This Just In...
Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “INTERchange,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Franklin.
Tonight's topics on InterCHANGE
By Kevin Fischer
Friday, Oct 26 2007, 05:59 AM
Here are the UPDATED topics my colleagues and I discuss tonight on InterCHANGE on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10 at 6:30 (repeat Sunday morning at 11:00):
1- Doyle signs budget
Governor Doyle vetoes the part of the budget which would have limited how much local municipalities could raise property taxes levies. He also vetoes the part of the budget which would have limited how much technical colleges could raise in requested property tax money. Did he double-cross legislators who wanted those controls? Did he disappoint taxpayers?
2 - Police report
Interesting how a report/study that suggests Milwaukee's Police Department needs more civilian employees to take the place of sworn officers is released the day after the public has the opportunity to question the candidates. It's pretty obvious that the person selected for the job will be the one who agrees with the Mayor, and with the suggestions that the city might not need as many sworn officers as some had thought. Good idea, or bad idea?
3 – School Choice.
Even some of the staunchest supporters of school choice are now admitting that it is not working exactly as it was intended, and exactly as had been hoped it would work. Is that any reason to scale back the program, or should we continue to go ahead and try to expand it? Is it not working because many families are even more dysfunctional than school choice supporters had realized? Is it working at all? Has school choice forced public schools to improve? Looking at the number of people taking part, is it a choice that parents have embraced?
4 – Cigarette Tax.Wisconsin will move into the mid-tier of states when the state tax on cigarettes goes from the current $0.77 per pack to $1.77 per pack. Combined with the federal tax of $0.39 per pack, that makes the tax alone on a pack of cigarettes here $2.16, not including the state and local sales taxes. Is that too high? Not high enough? When will it stop? Should Milwaukee look into enacting a cigarette tax? Some communities (see chart above) also charge county and local municipality specific taxes on a pack of cigarettes as well (e.g. Chicago Tax: $0.68 + Cook County Tax $2.00 + Illinois Tax $0.98 + Fed Tax $0.39 = $4.02 tax on a pack of cigarettes in the City of Chicago.) Is it justifiable because it’s a tax on a product that is addicting? On a product that kills? Because the majority of people don’t smoke? It is, after all, a legal product. So is gasoline, and we tax that like crazy as well. Are we moving towards becoming a smoke-free society?
