While self-congratulating for an on-time budget is underway… most of us would be glad if they took their time on this one:

Maciver reports among almost 100 other things:

Local Property Tax Increase of $1.5 billion – State Government graciously agreed to increase the ceiling on your local governments’ ability to raise your property tax bill from 2% to 3%. On a median value home, it will result in a $90 increase in the first year and a $130 increase in the second year. How very considerate of them. Have you ever noticed that all levels of governments seem to work well together when they are trying to screw you, the taxpayer?

Rising Debt Levels – The State of Wisconsin will increase general obligation bonding by $3.3 billion and face a structural deficit of $2.3 billion heading into the next budget. Doesn’t the State of Wisconsin have a balanced budget requirement?

Specify that the current law requirement that revenues exceed expenditures in each fiscal year would not apply in 2010-11. There’s your answer. Even though state law requires the Legislature to pass a balanced budget, this provision conveniently allows them to ignore that requirement. Further proof that despite the spin and talking points, this budget is no where close to being fiscally balanced.

118 Amendments to the budget…

Track the amendments at the Assembly InSession Site

Watch Online @ WisEye

Here’s a run down got in my email today:

Budget Winners

WEAC, School Choice Opponents, Sex Offenders, Felons, Illegal Aliens, Mass Transit Socialists, Trial Attorneys, Unions, State General “Slush” Fund, Welfare Recipients, Same-sex Couples, Domestic Partners, Planned Parenthood

Budget Losers

Parents, Children, Elderly, Car Owners, Insurance Agents, Businesses, Consumers, Public Safety, Lawful Gun Owners, Legal Drivers, Local Law Enforcement, Wisconsin Taxpayers, Unborn Children, Phone Users, Property Taxpayers, School Choice Kids, Local Governments, Internet Users, People with Garbage, Utility Customers, People with Mutual Funds, Hospital Patients, Nursing Home Residents, Grocery Shoppers, Farmers, DNR customers, Boat Owners, People Planning for Retirement

Family Values

1. Creates a domestic partner registry for same-sex couples.
2. Takes away all conscience protections for pharmacists. A pharmacist who refuses to distribute contraceptives or abortion drug will be subject to a state-imposed fine of $250 – $2,500 and can be sued.
3. Expand the Medicaid Family Planning Waiver to men and boys (a program that give contraception to children behind parents backs) – program will allow for the distribution of condoms and other contraceptives to boys and men ages 15-44 and benefit planned parenthood.
4. Provides $5.4 million in funding to Planned Parenthood.  (The nations largest abortion provider)

Taxes and Fees

1. Delays tax deductions for: health insurance premiums, medical care insurance premiums and child care expenses.
2. DOUBLES the garbage tax (tipping fee) – making WI’s the HIGHEST in the nation.
3. Utility Tax Hike – Increases utility bills by $9.1 million annually to give to low-income assistance.
4. Raises boat registration fees by 15% and creates a NEW $15 non-resident boat sticker.
5. Delays tax deductions for health insurance premiums, medical care insurance premiums and child care expenses.
6. Reduces funding from county and municipal aids by $30 million.
7. Provides for an allowable 3% levy increase for local governments.
8. Cigarette tax increase by ANOTHER 75cent a pack
9. Repeals the QEO – which will sky rocket property taxes
10. Cell phone, landline and fax machine tax increase – 75 cent monthly fee on voice and non-voice communication services.
11. Raises the capital gains tax.
12. Oil franchise fee (GAS TAX) that will be passed on to consumers (businesses, working families) at the pump.
13. Increases the gun registration fee
14. Raids the transportation fund again by $139.7 million
15. Extends Vehicle title fee that was set to expire in 2009.

Policy

1. Joint and Several Liability – (payback for the trial attorneys) Reverses tort reform efforts by making a DEFENDANT liable for 100% of damages even if found to be only 20% responsible.
2. Prevailing Wage – Requires construction companies to pay union wages on jobs that get $1 million or more in government support – costs to be borne by municipalities, private employers and ultimately taxpayers
3. Creates new unions in various sectors that will drive up costs for everyone.
   1. Home healthcare workers
   2. UW professors and staff
   3. UW teaching assistants
4. RTAs (regional transit authorities) – Creates them in Milwaukee County and Dane County and allows those counties to increase sales tax to pay for them.  Creates them in Racine and Kenosha Counties and raises the rental car fee to cover the costs.
5. Increases over three years the mandatory level of auto insurance coverage, which will increase the cost of insurance by 33-43% ($300) annual on motor vehicle policies in WI. Makes minimum car insurance rates the highest and most expensive in the nation, with costs passed from employers to the workers and also borne by working families
6. Mandates heath insurance companies cover the cost of contraceptives.
7. Mandates heath insurance companies cover the cost of autism treatments.

Businesses

1. Raises several DNR fees such at the air permit fees
2. Raises income taxes on high-income individuals and small businesses (LLCs and S corps) that often file as individuals.
3. Removes tax deduction for domestic production.
4. Imposes new health care mandates that will cost employers and consumers more.

Health and Welfare

1. Domestic partner benefits – Require taxpayers to provide retirement and group health insurance benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees.  The JFC added that, “The Legislature finds that it is in the interests of the citizens of this state to establish and provide the parameters for a legal status of domestic partnership.”
2. Increases the new hospital tax an additional $204 million.  The state will take another $94 million from that increase.
3. Expands the hospital tax to include ambulatory surgical centers.
4. More than doubles the tax on nursing home residents who pay their own costs.  The tax is raised from $75 per month to $150 in 2010 and $170 per month in 2011 (Veterans’ homes exempted).
5. Unionization of home healthcare workers and mandates that an individual that wishes to received state benefits (from programs such as FamilyCare), one must hire a member of that union.
6. Expands Wisconsin Works benefits and returns WI to a welfare state.
   1. Ends the education requirement for kids in families receiving W2
   2. Eliminates existing work requirements for those receiving W2
   3. Extends benefits from 2 to 5 years.

Illegal Aliens

1. Creation of a “drivers card” for illegals – you don’t have to prove you are a citizen of the United States to obtain one.
   1. A provision also BANS police officers from acting on the “drivers card” alone as a means to pursue an investigation into legal status.
2. Gives INSTATE TUTION to Illegal Aliens
3. Prevents auto insurance companies from denying coverage to illegals solely based on their “driver card”.

Law Enforcement

1. Racial Profiling – Forces all police departments to collect racial data on everyone they pull over.
2. Primary Enforcement – Changes our law so that police officers can pull you over for not wearing a seat belt. (THIS IS A FEDERAL BRIB – In order for WI to receive federal money (not sure of the amount) WI must have this signed into law BY June 30^th, 2009.
3. Allows felons to have their prison sentences reduced by up to one-third, repealing “Truth in Sentencing”
4. Reduced monitoring of sex offenders
5. Slashes Dept of Justices’ budget by 10% – so….increased case load with less personnel

Farming/Agriculture

1. Ag-chem fund RAID (Fee that farmers pay) – Transfers $2.5 million from Ag-chem to the general fund.
2. Meat/Food Fee – Allows DATCP to set a fee on meat processing. – which will drive up the cost of meat in this state and help put farmers under.
3. Raises the WPDES fee on dairy farmers from $250 to $1200  – which will increase the cost of dairy products.
4. Creates a NEW $345 yearly fee on dairy farmers who need the WPDES permit. – again increasing the cost of dairy products.

WisPolitics has the exchange:

Currently, there’s a lively debate on joint and several liability language, which some are having trouble comprehending.

“Can you put it in layman’s terms?” Speaker Mike Sheridan asked.

“I’m a non-lawyer and I’ve dumbed it down as far as I can,” said an LFB staffer.

“We need a book ‘Legislating for Dummies,’” Schneider cracked.

JSOnline reports that the deficit is $100 million higher than reported. So its at $6.6 billion, and rising almost daily… so what do we do in a situation where income tax payments are falling because people don’t have jobs? (RecallDoyle? I don’t know if the movement will work, but I think the pressure is making the PeaceCorps look very appealing). Well, we can do what the people in Illinois are wanting to do, “call for legislators to raise MY taxes”.. (And people claimed the Tea Parties were astroturfed…)

Advocates Rally For Increased Revenue And Tax Fairness

Call for legislators to “Raise My Taxes”

Springfield – Thousands of parents and child care advocates will rally for a cause – to tell legislators that a combination of increased revenue and tax fairness is the way to ensure that Illinois’ working families will not bear an unfair and inhumane burden in the efforts to balance the state budget.

Ok – so how does this make sense? Parents want to avoid an inhumane burden, so they want the state to raise their taxes? Or is it that “underpaid” government workers and government-subsidized workers want more government spending and “someone” to pay more in taxes…

Here is the problem in figuring out how much money should be spent on government funded enterprises. How much should teachers be paid? Well, in theory, the free market determines the value of goods and services, but when the government gets involved you lose the free market determination. And so we cannot say if government employees are overpaid or underpaid…. how’s that for a thought?

RPW:

Democrats refuse to cut spending, placing burden on taxpayers

MADISON – Wisconsin faces the fourth highest budget deficit in the country as Governor Doyle and legislative Democrats continue to refuse to talk about ways to cut government spending.

“Democrats continue to lay the groundwork for massive tax increases and the use of one-time tricks to fill the budget hole,” said Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “The problem is the numbers don’t add up and Doyle and legislative leaders have been clear that a plan to cut government spending isn’t in the cards.”

According to new numbers out from the National Conference of State Legislatures, Wisconsin’s budget gap forecasted for 2010 is 17.2 percent. Only Arizona, New York and California have larger projected deficits.

After weeks of talk from Democrats on which taxes they want to raise, from the hospital sick tax, to the “oil franchise” gas tax, automobiles, sales and income taxes, Priebus said balancing the budget on the backs of the taxpayers is not the answer.

“Doyle should have worked with Republican leaders to cut spending last session,” said Priebus. “Instead, he passed the buck and now his Democrat colleagues don’t have any interest in making the tough decisions to cut spending.”

The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance has an analysis of the $5.4 billion state deficit:

– $2.76 billion in new spending requests
– tax collections $1.33 billion below projections
– unfunded commitments of $0.6-$1.3 billion