Falk Raised Taxes By Millions As County Exec

Posted on February 13, 2012 by brvanlanen

Politifact has rated that claim by Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch as true.

“In a national economic downturn, Wisconsin families cannot afford to have a leader with an addiction to taxing and spending,” Kleefisch wrote in an opinion piece published by Madison’s Capital Times on Feb. 3, 2012. “The failed policies Falk has consistently stood for throughout her career are exactly the same policies that led Wisconsin down an irresponsible path to a $3.6 billion budget deficit.”

Kleefisch went on to cite chapter and verse:

“As Dane County executive, Falk raised taxes by millions of dollars every year, most notably in 2010, when she increased taxes by 8 percent, the second highest increase across the entire state of Wisconsin.”

The op-ed piece contrasts these claims with Walker’s state budget, which Kleefisch says was balanced “without raising taxes on Wisconsin families.”

The proof behind this truth?

Asked to back up the claim about Falk, the Walker campaign — speaking for Kleefisch — pointed us to property tax figures compiled by Dane County and the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, a nonpartisan research group.

Falk’s approach as executive from 1997 to 2011 was to limit increases in the property tax levy to inflation with a factor built in for population growth. It was an effort to tie increases to service demand, said Scott McDonell, chairman of the Dane County Board, which largely approved of Falk’s approach.

Did Falk’s budget raise property taxes by 8 percent in 2010, “the second highest” in the state? Yes.

In 2010, Falk busted past her self-imposed levy limit of 1.19 percent for that year. She blamed lagging sales tax and other revenue due to the Great Recession, and said higher property taxes, a 3 percent wage cut negotiated with county unions and efficiency moves would preserve needed services.

Head to the source to see Politifact’s full assessment.

Foolish Absolute Liberal Kathleen (steveprestegard.com)
Falk You!!!!!! (silentespeaks.com)
Unions Looking For Puppet (brvanlanen.wordpress.com)

Unions Looking For Puppet

Posted on February 9, 2012 by brvanlanen

When it comes to the recall attempt of Governor Scott Walker, unions are looking for a candidate to be their puppet. And they appear to have found one.

Union leaders are asking Democratic candidates for governor to veto the next state budget if it doesn’t restore collective bargaining for public workers and one leading candidate – Kathleen Falk – has agreed, participants in the private meetings say.

The plan, which could lead to shortages or even layoffs in government if it doesn’t succeed, is a key strategy that union leaders are considering for undoing Gov. Scott Walker’s repeal last year of most collective bargaining for public employees. Falk, the former Dane County executive, has committed to restoring collective bargaining in the next state budget and vetoing the budget if those provisions come out, while at least three other candidates including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said they wouldn’t commit to any one strategy to accomplish that.

“The governor’s job is to veto budget items that don’t reflect citizens’ values. That’s why a million people signed recall petitions – because Scott Walker’s budgets didn’t reflect citizens’ values,” Falk spokesman Scot Ross said. “All the support she’ll receive is because she the best candidate to take on Gov. Walker’s divisive, extreme, national tea party agenda and bring Wisconsin back together.”

Unions helped launch the recall effort against Walker in November in response to Walker’s labor legislation, and the state teachers union on Wednesday endorsed Falk in that looming contest. All the potential Democratic challengers to Walker support restoring collective bargaining, but they don’t all agree on how to make that happen.

Smells like pay-to-play.

The union request and Falk’s commitment brought withering criticism from Republicans, who said the move would be bad for the state and wouldn’t succeed with the GOP-controlled Legislature.

“This backroom deal reeks of pay-to-play,” state Republican Party spokesman Ben Sparks said.

What’s amazing is that a candidate would publicly commit to such a request. It’s one that other Democrats said no to.

In an interview Wednesday, Barrett said that when he spoke with unions he told them that he would call a special session to seek the restoration of collective bargaining. If that didn’t work, Barrett said he would look at other means of accomplishing that goal but he stopped short of committing to veto the state budget over collective bargaining.

“My position has always been legislatively that I don’t rule anything out and I don’t rule anything in,” Barrett said.

…

“I said I could not make that promise and I did not think any serious candidate for governor could or should make that commitment,” Cullen said of a veto of the state budget. “It’s a $60 billion document.”

…

Vinehout said that she would seek to sell the state public on the importance of restoring collective bargaining rather than attempt to force it through the Legislature in a budget standoff.

“The answer to that was that was I would do my very best to avoid a situation where we have brinkmanship,” Vinehout said.

Unfortunately public sector unions like WEAC and WSEU don’t care what happens to Wisconsin as long as like spoiled children they get what they want.

Wisconsin teachers union endorses Falk (mysanantonio.com)
‘Barrett Saves Milwaukee’ (freedomeden.blogspot.com)
“Citizen Dave” Shows the 2006 Wound Never Healed (lakeshorelaments.com)

Stunning Successes of Governor Walker

Posted on January 25, 2012 by brvanlanen

Spot on.

Gov. Walker has been in the middle of one of the most controversial political events in our country with his fight against Unions. Despite fierce opposition from the Unions, he has created jobs, He passed a state budget with NO tax increases. Turned a $3 billion deficit into a $300 million surplus. One of my personal favorites, he instituted the first permanent property tax cap in his state’s history. He enacted sweeping business tax reforms that will save Wisconsin’s job creators over $130 million a year when fully implemented. I LOVE that he protected votes by requiring a picture I.D at the polls. He expanded school choice. He paid back the $200 million from Gov Doyle’s unconstitutional raid of the Patients Compensation Fund. He followed Texas by passing the Castle Doctrine that expands protections for homeowners and passed Concealed Carry.

As a result, unemployment is down and Wisconsin has added 40,000 jobs showing job growth more than twice the national rate.

The proof is in the pudding. This is what happens when states enact common sense conservative measures. Gov. Walker took on a tough opponent who threw everything they had at him. I really admire how he handled it, and how he came out on top.

This is the type of message conservatives across Wisconsin need to convey to battle the misinformation of the liberals and unions.

Scott Walker’s Accomplishments (freedomeden.blogspot.com)
Governor Walker has kept his promises (brvanlanen.wordpress.com)

Act 10 Success Diminishes Recall Effort

Posted on January 25, 2012 by brvanlanen

An accurate assessment of the recall picture.

As communities continue to provide Act 10 success stories, the efforts of recall organizers against Governor Walker become more difficult. And with tax bills arriving soon, the positive results for Wisconsin taxpayers will make those recall efforts even more ominous.

Governor Walker’s reforms have produced some stunning results, turning a budget around that was structurally unsound. School districts and communities throughout the state are in much better financial shape due to the moves undertaken by the Walker administration. The following results were tabulated by the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, based on responses from over 83% of all school districts:

New teacher hires outnumber layoffs by 1213 positions

75% of districts maintained or decreased class sizes for K-3

67% of districts maintained or decreased class sizes for 4-6

92% of districts kept or expanded sports programs

89% of districts kept or expanded technology support staff

85% or more kept or increased their guidance, social work, and psychology staff

90% of districts kept or expanded gifted and talented staff

96% of districts kept or expanded early childhood staff

96% of districts kept or expanded AP sections and courses

82% of districts kept or expanded vocational/technical programs

82% of districts kept or expanded art programs

84% of districts kept or expanded music programs

87% of districts kept or expanded foreign language programs

Even more telling though were the results from three districts from Southern Wisconsin that didn’t implement the reform tools.

The most telling results of the WASDA survey came from responses by the Milwaukee, Kenosha and Janesville districts. Those districts accounted for 68% of all teacher layoffs in the state, yet only represent 12.8% of Wisconsin students. These three districts did not adopt the reforms put in place by Governor Walker and Act 10, and were not able to utilize the tools offered to control costs.

So when you see the ads put out by recall organizers, liberal 3rd party groups and public sector unions keep in mind their “information” to support their claims comes from districts that didn’t utilize the tools offered via Act 10.

As pointed out, the whole picture isn’t presented:

If they were honest, they would discuss how 51% of districts reduced extracurricular programs in 2004 (according to WEAC), before Act 10 tools were available. Or the fact that over the past five years, the property tax levy has increased by an average of $181 million per year. Not so this year, as the K-12 school tax levy will actually decrease by $47 million.

Be sure to point out these successes when you encounter those pushing to recall Governor Scott Walker. In any discussion about the direction of Wisconsin point out not only how Act 10 has been a success, point out as well the results being seen where the tools offered weren’t implemented.