Lower taxes--Reagan, Kennedy Raise taxes--Hoover, Carter? 

Lower corporate taxes--Ireland, Raise corporate taxes, Europe?

Drill domestically, oil shale, offshore--Iraq, Saudie Arabia, REfuse to drill--United States high oil prices

Nuclear power--France

Health Care--procedures that are not covered by insurance have gone down in price. Competition and free market encourage affordability. Government provided healthcare: Canada, UK--Wait for necessary treatment, limited options, long lines.

All over the nation yesterday, average people gathered to peacefully protest taxation without representation at the local, state, and federal level! By all accounts, it seems the Tea Parties were a great success.

Now the challenge is to keep the momentum going. People tend to have very short memories and if the economy improves by 2010, they are likely to be even shorter. A website, AfterTheTeaParty.com has been set up to keep the momentum going by encouraging running for office, learning about how government works and becoming active instead of passive.

I was at the Red Arrow Park location in Downtown Milwaukee. JSOnline has a video clip of both the Federal Building and Red Arrow Milwaukee groups and an article on the Madison and Milwaukee rallies. About 100 people attended the Red Arrow rally. I think it is important to note that these Tea Party protests are not just about President Obama. Taxpayers are fed up with out of control spending regardless of which party or segment of government is responsible: (Photo is of Journal reporter interviewing an attendee.)

"They're all guilty, not just one person or party," said Jim Schmitz of Milwaukee, a retired salesman.

"Instead of raising taxes, maybe we should be tightening our belts," he [O.J. Merrell] said.

Some in the crowd were critical of Obama, but others said government spending also was out of control during the previous administration. Many said the overall burden would boost inflation and burden their children with taxes for decades.

I watched the In Focus report on the Madison rally last night. Click here to watch the video. Congressman Paul Ryan was fired up! I think everyone there agreed with him that, "America is an exceptional nation...We want to keep it that way."

Julaine  Appling, of Wisconsin Family Action, told Gov. Doyle to "Back off!" His and the Wisconsin legislature's tax policy makes it more difficult for Wisconsin families:

It is absolutely true that when Wisconsin’s families are strong, Wisconsin is strong. When our families are weak, Wisconsin is weak. So, back off –back off on your incredibly bad plans to increase taxes, fees and regulations that will make it harder for our families. Harder for our families to make a reasonable living

Superior's Mayor Doug Ross spoke briefly asking, How much of our money do you want, Doyle? All of it! He is a prime example of what AfterTheTeaParty hopes will be a result of the Tea Party day: greater citizen involvement in government. He ran for mayor of Superior as a result of a proposed tax increase some years ago. When he called city hall to complain, they told him more or less, if you don't like the tax increase, why don't you run for mayor. He did! I spoke to Doug Ross at the Americans for Prosperity American Dream summit in March. He is contemplating a run for Lt. Governor. We need more people like Doug Ross.

A young homeschooled lady, Melika Willoughby, spoke passionately about the need to stop the reckless spending and to stop spending her future. (She made this homeschool mom proud of the homeschool movement.)

Here is a bit of trivia about Madison's Tea Party: There were a few brave souls who WALKED 80 miles to Madison from Fond du Lac. The trip took them 4 days. Unlike President Obama's Inauguration, the Madison crowd left the Capitol in an orderly fashion. No heaps of garbage left behind. 

Some media coverage assumed that these rallies were organized by the Republican party. Nope. They were truly grassroots, not fake grassroots as Nancy Pelosi accused. She claimed our efforts were "Astroturf", not grassroots, a campaign by "some of the wealthiest people in America." Look at the photos, do these people look like the wealthiest in Milwaukee? Couldn't be, I was there ;-)

For one, the signs were obviously homemade! 

The people in attendance were a cross section of taxpayers--young, old, rich, average, fiscally challenged, professionals, retirees, grandmothers, housewives, etc.--Americans. Nary a Right Wing extremist terrorist in the group. (We'll have to save that Homeland Security accusation for another post.)

Catch the following photos and commentary from our state and nation.

My Milwaukee Red Arrow Park Tea Party photos

Milwaukee Red Arrow Park Tea Party photos 

Heritage Foundation: Morning Bell: Big Government Backlash Brewing  (Includes great links to other Tea Parites)

Massive: Tax Day Tea Party USA, photos from Tea Parties all around the country.

From Representative Rich Zipperer:

In order to turn back the tide of taxes threatening the prosperity of our state, however, we will need to convince some on the other side to vote against the Governor's plan, either during the Finance Committee process or in the full Assembly or Senate. Even in the legislative minority, we can make a difference in the legislative process, as can the folks who journeyed to Madison today and everyone back in Waukesha County unable to attend the rally. Pick up the phone or write an email. Call the Governor. Call the Democratic leadership. Call your family in other parts of the state and tell them to contact their representatives to make sure they too will stand against the tax increases.

Important Phone Numbers
Governor Doyle: 608 266-1212
Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan: 608 266-3387
Senate Leader Russ Decker: 608 266-2502
Find Your Representative and Senator Here
Members of the Joint Committee on Finance

Links: 

I just got my first report on the Madison Tea Party from a Brookfield lady I have known for years. She said it was phenomenal: Great speakers, lots of energy, fantastic!

She mentioned that a young man was videotaping and there would be coverage on WVCY TV 30 tonight. Oh, that must have been Randy Melchert, I said. I checked his blog and sure enough, there will be video on In Focus at 7pm tonight and replay at noon on Thursday.

So if you couldn't attend Madison's rally today, you can at least catch some of it tonight. 

Links: 

UPDATE: See bottom of post for Milwaukee's Tea Party location.

I received a comment request to post a link from Nobailoutsforgrasshoppers.com today. It came from a couple in Connecticut who have a blog and business making mugs, bumper stickers etc. (Cute stuff) They liked my Ant and the Grasshopper & Tea Parties post. Here is their latest: It's Time For Tea.

After a few emails back and forth I found the wife of the husband/wife team was attending a tea party tomorrow in New Haven, Connecticut. She was impressed that our Madison Tea Party was anticipating a huge crowd. She reported that their organizer would be on Fox News tonight. It is estimated there are between 1,500 and 2,015 Tea Parties scheduled for April 15th. These Tea Parties are catching on!

If you are going to our Madison rally, take your camera. If you take some pictures, send them to me and I will try to post them. Any interesting comments would be welcome as well. I doubt that we will get much in the way of news coverage on the rally. Americans for Prosperity has photos from Tea Parties that have already taken place at Taxpayer Tea Party.

In case you haven't made up your mind yet about attending a Tea Party, here is the info for the Madison's. You DO NOT need to register to attend if you are going on your own. There is a parking lot and free shuttle, courtesy of the Republicans.

Fight Back Wisconsin! Remember, The Wisconsin Tea Party Tax Rally is April 15th, 11:30 am on the steps of the Capitol on the King Street side, in Madison. You do NOT need to register to attend. There is a shuttle service if you are driving, or you can opt to take a bus, which you MUST register for, check the locations then click here for Bus Registration

If Madison's Tea Party seems a bit too much, there is a local man who is organizing a Downtown Milwaukee Tea Party, but please note it is NOT at the Federal Building as noted on Fairly Conservative, but at RED ARROW PARK at 920 N. Water Street at noon. I believe this change was made because the Red Arrow location was given on the Official Tax Day TEA Party site (Click the push pin to the right next to Milwaukee on page 30.)  Milwaukee is certainly is more manageable than Madison. Click the Downtown Milwaukee link for a lot of good protest sign ideas.

UPDATE: There was a bit of confusion this morning regarding Milwaukee's Tea Party location. Jay Weber announced it was at the Federal Building, but later corrected and stated it was at RED ARROW. It is at RED ARROW PARK and Johnathan will be there with his signs.

Don't forget to tell the Joint Finance Committee what you think of Doyle's budget.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, BetterBrookfield, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Randy Melchert, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

If you have been following Governor Doyle's proposed budget at all, you know that it is filled with tax increases, unwanted new government programs, new fees, and a whole host of other overreaching legislation.

According to a JSOnline article, all of these spending measures will result in a $91 dollar or 3.2% property tax increase on the median home in Wisconsin. Since the median home assessment in the state is around $167,000, that means most of Brookfield will see tax increases greater than $91.

Republican legislators called the property tax increases irresponsible, saying they would pinch homeowners struggling to pay bills and keep their jobs while their homes lose value.

"People shouldn't have to worry over whether they can afford to live in their own homes," said Republican Sen. Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau. "Governor Doyle's budget makes it more difficult for families to afford to live in Wisconsin."

I attended the public hearing on Doyle's budget on March 25th. It was very crowded! People were lining up to address the budget committee. (At the rate they were going, they would be lucky to be finished by 9pm!) I found one familiar face though, fellow conservative blogger Randy Melchert was there video taping.

I struck up a conversation with a group of people who were independent gas station owners. They were wearing red T-shirts that said, WE ARE NOT BIG OIL. The new 3% tax would not stick it to the BIG OIL men as Gov. Doyle suggests, but harm the little guys like these--the independent gas station and convenience store owners.

They explained that the Governor's proposed 3% oil profits tax would be detrimental to station owners near the state borders because Wisconsin gas would need to be 3% higher in cost than at the neighboring out of state station. Unlike the similar tax proposed last year, this one was NOT to be passed onto the customer. If that was true, they said there was not enough profit margin to absorb a 3% cost increase for them. They would be forced out of business. According to Rep. Petersen's The Inside Scoop:

Regardless of your opinion about oil companies and profits, one must realize they sell and compete on a worldwide market. If the state charges a tax which is forbidden from being passed on to consumers, what is an oil company’s incentive to do business in Wisconsin?

The fee will only serve to discourage the wholesale distribution of fuel into the state. When supplies are short, Wisconsin will be last on a distributor’s list when surrounding states do not impose an “Oil Franchise Tax.” Due to the law of supply and demand, prices will definitely increase as the supply decreases.

By the way, our transportation fund wouldn't need shoring up if Doyle didn't keep raiding it to plug unrelated holes in the budget in the past...

Since he [Doyle] was first elected six years ago, Governor Doyle has raided more than $1.1 billion of the money you’ve paid in gas taxes and Department of Motor Vehicle fees to spend on programs other than roads. In this budget he pledges to raid another $77.5 million. 

...and the future:

Governor Doyle balanced his budget in part with $271 million in revenue generated from the [his] "oil profits" tax on big oil.

The  Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association group, or WPMCA have been running radio ads and sending out postcards urging residents to call their legislators at 1-800-632-9472. Their postcard features this stereotypical oil man and states: "They say Big Oil will pay, but experts agree Wisconsin families will get stuck with the bill."

On another front, Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke Jr. spoke at the public hearing urging the Joint Finance Committee to "Remove the early release provision" for prisoners. He says Doyle is not taking into consideration the recidivist factor. He also wanted to dispel the myth of the non-violent offender, saying these people who are locked up for drug offenses are mostly drug dealers from major street gangs. "It might save $24 million," but it doesn't take in consideration the expense to local communities and the 90% re-offending rate. 

But Gov. Doyle isn't concerned about local community expense or what effect a tax or a raiding of funds will have down the road; all he wants to do is prop up his budget and extravagant spending now. Stealing from funds and shifting expense to others are just 2 of his methods of funding his plans.

This one is of concern to me, possibly because I am now more familiar with the needs of the elderly and infirmed. It's the mandatory unionization of home care workers. State Senator Michael Ellis spoke about this fact on Mark Belling's show in February. He also wrote about it in a press release, The Wheel Report: (My emphasis)

A little-known provision in Governor Doyle’s proposed budget would make the state a union organizer for personal care workers and would require most people who hire personal care workers to hire only those in the union, a requirement that will certainly increase health care costs...

“This provision is shocking in its scope,” Ellis said. “The state is becoming a coercive union organizer....

“The state is requiring all home care providers to become members of the union or they won’t get hired, because the state is requiring all people who hire home care workers to hire only those workers who are on the registry and members of the union.

This law will affect any person hiring a home care worker. It is rather like Doyle saying all baby sitters must be unionized. Certainly it will impact senior citizens or anyone who depends on home care workers to help a loved one stay in their home longer. It also negatively impacts the service provider company--many of which are just mom and pop type businesses. With unionization, firing an inferior worker becomes much more difficult.

How about Gov. Doyle's backdooring gay marriage by providing Domestic Partner benefits despite 59% of the voters in our state voting to ban gay marriage in 2006?

Same-sex couples could form domestic partnerships and receive dozens of the same legal benefits as married people under a proposal by Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle.

So Doyle's budget sticks its nose into the Domestic Partner issue but does nothing to prohibit using the state funded Madison Surgery Center to perform 2nd trimester abortions. His motives are pretty clear.

Rep. Vukmir informed me, "The first executive (voting) session for JFC is on the 16th and only a small part of the budget will be considered." So at the very least, contact the Democrat co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee with your concerns: Senator Mark Miller and Representative Mark Pocan

Here are the email addresses of all the Joint Finance Committee members if you wish to send a group email (The last 4 addresses are Republican members of the committee): Rep.Pocan@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Miller@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Hansen@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Lassa@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Lehman@legis.wisconsin.gov, Sen.Robson@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Sen.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov, Rep.Colon@legis.wisconsin.gov, Rep.Grigsby@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Mason@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Sherman@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Shilling@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Sen.Olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov,  Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov, Rep.Montgomery@legis.wisconsin.gov

If you wish to call the Joint Finance Committee members, they can be found on Leah Vukmir's State Budget Hearing page.

Please register your comments with your representatives in Madison too. Both of Brookfield's Assembly Representatives Leah Vukmir and Rich Zipperer and Senator Ted Kanavas are against Doyle's tax increases.

(R) Rep. Leah Vukmir 414-759-1100, Leah@LeahVukmir.com

(R) Rep. Rich Zipperer's Boondoggle Alert page  262-264-0655, rich@richzipperer.com

(R) Senator Ted Kanavas  (608) 266-9174, (800) 863-8883, email:Sen.Kanavas@legis.wisconsin.gov

(D) Senator Jim Sullivan   (608) 266-2512, (866) 817-6061, email: Sen.Sullivan@legis.wisconsin.gov

There are of course many, many more spending measures that are just a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. "High Speed Rail" to Madison's airport anyone? Raising sin taxes again? Hospital Bed/nursing home tax? Just take a look at his plan: 2009-2011 Executive Budget  These and many of the other tax increases will be discussed by the legislature in the upcoming weeks, but since Republicans are in the minority in both houses, don't expect much cutting.

Fight Back Wisconsin! Remember, The Wisconsin Tea Party Tax Rally is April 15th, 11:30 am on the steps of the Capitol on the King Street side, in Madison. You do NOT need to register to attend. There is a shuttle service if you are driving, or you can opt to take a bus, which you MUST register for, check the locations then click here for Bus Registration

CORRECTION: Can't get to Madison on tax day? How about Downtown Milwaukee at the Federal Building, 517 East Wisconsin Ave. (east of US Bank) at RED ARROW PARK at noon? (920 N. Water Street) Johnathan emailed me to say this is where he will be on April 15th instead of the Fed. Building. 

Previous Post: Public Hearing on Doyle's Budget, March 25th, State Fair Park 

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, BetterBrookfield, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Randy Melchert, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

Did you see this article: City may face budget shortfall of $915,000? Revenue sources declining along with economy, director says.  It shouldn't surprise anyone that when the economy is in a downturn, people cut back on spending--either by choice or necessity.

As the article stated, consumer spending cuts affect city revenues collected from taxes and fees: less travel = less room taxes, fewer building & remodeling projects = fewer permit fees paid to Brookfield.

Struggling local restaurants, retail, and office buildings could result in other lower revenues. Commercial property owners with high vacancy rates might request lower assessments. Vacant businesses may become delinquent in paying their property taxes. The mayor and city department heads are looking for places "to cut costs." In addition to that effort, shouldn't we also be looking at how we are spending the resources we still have?

Late last year I raised the question about revenues from the cell phone towers all being put toward the Greenway Corridor Bike Trail system:

The money comes primarily from the cell tower lease fees the City of Brookfield charges the cell phone companies to put up towers in our city.

Brookfield gets between $200,000 - $300,000 each year in lease payments. The park department gears its new Greenway projects to stay within this dollar amount. Kolstad informed me that we also benefited from $135,000 in DNR matching grants over the past 5 years. (That would be [more] free :) money.)

 

...I am not a fan of the Greenway Corridor Recreation Trail system, primarily because of the expense for construction, maintenance, and snow removal.

In some respects, the cell tower rent money going to foot the bill for Greenway construction is very much like the stimulus projects some officials are rejecting.  Although our cell tower money may cover the initial expense of constructing the path, it does nothing to pay for maintenance and snow removal costs for the path every year thereafter.  Every additional trail segment adds to the city's yearly expenses.

We probably don't need to repair yet, but I'm thinking that special snow blower tractor gizmo can't be cheap. I guestimate snow removal costs somewhere around $75+/hour when you factor in initial blower tractor purchase, maintenance on unit, labor and benefits, and transportation of the unit from site to site? The concept of getting a Greenway Corridor at no cost is rather like getting a free puppy! (Think of the maintenance of path and snow removal as Vet. bills, dog food, groomer, and boarding charges for that free pet. Hardly no cost, is it?)

I know many people enjoy the Greenway Corridor. That is not the issue right now. A $915,000 shortfall in revenue, however, is. According to the article and Finance Director Robert Scott, this is not going to turn around soon. The shortfall for 2010 is estimated to be $950,000.

So, what do we do in the meantime? Do we tap into our reserves and keep spending at its current levels? Or, do we cut back where we can and use this cell tower lease fee money for something more important?

I had estimated the cell tower rents at $200,000 to $300,000 a year. I was corrected in the comments section by an alderman; "The cell tower revenue for 2009 is forecast to be $382,964." He also concluded that the savings to the typical home in my area if we applied the lease money to the city's coffers would be 12 cents for the year. That figure just did not seem feasible to me. I roughly calculated it at about 100 times that amount at $11 - $13. It was later confirmed by someone at City Hall that the dollar amount was higher, $16.17 per home of my value, "...divide it by our total City assessed value of $6,532,118,790. That comes out to 5.9 cents per thousand of assessment. .059 x 274 = $16.17."

My purpose here is not who is right and who is wrong or to talk about past squabbles (so please, comments should stay on the topic of the shortfall and cutting spending.) I am just trying to illustrate that this "free" money for a no cost bike path adds up. We are in tough times; this cell tower windfall could help plug more than 2/5ths of the forecasted shortfall.

The mayor, city departments and council are going to look at places where they could cut spending. Maybe they could cut back on:  landscaping? - another big ongoing maintenance cost, sidewalks on BOTH sides of the street? - same snow removal and path maintenance issues as with the Greenway. I am sure there are more areas. I would hope they would at least put the Greenway projects on hold until the economy improves.  Rather than increase the property tax levy, certainly they should look into how they spend this free money! 

POST SCRIPT: I do recall efforts in 2006 to reduce some of the surplus funds, one of them being the $375,000 mosquito abatement fund:

Mellone [Jerry] had wanted to cut the full $100,000 in mosquito funding, noting that the program had a surplus of about $375,000 and the city had not needed to do any mosquito treatments in four years despite taxing annually for them.

And Surpluses bedevil Brookfield, Some aldermen wonder whether they're doing too much taxing: (My emphasis)

In the last three years, city departments have spent almost $3.5 million less than what aldermen budgeted for them, city data shows.

...A $1.6 million budget surplus in 2005 prompted several aldermen this week to question a recommendation for a 4% spending increase for city departments in 2007. Aldermen Dan Sutton, Gerald Mellone and Scott Berg questioned why departments would need 4% more than their 2006 budgets when their previous annual budgets were larger than needed.

Aldermen gave city departments a 4.3% increase for 2006, and the city's finance director predicted that 2006 will end with a $500,000 surplus.

That would reverse a trend of rising general fund surpluses. After no surplus in 2002, there was a $664,000 surplus in 2003, $1.2 million in 2004 and $1.6 million in 2005.

"Right now it just looks like we're overtaxing," Ald. Sutton said at a special Finance Committee meeting on Monday.

Links: 

Oh I know nothing ever stays the same, but I don't want to see the Blue Mound Pick 'n Save go. It was my favorite* Pick 'n Save store! Pick 'n Saves underwent a face lift in recent years, and in the process of trying to emulate a more V. Richards look in the stores and produce department, they eliminated refrigerator cases for their apples. Consequently, purchasing crisp apples became more challenging. The Blue Mound store was one of the few that still kept their apples chilled--if I was buying apples at nearly $2/pound, that is where I shopped.

Another problem with the Pick 'n Saves since their remodel is that product keeps disappearing from the shelves. Almost every month there seems to be a favorite item the stores no longer carry. My most recent missing in action item is Plochman's Premium Stone Ground Mustard. It was super--not too sweet, not too sharp, not too expensive, just perfect. It is gone now.

So would I rather have a store that is beautifully appointed, like the Pick 'n Save in my neighborhood on Greenfield and Moorland, but leaves me disappointed (and irritated) because they don't have all of the items I wanted to purchase? Or, would I rather have a grocery store that has all my favorite products under one roof at low prices? Do I want a gas fired fire place, big screen TV, or a wide variety of products at a low price? I think you can guess.

I will give the new Metro Market a try, but if it is anything like my neighborhood's "upscale amenities" Pick 'n Save, well, I will have one less reason to shop on Blue Mound. (The timing of this change seems odd in light of the economy.)

The other big news here is the loss of V Richards. I must admit, I never shopped there much--especially after it was taken over by the Nehrings. (The newer Elm Grove Sendik's is much more convenient for me and they do have some good prices.) But I like the idea of locally owned business over a national chain. A CVS is hardly the same thing.

The closing represents another locally owned business failure and replacement with a national chain store. Since I rarely set foot in a Walgreens, I probably won't have any occasion to go to a CVS either.

I really feel sorry for the tenants in the V. Richards shopping plaza. How the mighty have fallen! From being associated with the high end V. Richards food store and acceptable Pedro's restaurant to being part of a mall with a CVS as the anchor store and a HOOTERS restaurant? OUCH!

Will they rename V. Richards Plaza  HOOTERS or CVS Plaza? Not good for the image of Brookfield. Makes an Aldi or Trader Joes look good, doesn't it? (No offense to Aldi or Trader Joe--I like them both.)

*Favorite is a stretch. I have a love/hate relationship with Pick 'n Save stores. I liked them a lot more when they were just interested in providing a wide variety of products at a low price. Since they are virtually the only mainstream grocery store in the area, I am forced to shop there. The Blue Mound store seemed to offer the best selection compared to other area Pick 'n Save stores.

Links: 

Almost every day we learn of more socialistic programs proposed or passed by our government. I just heard that the housing bill passed the House. By the way, ACORN lobbyists were involved! (H/T Vicki McKenna. Catch her podcast from 10:30 - 11am, March 6th.) Kudos to the House Republicans. They again all voted NO.

In case you have lost track, the housing bill is the latest in the bailout lineup that rewards bad behavior. It offers people who exhibited poor judgment and bought way too much house for their income a way to refinance and reduce (cram-down) their principle.

When the 92% of homeowners who made sacrifices to get where they are today and pay their mortgages on time learn about this bailout, they are outraged. I know I was. (We lived in a tiny Polish flat for 9 years, sharing the bathroom with the tenant in the back, so that we could live within our means and save for a real house of our own.)  

So why is our government rewarding bad behavior? I think it is to make grasshoppers out of ants.                                                 Translate that: they are transforming people who were the workers into people who are now the takers and dependent on the government. These takers (grasshoppers) will be more apt to vote for their current legislators, who gave them their bailout. It also defeats the hard working citizens (ants) of our nation, who worked hard at their jobs in order to enjoy the fruits of their labor: a comfortable home and lifestyle.

Grasshopperification kills capitalism and promotes socialism.

Mortgage plan Is Rewarding Bad Behavior:

President Obama's massive mortgage-bailout plan is nothing more than a thinly disguised entitlement program that redistributes income from the responsible 92% of homeowning mortgage-holders who pay their bills on time to the irresponsible defaulters who bought more than they could ever afford. This is Obama's spread-the-wealth program in action.

 

Team Obama is rewarding bad behavior. It is enlarging moral hazard. It is expanding its welfarist approach to economic policy. And with a huge expansion of government-owned zombie lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Team Obama is taking a giant step toward nationalizing the mortgage market.

 

Reporting from the Chicago commodity pits, my CNBC colleague Rick Santelli unleashed a torrent of criticism over this scheme.

Santelli said: "Government is promoting bad behavior. . . . Do we really want to subsidize the losers' mortgages? This is America! How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor's mortgage? President Obama, are you listening? How about we all stop paying our mortgages! It's a moral hazard."

All this took place on the air to the cheers of traders. Santelli called for a new tea party in support of capitalism. He's right.

 

...But by investing in failure, the Administration will also prolong the housing downturn and make financing a home purchase more difficult for future borrowers.

 

What are we workers going to do when the grasshoppers outnumber us ants?

The ants are starting to make noises like they are fighting back, uniting for The Chicago and Wisconsin Tea Parties. (Wisconsin Tea Party Tax Rally: April 15th, mblock@alphq.org ) 

Reorganizing takes time. In the meantime, President Obama is trying to get as many people dependent or beholding to the government as possible.  Is this the way to run a country? No, but this is the way to ruin a country!

Because of server difficulties on Brookfieldnow, I am also crossposting at my other blog, Brookfield7 (You can comment there too, but the comment will stay on Brookfield7.)

Upcoming Brookfield and Elmbrook Schools events, meetings, and deadlines 

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, BetterBrookfield, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

Today's Dow sunk below 7,000. At present, it is 6,762.98, (down 300 points since opening--I have had to revise 3 times for the worse while writing this post). That is it's lowest point since 1997. (This graph is great; you can slide the indicator at the base to the year you want to see, and slide another one to another date to compare the change in the market.)

Not even during the terrorist attacks of September 11th did people have so little faith in our economy! Today's Dow is 2194 points or 24.06% less than the market was a month after the attacks.  

First some definitions*

Wreck-"O"-nomics: The disastrous economic policies pushed by President Obama that are wrecking our economy.

WreckOnomics Steal-from-us package: Obama's plan to take from the working and give to the drones. You know, his version of spreading the wealth around. (Little did we know that his stealfromus plan would also do away with the welfare reforms enacted under President Clinton.) 

I can't shake the feeling that if our President would just keep quiet, rework the budget, and say no more about nationaizing health care and Cap and Trade, he could turn this economy and the market around. But that would only be if he wanted to. As the market continues to slide south, isn't it obvious that investors are reacting negatively to his heavy handed tax and spend and socialistic plans?

Instead, he is steamrolling ahead with his massive Stimulus, Budget, and soon National Healthcare and Cap and Trade. "Obama wants the proposals done largely in concert, as an interrelated plan to undo major elements of President Ronald Reagan's conservative movement."

All of these measures have one thing in common: They will reek havoc on America's economy. His plans will take money out of the pockets of the working to put it into the hands of the nonworking and the politically favored.

One of the 2 basic laws of civilization is:  "Do not encroach on other persons or their property"**. Obama's WreckOnomics Stealfromus violates this law. I think our economy and stock market are just reacting to his policies. 

No government can give to one group without taking from another. No President can either. I hope he realizes this before it is too late. 

More reading: Fact Check on Feb. 24 Speech (401K back buy, included!)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Wednesday as investors found little new in a major speech by President Barack Obama on how he planned to stabilize the economy, while gloomy home sales data weighed on the market.

*Wreckonomics was coined last week by a family member as comic relief, while I worked on our income taxes. His exact term was wreckonomic stealius. I changed the stealius to steal-from-us.

**The Two Laws, pp 106, Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

(Originally posted yesterday. I reposting today to try to improve the spacing and type face.)

You know how that expression, put your money where your mouth is, means that if you believe in something, you are willing to invest in it?

Well, the stock market is one place people put their money if they believe a company will do well. It's an indicator of investor confidence. The market as a whole has been steadily going down since it appeared Obama would win the presidency and bailout fever hit. (UPDATE: Fairly Conservative has a great post today about this very subject, including a chart. Do look at the drop in October. It coincides with the TARP bailout.)

Today Obama signed his porcine "stimulus" bill--the one that is estimated to really cost Americans 3.27$Trillion when all is said and done--the one that economists and think-tanks lose sleep over.

Is the market responding with glee? Hardly. The Dow lost nearly 300 points today and closed at 7,552.

I recently met with my banker to discuss our IRAs. Just looking at the ever shrinking size of our meager attempt to prepare for retirement was depressing enough. Inflation will swallow up what is left. Discussing what next steps should be taken was more discouraging.

Knowing we are facing increasing taxes, I won't have much to invest in future IRAs. But even if I did have a surplus of cash, what would I put it in? Socks? Stocks? Bonds? CDs? Annuities? All of these investments require confidence in our future economy. I have none.

Just as an experiment, wouldn't it be great if President Obama announced he was cutting business taxes and reducing the Federal income tax rate on individuals? I bet that the market would respond favorably...immediately.

Why? Because investors know what works!  

From The Heritage Foundation: An Open Letter to the Congress and the President of the United States,  Friday the Thirteenth 

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

You know how that expression, put your money where your mouth is, means that if you believe in something, you are willing to invest in it?

Well, the stock market is one place people put their money if they believe a company will do well. It's an indicator of investor confidence. The market as a whole has been steadily going down since it appeared Obama would win the presidency and bailout fever hit. (UPDATE: Fairly Conservative has a great post today about this very subject, including a chart. Do look at the drop in October. It coincides with the TARP bailout.)

Today Obama signed his porcine "stimulus" bill--the one that is estimated to really cost Americans 3.27$Trillion when all is said and done--the one that economists and think-tanks lose sleep over.

Is the market responding with glee? Hardly. The Dow lost nearly 300 points today and closed at 7,552.

I recently met with my banker to discuss our IRAs. Just looking at the ever shrinking size of our meager attempt to prepare for retirement was depressing enough. Inflation will swallow up what is left. Discussing what next steps should be taken was more discouraging.

Knowing we are facing increasing taxes, I won't have much to invest in future IRAs. But even if I did have a surplus of cash, what would I put it in? Socks? Stocks? Bonds? CDs? Annuities? All of these investments require confidence in our future economy. I have none.

Just as an experiment, wouldn't it be great if President Obama announced he was cutting business taxes and reducing the Federal income tax rate on individuals? I bet that the market would respond favorably...immediately.

Why? Because investors know what works!  

From The Heritage Foundation: An Open Letter to the Congress and the President of the United States,  Friday the Thirteenth 

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Vicki McKenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

See updates at bottom of post.

Americans For Prosperity are not about to give up on the pork filled "stimulus" bill without a fight. They are still collecting signatures for their NoStimulus.com petition. (Last night they had 395,047 signers.) They also are asking that you forward their petition to your friends. They will be presenting the petitions today at 2pm at Upper Senate Park in Washington D.C.

Yesterday, I wondered if the Dr. Big Brother element to the bill was still there. According to AFP, it is (my emphasis.) Here are a few of the offensive spending measures:

• This conference report, by all accounts, still funds the stealth imposition of health care rationing via so-called “Comparative Evaluation Research,” that would let bureaucrats decides whether people are too old or too sick to receive a treatment. 

United States Senate: Contact Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, 202-224-2541(encourage him not to waffle), and Republican members Susan Collins - Maine (202) 224-2523, Olympia Snowe - Maine (202) 224-5344,  Arlen Specter - Pennsylvania (202) 224-4254, and Independent Joe Lieberman - Connecticut (202) 224-4041.

Our Senators Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653 and Russ Feingold (202) 224-5323

United States House of Representatives:  James Sensenbrenner (202) 225-5101

 

UPDATE: I wonder if there could be one more NO vote in the Senate coming from New Hampshire Republican Judd Gregg, Commerce Nominee Bows Out GOP's Gregg Quits Over 'Irresolvable Conflicts' With Obama on Stimulus, Census:

...Mr. Gregg himself grew uncomfortable with the handling the stimulus package, said Republican officials and strategists. Mr. Gregg declined to comment on the stimulus bill or whether he would ultimately vote against it when it came to the Senate floor this week. He chose not to vote when the bill first came to the Senate earlier this week. 

The Heritage Foundation Morning Bell: A Trillion Dollar Failure 

Will the stimulus actually stimulate? Economists say no:

WASHINGTON — The compromise economic stimulus plan agreed to by negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate is short on incentives to get consumers spending again and long on social goals that won't stimulate economic activity, according to a range of respected economists.

"I think (doing) nothing would have been better," said Ed Yardeni, an investment analyst who's usually an optimist, in an interview with McClatchy. He argued that the plan fails to provide the right incentives to spur spending.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Vicki Mckenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, The Heritage Foundation, CNS News

Yes, it is true. The Conference Committee worked at lightening speed to rush cram their $789 billion "stimulus" bill down our throats. Isn't it amazing how quickly they can do things when it is for something they want? The next step is to send it back to the House and Senate for a vote.

From the New York Times: Deal Struck on $789 Billion Stimulus

 ...Negotiations had been going on all day, following extensive talks on Tuesday night, to close the gap between the Senate and House versions. In the end, the agreed-upon package will pare back Democrats’ proposed spending on education and health programs in favor of tax cuts that were needed to win Republican votes in the Senate.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a centrist Republican whose support was crucial to the outcome, said the final package includes $150 billion in spending on infrastructure, including transportation facilities, and considerable tax relief. Moreover, she said, it includes significant money to aid state governments.

One good sign (a very relative term) came from Senator Tom Harkin, (My emphasis throughout the post)

 “I am not happy with it,” said Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa. “You are not looking at a happy camper. I mean, they took a lot of stuff out of education. They took it out of health, school construction and they put it more into tax issues.”

 

I am wondering if that H.R. 1 EH is still in there? The portion of the stimulus that would create a new government watch dog on doctors and health care that Betsy McCaughey warned about in Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan:

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle...

Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).

The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.” 

 

So at this point, I don't know if Dr. Big Brother is part of the final stimulus bill. (Do read McCaughey's complete article.) Even if it is not, it gives us a taste of things to come in the very near future.

We are making unprecedented changes in the fabric of American life with little or no scrutiny. We are spending unprecedented amounts of money we don't have to do it. If you have not contacted our representatives, I urge you to do so. They are feeling the heat.

United States Senate: Contact Republican members Susan Collins - Maine (202) 224-2523, Olympia Snowe - Maine (202) 224-5344,  Arlen Specter - Pennsylvania (202) 224-4254, and Independent Joe Lieberman - Connecticut (202) 224-4041.

Our Senators Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653 and Russ Feingold (202) 224-5323

United States House of Representatives:  James Sensenbrenner (202) 225-5101

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Vicki Mckenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, CNS News

President Obama was out and about promoting his "stimulus" package earlier this week. The audio clips I heard of the Town Hall meeting Obama held on Tuesday in Fort Myers, Florida, however, seemed bizarre to me. It certainly was not very presidential.

Some have referred to that Town Hall meeting as a church style revival meeting. It reminded me more of the old TV game show, "Queen for a Day".

I have fuzzy childhood memories of "Queen for a Day". The show featured 2, or was it 3, contestants who each had their own heartbreaking sob story. The show gave each lady an opportunity to tell of their needs. 

The show host would then have the audience vote by applauding for the contestant who was more deserving of the prize. They would zoom in on each contestant and show a corny applause-o-meter with a needle gauge. The (un)lucky contestant who garnered the most applause, and presumably the most compelling story, would win.

The show host then brought out all the wonderful products the contestant won that would make their miserable life better, and so the unfortunate woman became like a "Queen for a Day". 

Well, Henrietta Hughes, the woman who tearfully begged the President for a car, home of her own with her own kitchen and bathroom, became "Queen for a Day" on Tuesday*. She beat out fellow contestant Julio Osegueda, the college student who complained that he has not been able to find a better job for 4 years. He pleaded with the President to in effect wave his magic wand and increase benefits for workers like him. I had to wonder if the student's inability to secure a better job had to do with his odd demeanor?  Later I found out he wanted to be a broadcaster!  Check out the video and see what you think.

Henrietta did get her wish, thanks to the kindness of State Representative Thompson's wife, Chene, who offered Henrietta a home. I might add that Mrs. Thompson was able to help Henrietta because she was wealthy enough to do it. (I am not going to speculate on Thompson's motivation for the giving or the coincidence of these two women happening to be at the meeting, or how Henrietta just happened to be at the Town Hall and able to ask a question.)

Actually, there were 3 contestants involved on Tuesday--the 3rd being the President. For weeks he has been pedaling his sob story of doom and gloom and telling how government is the only entity that can right the sinking ship of our economy.

President Obama interrupted his Town Hall to tell the audience, "By the way, the Senate just passed our recovery bill. That's good news." But even the President has no illusions of his "stimulus" bill curing our ills, for he also "warned against expecting a quick turn around. It would take a long time for the economy to recover...it wouldn't happen overnight." I have to wonder though if he thought at least for yesterday, it's good to be King for a Day!

The House and Senate versions of the "stimulus" bill now heads to the conference committee where they work out a compromise bill. Then the Senate and House vote again. (No amendments are allowed at this point.)

The only shred of hope we have in defeating this $Trillion "stimulus" is if Americans keep up the pressure on elected officials. Yup, that means more phone calls and emails. I plan on contacting the 3 Republican Senators who voted for the bill as well as my reps and urge them to vote NO on the final version. Hey, I'll throw in Joe Lieberman too. I have heard calls are running 100 No to 1 Yes. Americans are angry about the pork and waste.

United States Senate: Contact Republican members Susan Collins - Maine (202) 224-2523, Olympia Snowe - Maine (202) 224-5344,  Arlen Specter - Pennsylvania (202) 224-4254, and Independent Joe Lieberman - Connecticut (202) 224-4041.

Our Senators Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653 and Russ Feingold (202) 224-5323

United States House of Representatives:  James Sensenbrenner (202) 225-5101

*I do feel sorry for people who are homeless, it is just that I cannot ever remember a citizen begging a president in such a personal way before. It was more like a peasant coming before the king than a citizen and president exchange.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Vicki Mckenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, CNS News

UPDATES at bottom of post.

It is easy for conservatives to become discouraged. What looked like glimmer of hope last week, with all of the House Republicans and 11 Blue-Dog Democrats soundly rejecting the pork-filled "stimulus" bill in the House, quickly faded on Monday.

Senator Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, sounded like he was going to follow the House Republicans' lead and urge his fellow Senators to vote against this swine of a "stimulus" bill in the Senate. But somehow yesterday, he started talking about adding some tax cuts to make the distasteful bill more palatable. Sickening.

No matter how much tax cut frosting you put on a barnyard pile, it is still a barnyard pile. You cannot sweeten it up enough to make it taste any differently. It is unpalatable to anyone who understands economics. It is even more unpalatable to those who understand that once a government program is funded, it is nearly impossible to defund. Plus, the encouragement of mortgage loans to those who aren't a good risk are what got us into trouble in the first place!

If you are against the current "stimulus" bill, the only thing we can do is contact our Senators, and more importantly, Mitch McConnell.

I know, I hate doing it too. But public pressure did avert Cap and Trade and the immigration bill last year. Public pressure and scrutiny got Tom Daschle to withdraw his name. Don't underestimate the power of public opinion.

Contact Mitch McConnell at McConnell.Senate.gov (You must then click Contact on the left list of links and then fill out a contact page.) Phone: (202) 224-2541,Fax: (202) 224-2499

Senate contact page: You can scroll down for each senator's contact info.

The public is waking up to what is in these extravagant spending bills, and public opinion is shifting away from support.

Speak up LOUDLY; it is our only weapon at this time.

UPDATES:

Americans for Prosperity sent this email message this afternoon:

You fought back even when so many folks said we had no chance of winning.  You joined tens of thousands of freedom-loving Americans for Prosperity members across the country who signed the NoStimulus.com petition.  You said NO to heaving trillions of dollars of debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren in the name of economic “stimulus.”

The pundits and talking heads predicted the ‘stimulus’ bill would sail through Congress without a hitch.  But, thanks to your action - and the actions of tens of thousands of fellow taxpayers - we’ve turned the tide and shown these folks the power and popularity of our free enterprise values.

Last week, clear thinking legislators in the House of Representatives (the entire Republican caucus and 11 courageous Democrats) made a strong statement that you and I weren’t going to roll over and accept this Big-Government sham as reality.   

The bill passed the House and moves on to the Senate...but severely weakened...and now we have a chance to win the fight to defeat this so-called stimulus. You and I can make a difference for the future of our country.  But we can’t do it without your continued help.

They then ask for monetary help: Will you make a special investment today to help put this effort over the top?  

MoveOn.org also sent an email about the stimulus bill, but from the pro-spending prospective: (My emphasis)

...But right now, the stimulus doesn't have the votes to pass.¹ Republicans and conservative Democrats are teaming up to strip out the good stuff—college loan assistance, health research, tax cuts for poor folks, and more—in favor of more tax cuts for corporations.² If they don't get their way, they'll block the plan.

They too want to run an ad, but to promote the spending bill. I would be happy if MoveOn was right, that the Senate does not have enough votes to pass!

And not to be left out, John McCain sent out an email with his petition against the stimulus bill as proposed:

...I believe we need to evaluate every bit of spending in this stimulus proposal with one important criteria - does it really stimulate the economy and help create jobs - if the answer is no, it does not belong in a so-called stimulus package. Furthermore, the stimulus must include significant direct relief to American workers in the form of payroll tax cuts and programs to help homeowners keep their homes. Finally, we need an end game to this stimulus so that when our economy recovers, these spending programs do not remain permanent and saddle our children with a skyrocketing national debt...

...I have long been a fighter against wasteful spending in Washington and long an advocate for a balanced budget -- that will never change. I realize we face extraordinary challenges with our economy today, but that is not an excuse for more irresponsibly from Washington. I hope you will join me in saying no to this stimulus package as it currently exists by signing this petition.

Sincerely,

John McCain
Chair, Country First PAC

I emailed back that I did not want Republicans to support a weak attempt at compromise. I did like his idea to include an end game.

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

Brookfield7, Fairly Conservative, Vicki Mckenna, Jay Weber, The Right View Wisconsin, Mark Levin, CNS News

UPDATE: Yes, the House Republicans did say NO. Every one of them, plus 11 Blue-Dog Democrats! Send them a BIG thank you. Next question: Will the Senate Republicans and Senate Blue-Dogs say NO next week too? (I'm praying they will vote NO.) If enough Americans squawk, loudly, they just might. (Yes, that is a longshot.)

Déjà vu. It's the TARP bailout all over again, but this time on steroids. Remember when we found out about all the pork in that emergency TARP legislation? (Hint: Tax break for wooden arrows.) Well, that pork laden bailout bill looks like a low cholesterol diet compared with Obama's "stimulus" bill.

Why do I put stimulus in quotes? Because the only thing it will stimulate is the size of government, which once expanded, rarely contracts. The TARP bill was about 450 pages in length; the Obama Stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, is a whopping 647 pages! The dollar amount in the Obama Stimulus seems to have increased proportionately to the pages too. Including interest, it's at about $1.17 TRILLION. (Anyone think the House and Senate members read the entire bill?)

The Wall Street Journal gives us a glimpse into those 647 pages of outrageous spending in A 40-Year Wish List, You won't believe what's in that stimulus bill . Do take a look. If your Pepto-Bismol isn't handy, just know that only "about 12 cents of every $1" goes to anything remotely stimulating to our economy. If you can brave a bit more... (My emphasis)

This is a political wonder that manages to spend money on just about every pent-up Democratic proposal of the last 40 years.

We've looked it over, and even we can't quite believe it. There's $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that hasn't turned a profit in 40 years; $2 billion for child-care subsidies; $50 million for that great engine of job creation, the National Endowment for the Arts; $400 million for global-warming research and another $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects. There's even $650 million on top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons.

Since Wisconsin is looking at commuter trains, know that:

Most of the rest of this project spending will go to such things as renewable energy funding ($8 billion) or mass transit ($6 billion) that have a low or negative return on investment. Most urban transit systems are so badly managed that their fares cover less than half of their costs.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi does not need Republican member's blessing on Obama's now nearly trillion dollar "stimulus" spending spree. The House Democrats hold the majority. But like that must pass rescue bailout bill of October, the Democrats do not want to go it alone on this bill. When this "stimulus" bill does not work, they want to be able to spread the blame.

I did not see anything worthy in the bill to warrant passage. The $4 billion to groups like ACORN should give any conservative ample reason to vote NO. Acorn's Seed Money:

The group that pushed banks into the risky loans that brought the economy down is now eligible for a huge chunk of stimulus cash. The stimulus plan does create jobs--for community activists."

Like the TARP bailout, there is an urgency to pass this one too. That is right, rush passing THE most expensive, extravagant, extensive spending proposal in American history. Do it while President Obama is basking in high approval ratings. Do it before the economy has a chance to recover on its own. (Existing housing sales were up 6.6% in December.)

"Never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it's an opportunity to do things you couldn't do before," Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff. The opportunity being, moving America towards more socialistic spending such as:

Another "stimulus" secret is that some $252 billion is for income-transfer payments -- that is, not investments that arguably help everyone, but cash or benefits to individuals for doing nothing at all.

Do it before Americans wake up to what this bill won't do: stimulate the economy.

More reading: Heritage Foundation, The Pelosi-Obama-Reid Trillion Dollar Debt Plan

More ridiculous expenditures, Vicki McKenna's partial list of included items.

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

Conservatives were not pleased with President Bush's spending habits. Liberals criticized Bush for expanding the deficit too. So why is it, now that the Democrats are in charge of everything, they are making Bush look like a penny pincher? Why is it that these proposed unprecedented deficits are winked at as not having devastating consequences for us, our children, grand children, and great grandchildren?

The Heritage Foundation, one of the few, truly conservative voices left, posted an excellent piece today: Morning Bell: The Borrowing Bailout Parade Must End. (My emphasis added)

Before President Bush took office, the federal government took in $2 trillion in revenue in 2000. As Bush leaves office, the federal government is expected to take in $2.4 trillion in 2009. In other words, after eight years under President bush, the federal government is taking in $400 billion more a year in revenue. So why did Congressional Budget Office project a $1.4 trillion deficit for the 2009 budget? Massive spending increases. In 2000, the federal government spent just $1.8 trillion. Now the CBO estimates that the feds will spend almost double that, $3.5 trillion, in 2009. Oh, and by the way, these figures do not include the nearly $1 trillion in new deficit spending that President-elect Barack Obama wants to throw at our struggling economy.

Yesterday House Democrats unveiled their first economic stimulus package bid. Current price tag: $825 billion. Everybody in Washington expects that total will go up quickly when the Senate adds its wish list sometime next week. But Democrats in the House are already making it clear that even this soon to be trillion dollar package is just a down payment. The Hill reports: “House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) said the massive bill ‘may undershoot the mark’ and suggested Congress may have to spend more money to stimulate the economy.”

As a nation, we cannot borrow and spend our way to prosperity any more than individuals can create personal prosperity by maxing out their several credit cards. Spending beyond one's means never works. Not for individuals, America, or any other nation...ever.

So adding in the $160 billion stimulus package President Bush signed this spring, the federal government has already pumped $510 billion into the economy and now wants to add another, at minimum, $1.2 trillion. Is any of this working? Is there any science or history that suggests it will? No. As Heritage Senior Policy Analyst Bian Riedl points out: (My emphasis)

Policymakers are basing the “stimulus” bill on economic models that wrongly assume every $1 of government spending increases the economy by approximately $1.60. Is it really that simple? By that logic, debt-ridden, big-government countries like Italy, France and Germany should be wealthier than America. And why stop at $800 billion? Such logic suggests unlimited prosperity could be guaranteed by the government borrowing and spending $800 trillion. Should America be basing such costly decisions on these types of economic models?

The economy sank because people over-borrowed for houses they couldn’t afford, and financial institutions over-borrowed for investments they badly misjudged. Washington’s solution is to borrow $800 billion that it cannot afford. How will adding $800 billion to the national debt solve a recession created by imprudent borrowing? There is an alternative. Long term tax cuts coupled with long term spending cuts. The borrowing bailout parade is what got us into this mess. It is time for a new direction.

Government is on a spending spree bender. It is time to sober up! Bush's billions in deficit are fast becoming Obama's trillions. Where is the alarm and criticism now?

Contacts: Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner,  House Appropriations Chairman Congressman Dave Obey, Senator Herb Kohl, 800-247-5645 or 414-297-4451, Senator_kohl@knol.senate.gov , Senator Russ Feingold, 414-276-7282, Russ_Feingold@feingold.senate.gov , The President, comments@whitehouse.gov or president@whitehouse.gov

P.S. Fairly Conservative posted this link to a petition against the stimulus plan if you care to let the Congress know.

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

What if you went to the bond market and no one wanted to buy yours? What would you do? Well, not wanting to face that dilemma, the Elmbrook School district stayed home. They are "postponing $31 million worth of borrowing for construction [referendum] projects, citing an unfavorable bond market."

This is the second time they have put it off. Who can blame them? Investors aren't exactly champing at the bit, at the terms Elmbrook figured on, to buy up $31 million worth of debt. CNI's Amy Hetzner reported, Elmbrook again delays bond issue:

The district had delayed in October borrowing the second half of its $62.2 million high school renovation project, authorized by voters in a referendum last year. The district had planned to proceed on Tuesday to invite bids for a 20-year loan, Elmbrook Assistant Superintendent Robert Borch said.

But that doesn't appear like it will happen.

"We're concerned that we will have insufficient bidders and that those bidders ... will be at rates that will be unacceptable to what we have budgeted," Borch said.

The next opportunity for peddling our $31 million bond is Feb 10th. Will market conditions improve by then or will our little piggy still have none? (OK, half) If so, is it time to prioritize the referendum project the best we can within the $31 million we do have?

Stay tuned!

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: 

Even though I graduated from being a homeschool mom in 2007, the Home School Legal Defense Association still sends me email updates. These notices help me keep up with what is happening within the homeschool movement.

This week's notice reported that the homeschool movement grew 36% between 2003 and 2007, according to the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). "'Homeschoolers can now be found in all walks of life,' said Michael Smith, HSLDA President." Also in HSLDA's report: (My emphasis)

The NCES estimates 1.5 million homeschooled children, or 2.9% of the school age population in 2007. This is a significant increase from 1.1 million in 2003, or 2.2% of the school aged population.

The NCES survey also considered the reasons parents are turning to homeschooling. Parents continued to cite the negative peer influences of public school, the desire to provide religious or moral instruction as well as concern about the academic quality of public school as their reasons for homeschooling.

The greatest change from 2003 was an 11 point increase in the desire to provide religious and moral instruction which went from 72% in 2003 to 83% in 2007. Concerns about the school environment, however, remained the top reason with 88%.

“Homeschooling is a mainstream educational alternative. It will continue to flourish as parents and children continue to experience the social and academic benefits of a home based education,” said Smith.

USAToday also ran a story about this in Home schooling grows:

The ranks of America's home-schooled children have continued a steady climb over the past five years, and new research suggests broader reasons for the appeal.

This 2007 NCES survey differs from the 2003 survey in that they added a 7th reason for homeschooling: UNSCHOOLING:

The 2007 survey added a seventh: an interest in a "non-traditional approach," a reference to parents dubbed "unschoolers," who regard standard curriculum methods and standardized testing as counterproductive to a quality education. [Parents could choose more than one reason for homeschooling in the survey.]

"We wanted to identify the parents who are part of the 'unschooling' movement," Mulligan says. The "unschooling" group is viewed by educators as a subset of home-schoolers, who generally follow standard curriculum and grading systems. "Unschoolers" create their own systems.

The "Other reasons" category was also up 12% since 2003 to 32% in 2007 and "included family time and finances. That suggests the demographics are expanding beyond conservative Christian groups...Anecdotal evidence indicates many parents want their kids to learn at their own pace," says Robert Kunzman, associate prof at Indiana University's School of Education.

Many homeschoolers I know have children who have learning disabilities such as ADD and Dyslexia. These children are very intelligent but not suited to the regimented, traditional school environment. They need to learn at their "own pace" in their own way.  Rather than medicating them, these parents choose to school them at home. These children do very well with Unschooling--hands on doing rather than sitting and reading about it. Thomas Edison would be a very good example of this type of student. He was kicked out of public school and labeled as being "addled". His mother then homeschooled him.

My son and I incorporated unschooling into our homeschool years. We had some classes that were very traditional--math and Spanish were on video or DVD. We also turned my son loose on projects he was interested in--unschooling.

KBroccoli, Author of the Homeschooling ADD Kids blog sums up Unschooling very well:

Unschoolers believe that learning can take place at any time, anywhere. They also feel that standard subjects taught in school, such as math, reading, science, history, geography, etc., can (and should) be learned not just when sitting down for a learning "session", but during everyday life tasks.

...Unschooling is not about pulling a kid out of school so he can watch TV and play video games all day. It's not about not learning. To the contrary, it's about integrating education and the real world.

With the looming recession, I do wonder if the trend toward homeschooling will grow or decline? (Homeschooling generally requires a stay-at-home parent, although I do know of some part time working parents who homeschool. Some families have family businesses to make up the income loss of their single income status.) 

Will parents who send their children to private school switch to homeschooling to save money? Or will parents be faced with sending their children to public school so that both parents can work? Time will tell. 

If you are thinking about homeschooling, I encourage you to look at the HSLDA website. There are many helpful resources there. Also, seek out homeschool support groups and ask if you can attend their meetings. Look online for curriculum: Rainbow Resource, Sonlight, Beautiful Feet Books are a few companies that come to mind. I would be happy to answer any questions, if I can, via email.

Please, comment content should relate to the subject of the post. Although I try to respond to many, do not interpret my lack of a response as agreement.

Links: