Why Wisconsin Is Going to Hell #7

[Chet]

This stinks!

The legislature wants to patch a short term budget crisis partially by selling state owned conservancy and firest lands. Talk about short sighted.

The town I work for sold most of its most valuable park lands in the 1980's in order to pay for annual operating expenses. After 3-4 years, the land was gone and taxes went up anyway. They've now spent the last 10 years buying and building new parks at a cost greater than anything they ever imagined.

 

[biscuit]

I can understand not buying new land until the budget is fixed but selling $40 mill of existing property seems very shortsighted.

 

[Planderella]

It's like the state is one big old whore.

 

[Repo Man]

It is terrible that they are using this as a short term budget fix. The problem is that they are afraid to make difficult choices by cutting useless crap from the budget. I hope that the Governer vetos at at least the selling off aspect of this. The republicans are going after the DNR because they are an easy target. A lot of people (especially outdoorsmen) do not like the DNR one bit and would probably support its total elimination.

 

[prudence]

I agree with jfortin...eliminate useless or unproductive social programs. State owned lands actually benefit me, but sending a 16-year old kid who has a child a check every month does not.

Image if you could dictate what programs your State and Federal taxes were applied towards...I think most social programs would fall by the wayside.

I will be the first to say WisDNR is a train-wreck department, but because of the bureaucracy and lack of accountability rather than some of its projects and tasks...

**prudence contemplates utopia**

 

[Repo Man]

My first cut would be state troopers , followed by cutting some of the DNR employees who have nothing to do but yell at people who don't put their tents on the GRAVEL pad but rather on soft grass. Then look at all the usless overlapping social service agencies that seem to do everything with their money but help the groups they profess to assist.

..I could go on and on and on about how our state wastes money, but it would bore all of you that don't reside in Wisconsin...and don't even get me started on the idiots running the City of Milwaukee.

 

[Greenescapist]

What a shame that they are balancing the budget this way. Granted, everything needs to be cut, but why does it always seem to be environmental and conservation interests that go first. Grrrr!

Can't they just raise the taxes on cigarettes and booze like all the other states?

Wisconsin is known for having a history of conservation heritage (Muir, Leopold, Nelson, etc), it's a shame to trample on it now - especially when that's the sad route the federal government is electing to take under Bush.

 

[Repo Man]

Can't they just raise the taxes on cigarettes and booze like all the other states?

If they added taxes on brandy and beer, they may have a revolt on their hands.

 

[Dan]

Image if you could dictate what programs your State and Federal taxes were applied towards...I think most social programs would fall by the wayside.

I would cut so many of the overlapping, ineffective spcial services that do little more than raise a warm, fuzzy feel-good feeling among the government that creates them.

However, I'd implement single payer universal health coverage.

 

[Jeff]

Would you let the "Health and Fitness Czar" stay in power in Philly....(the worlds "fattest" city) ??

 

[prudence]

Would you let the "Health and Fitness Czar" stay in power in Philly....(the worlds "fattest" city) ??

**In best Homer Simpson voice**

Take that, Milwaukee !!!

 

[Cardinal]

Yes, the Republicans in the state legislature want to cut funds for conservation and land acquisition. Yes, they want to sell off the state's forests to be logged and our recreation lands for the rich to build their vacation homes. Yes, they want drastic cuts in the funds the state sends to local governments, reducing municipal incomes by as much as half, while not allowing them to raise taxes to make up any of the gap. But let's give them credit for what they are doing -- protecting funds that go to road building projects. Anyone wonder why I now call myself a former Republican?