Conservatively Speaking

Mary, you are hearing your constituents clearly. I for one am tired of having my taxes go up year after year. If Doyle needs to shut down the government so be it. When I run out of money that is exactly what I do, I close [shutdown] my wallet.  Mary,  keep up the good work!!

As I understand it, the only effect of no new budget is that departments have to operate at existing spending levels.  Kind of like my personal budget when my yearly raise didn't come through. Well, boo hoo. Stand firm!

Um, it's not this amorphous 'government' that suffers when a new budget isn't passed and spending levels stay at previous levels - it's really all of us citizens that suffer.  Whether you realize it or not, most of your tax money goes to provide services that you receive.  There appears to be this mistaken impression among many voters, and I think the Republicans are all too happy to leave that impression in place, that there is some huge, bloated governmental bureaucracy that is sucking up tax money of citizens and giving nothing in return.  Or are we going back to the redistribution of wealth arguments from the Reagan administration, playing people against each other by saying that the rich should not have to pay more taxes in order to support programs and services for poor people?  Whatever the case, I think the real issues are getting lost in the debate and this whole budget debacle has been simplified into "Democrats - Love Taxes", "Republicans - Hate Taxes", and voters should support one of the two.  In a simplistic world like that, who do you think people that pay the taxes are going to support?  But, the reality is not that simple, people.

Also, while I'd like to think that Mary Lazich and her cohorts in Madison really give a darn about their constituents, I've worked with and for government at multiple levels to know the reality: they don't really care what you think.  So, I'll let you in on that little secret.  They listen to their party leadership, to donors that support their re-election campaigns, to polls (how many have you been a part of?), and to political consultants.  They don't give a crap what you think - sorry, but that's reality.

If they really don't care what I think, that is all the more reason for me not to give them any more of my money!!  The main reason why I am suffering is because I am being taxed too much. When I feel that the services I receive are suffering I will gladly tell my legislator to support raising taxes.  I know there is waste and bloat in our state government and like any other business that needs to balance expenses against revenues hard choices need to be made. Even if Mary doesn't care what I think, at least she votes the way that supports my positions.

Republicans like to take actions or let things unfold on their own and then run around putting out the fires. This idea of letting the budget ride for as long as possible is the perfect example of that philosophy. They lack long term planning skills. They have this belief that works something like this. If the sky isn't falling today than there is nothing to worry about today.

Yes, Republicans like to take action. Telling the Governor that we are sick of ever increasing taxes is a responsible action. Letting the budget ride is only a result of taking this stance. As for lacking long term planning skills, if I were to repeatedly spend more money than I take in I would eventually go out of business. So this is one of the basic long term planning skills for any business  or for any individual for that matter. Yes, I am worried today because we can't continue to spend like we are.

ZANDERDUDE said:

As for lacking long term planning skills, if I were to repeatedly spend more money than I take in I would eventually go out of business. So this is one of the basic long term planning skills for any business  or for any individual for that matter. Yes, I am worried today because we can't continue to spend like we are.

Zanderdude I totally agree with you. Republican's constantly spend more than they take in. The national debt of over 10 trillion dollars has been the work of Republican's  almost exclusively. All this Iraq spending has been borrowed too. Your point is perfect, if you keep spending more than you take in you eventually go out of business. The Republican's are driving us out of business. You can't give tax cuts when you don't cut spending. You shouldn't cut spending unless the program is not necessary. Republican's are guilty of all of these things and that's why they should be thrown out of office. They are living in fairytale land and selling us to the Chinese for some short-term happiness like cheap socks and underwear.

This thread is about the Governor's budget proposal.  Doyle [a Democrat] proposes to increase our taxes.  Mary Lazich [a Republican] is voting against this.  I support her actions.

If our Governor was a Republican and were to propose the same budget I would also be against it.  On the national level, both parties are guilty of excessive spending and those without a backbone to stand up for what is right should be voted out of office.

Everybody is always against tax increases, since the beginning of time. Unless you want government to sell products and services to raise revenues you must have taxes, or no government. Mary is always unrealistic about taxes, acting as if they should never rise. Inflation requires taxes to rise annually. If spending is out of control then identify the waste and eliminate it but this endless whining grew old 10 years ago.