
Thankfully the legislative session is almost over. Once it is, legislative business will be halted and so will all the bad ideas that are currently floating around this building - at least for a few months. But it's my ultimate hope that the results of the next election will halt the bad idea machine for a long, long time to come.

Rep. Vos to Appear on Up Front with Mike Gousha

Tune into WISN Sunday at 9am to watch Up Front with Mike Gousha. The topic is the high speed rail no-bid contract executed by Governor Doyle for a $48 million train set from Spanish company Talgo. No other company was allowed to submit a bid for the job, and it's possible the deal could have resulted in a net loss of jobs to the state because Super Steel of Milwaukee was not awarded a subcontract. They announced last week they are in receivership. I will appear opposite Department of Transportation chief counsel, Bob Jambois.

This week, I joined my Republican colleagues on the Joint Finance Committee in submitting a request to the Committee's co-chairs for an informational hearing on the deal.

WGSD Community Meeting...anticipated budget shortfall 2010/2011 school year

The Waterford Graded School District is having a community meeting to discuss the anticipated budget shortfall for 2010/2011 school year due to state equalization aid cuts to public schools throughout the state.

This will be an opportunity for the community to review the list of proposals that the school administration has provided the board. The community will have the opportunity to provide feedback to the administration/school board at this meeting.

According the the Waterford Post article back in January they expect a lot of school parents to attend the meeting and voice their concern against any reductions in programs/staff. (I am not sure what source the POST used for this article or if this was their opinion?)

The meeting will be held on February 3, 2010 at 6:30 PM in the Evergreen School Cafeteria.

Please do what you can to attend! We need to have our voices heard too!

Another Very Clear Message!!!

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY...
52% SCOTT BROWN (R) 1,153,808
47% MARTHA COAKLEY (D)D: 1,052,391

The "people" are sick and tired of the tax and spend mentality in all levels of government!

Let me see if I have this right.....

IF YOU CROSS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YEARS HARD LABOR.

IF YOU CROSS THE IRANIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU ARE DETAINED INDEFINITELY.

IF YOU CROSS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY, YOU GET SHOT.

IF YOU CROSS THE SAUDI ARABIAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE JAILED.

IF YOU CROSS THE CHINESE BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU MAY NEVER BE HEARD FROM AGAIN.

IF YOU CROSS THE VENEZUELAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE BRANDED A SPY AND
YOUR FATE WILL BE SEALED.

IF YOU CROSS THE CUBAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU WILL BE THROWN INTO POLITICAL
PRISON TO ROT.

IF YOU CROSS THE U.S. BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET

· A JOB,

· A DRIVERS LICENSE,

· SOCIAL SECURITY CARD,

· WELFARE,

· FOOD STAMPS,

· CREDIT CARDS,

· SUBSIDIZED RENT OR A LOAN TO BUY A HOUSE,

· FREE EDUCATION,

· FREE HEALTH CARE,

· A LOBBYIST IN WASHINGTON

· BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR LANGUAGE

· THE RIGHT TO CARRY YOUR COUNTRY’S FLAG WHILE YOU PROTEST THAT YOU DON’T
GET ENOUGH RESPECT

· AND, IN MANY INSTANCES, YOU CAN VOTE.



I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I HAD A FIRM GRASP ON THE SITUATION…

Joe The Plumber Coming To Caledonia Saturday

Joseph Wurzelbacher is the guest speaker at the Racine TEA (Taxed Enough Already) party's "Bonfire Tea Party" scheduled for 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Caledonia.

Should you decide to go:

WHAT: "Bonfire Tea Party" featuring Joe the Plumber

WHERE: 4505 Highway H, Caledonia

WHEN: 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday,

WHO: The event includes a bonfire, where they will throw the Senate's health care bill into the fire. Also in attendance will be: Vicki McKenna, Milwaukee radio host; Dr. Tracey Purath, a doctor who worked under socialized medicine in Ireland; state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia; and Tim Dake, founder of the Wisconsin Grandsons of Liberty.

Taking Back America

Global Warming....The Greatest FRAUD of our lifetime!!

Emails from leading "experts" on climate change show they are full of lies and are hiding the truth, i.e. man made global warming is the GREATEST FRAUD of our lifetime!!!

Click Here for the article from the Wall Street Journal!!!