February
2010
Barrett’s New Website Offers Promise, Optimism
Mayor Tom Barrettt has just launched his new campaign website and it shows promise that it will offer much more than the sound bites that his opponents are offering.
This promises to be a difficult race where Barrett’s biggest challenge is to respond to the simple republican slogan “cut taxes”. Barrett has shown amazing fiscal responsibility while serving as Mayor of Milwaukee and has even managed to fully fund the city’s pension fund while other governments have borrowed heavily to run day-to-day expenses. While states like California have found themselves mortgaged to the hilt due to their excessive borrowing. Barrett makes it clear in his video that he believes in the pay-as-you-go method that families across Wisconsin have to live by.
Simply pulling out the credit card every time there is a bill shouldn’t be an option and under Barrett, the City of Milwaukee has remained financially strong without massive increases in taxes.
The show The West Wing put the fictional President Jed Bartlett in the same position that Mayor Barrett is in now. Bartlett was faced with complex issues but an opponent who offered little more than a simple two word slogan to answer everything. In a debate, Bartlett faced an opponent who had the same “cut taxes” rhetoric that Barrett’s opponents have but Bartlett responded by asking another two word answer — what’s next?
What’s next.
Boiling down the running of an entire level of government to a trite “cut taxes” slogan needs to answered by Barrett in much the same way that Bartlett answered. “What’s next”?
Should Barrett end up running against Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker if Walker wins the nomination, he will be well positioned to ask that question. Why? Because Walker has already shown what’s next by his actions. By borrowing money to operate the Milwaukee County, County Executive Walker has greatly increased the County’s debt load while the county pension debt has grown since Walker has taken over. Unlike Barrett who also faced mounting problems with pension investments adversely affected by the stock market, Walker has chosen the path of Nero — fiddling as Rome burned.
Should Barrett win, he will leave a City that is financially solvent and move into a job where he will face many challenges. But, unlike his opponent, Barrett will be entering office with a proven track record of success and a legacy of fiscal responsibility.
Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan
Scott Walker is subjecting county workers to 22 furlough days in 2010, resulting in up to $5,000.00 reduction in wages per workers and subsequently laying them off. He is replacing the laid off workers with contractors who don’t live in Milwaukee County and who work for companies from outside of Wisconsin resulting in a reduction to our tax base and destroying the lives of people who are committed to living and working in Milwaukee.
After this brilliant plan of his, we will still have a budget deficit of 10 million from the original 23 million projected for 2010. All this while violating labor contracts and not bargaining in good faith, diminishing county services and the quality of life in Milwaukee County. He is sending money out of the state to companies with no sense of ownership to Milwaukee County.
His message to county workers:
Go home and tell your wife/husband and kids that you got laid off and replaced by someone who works for a company outside of Wisconsin.
Notify the bank that you can’t make your house payment (or landlord).
Stop contributing to Milwaukee county’s tax base.
File for bankruptcy
File for unemployment and then W2 assistance
Moved to Madison and hope that you are one of the lucky 250,000 persons who will get a job from Governor Scott walker’s job creation program —Scott Walker as a demagogue
OR
Raise the tax levy for property taxes resulting in a $60.00 increase per household a year based on a $200,000 home, no layoffs, restored services, a balance budget and hopefully when the economy turns around, a surplus and tax rebate to the tax payers —Scott Walker as a problem solver
Some tips for home owners in Milwaukee County to come up with the $60.00 to balance the 2010 or 2011 budget.
Give up Starbucks for 10 days.
Cut back to a carton of cigarettes for a week (prevents emphysema when older, no oxygen tank, reduce health care costs for everyone else)
Stay home for one night instead of drinking out.
Stay home and have a family home cooked dinner (1 night only).
Stop contributing to Scott Walker’s campaign fund
Stop paying your Citizen for Responsible Government membership
Save your gas money wasted on attending the CRG meetings
Come on Jim, you’re kidding me right?
“Unlike Barrett who also faced mounting problems with pension investments adversely affected by the stock market, Walker has chosen the path of Nero — fiddling as Rome burned.”
You’re comparing what Walker inherited, thanks to a corrupt Board of Supervisors, to the ebb and flow of the stock market where the city invests its pension plan? That’s like comparing apples and bean-bag chairs. Barrett did not inherit a pension and budget situation that was brought on by people who were corrupt and removed from office.
And to say that Barrett has Milwaukee “financially strong” without massive tax increases is laughable. So tax increases of almost any size are fine with you, just not “massive.” Wow, I wish I had your income where I could say things like that.
Ah yes, just keep raising taxes to fund everything. Brilliant! How dare Walker try and save the county money instead of throwing his hands in the air and saddling the tax-paying public with even more taxes on top of fees raised by the city, state, etc.
Instead of telling private citizens how they should live and go about their daily lives, why don’t you voluntarily give the county more of your money since you feel that you’re being taxed so little?
As I have always said, liberals are best at spending other people’s money…and your post illustrates that perfectly.