garageman's Blog

Last night Mike Lowe reported on a town hall meeting about an advisory referendum that will be on the ballot on Nov. 4th.  Members of the Milwaukee County Board want the authority to put a one percent county sales tax in place to fund the county park system and transit and emergency medical services. It took a couple of hours to digest what I took in at that town hall meeting.

It's a tax increase!  Under the guise of property tax relief, if passed supporters of the referendum have calculated that they will take in some $130 million dollars.  Twenty seven percent of the Milwaukee County property tax levy.  How much of that $130 million goes toward property tax relief?  Less than half!

Why stop there?  If the numbers that were put out were correct and twenty seven percent of the property tax levy can be replaced with a one cent county sales tax, by my calculations the entire property tax levy can be replaced with a 3.65% county sales tax. Including the wolf in sheep's clothing tax increase they want to create. That would make the total sales tax in Milwaukee County 9.25%. Still a full point less than Chicago.  Why isn't anyone talking about that?

The most bang for your tax buck.  It's been reported that a controversial letter was sent out to at least a portion of the citizenry (I did not receive one) explaining the referendum and calling them to this town hall meeting.  The cost of the letter exceeded $20,000.  Regardless of what "fund" the money came from, it was still taxpayer money that paid for it.  So how many people showed up for the town hall meeting?  I counted ten. Was this a wise use of taxpayer's money? 

As this is an advisory referendum my fear is that, much like Congress and the bailout, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will be in a position to ignore the will of the people and pass the tax increase anyway.  They may be able to generate a new tax revenue stream for Milwaukee County, but it's the County Executive's budget that decides what money goes where.  They can't guarantee that the revenue generated by the county sales tax will be used for the purposes being put forth.  Some other "economic emergency" will appear and the Board of Supervisors will "Doyle"  the money for other purposes. Nor can they guarantee a commensurate property tax cut.

It's a hurry up world, but this is one thing I had to stop and think about before forming my opinion.

 

The argument is not about smoking or not smoking, bars closing or not closing.  It's about what the government can and can't tell you what you can and can't do.  When smoking ban proponents, mandatory paid sick day proponents, and politicians in general talk about "The Greater Good" they're talking about, at best...socialism.  At worst...communism. This is not what America is supposed to be about.  THAT'S why feathers get ruffled when things like this come up.  The government, democrats in particular, wants all Americans to be dependant on the government for everything!  We'll tell you what to wear, where to work, what to eat, when to sleep.  What is healthy, when your sick. What car you can drive and where to drill.  So go play your XBOX and let us take care of everything for you.  Personal freedom and responsiblitiy are overrated anyway.  Why don't you just go back to sleep!  And don't forget to vote for change!!!

PAID SICK DAYS

Ask anyone who owns a business in Milwaukee...the City of Milwaukee has created a hostile business environment and continues to drive nails in the "economic suicide" coffin for small businesses located or considering locating in Milwaukee.  On the one hand city leadership cries for jobs, jobs, and more jobs.  Then they come to you and do everything in their power to dissuade you from doing business in Milwaukee.  They want to approve your business plan like they've loaned you money or something.  They want to tell you that you need a fence here and a bush there.  Now they want to require me to provide benefits to employees that I and many other business owners simply cannot afford to provide.  To quote Ross Perot, "If this passes your going to hear a giant sucking sound and that'll be your jobs leaving (Milwaukee)."  It makes my blood boil to think about it!  People who have never run a business, and have no clue what it takes to run a business, think the more they interfere with business the more business will thrive.  What's worse, even though it's only a vote to send the question to referendum, it's expected to pass and face a challenge in court.  Is this a wise use of taxpayer's money?  To pass ordinances that they know or at least suspect might be unconstitutional and will have to be defended in court at taxpayer's expense?  The last time I can remember the City of Milwaukee being hauled into court for violating constitutional rights they settled out of court for $6,000,000.00 (that's six million dollars friends).  Things weren't even this bad for local businesses when the elected mayor was a socialist!  He was also a businessman, and as a businessman knew that the running of the city was a business.  City hall needs to wake up and realize that they are driving jobs and business away from Milwaukee!

I guess they already finished their English homework!!!
Montebello High School in California


You will not see this heart-stopping photo on the front page of the NY Times, nor on the lead story of the major news networks.

The protestors at Montebello High School took the American flag off the school's flag pole and hung it upside down while putting up the Mexican flag over it.  What exactly they're protesting I couldn't tell you.  But I'm sure it would be hard for me to fathom.

 

 

Where are the school administrators?  Where's the media?  Where's the Governator??

They sleep under the blanket of freedom we provide and then pull something like this??

This is an outrage!!

300 BILLION BARREL+ OIL RESERVES DISCOVERED IN MIDWEST! 

Monday geologists announced the discovery of oil reserves stretching from Nebraska to the Dakotas that are second only to Saudi Arabia.  Enough oil to supply half of America's projected needs for the next one hundred years!  (as reported on CNN)

We can put a man on the Moon, send robotic explorers to Mars, and retrieve artifacts from the TItanic.  The techonlogy exists to safely access these reserves as well as oil reserves in the Cuban Basin where the Chinese are currently drilling with 50 year old technology and recently discovered offshore oil reserves near Lousiana while simultaniously (not instead of, hahnmeister) expanding research and development, without duress, of renewable and alternative fuels.  How long do you suppose Eco-facists and other various tree hugging entities will tie this up as the American economy swirls down the drain on the back of rising fuel costs (and the war)?

Kudos to the gentlemen on North Avenue who fought off the would be robber at their filling station and to Fox6 for reporting it!  And let's not forget the person who chased down a purse snatcher, stole his wallet and turned it over to police. It's high time the citizenry literally "fought back", and the criminal element in Milwaukee knew that we will fight back.  I cringe every time I see a police officer on the news telling people to give wanton criminals what they want.  Give them what they want?  Do you mean like an open invitation to take everything I own from me?  C'mon it's okay...no one is going to stop you!  LIKE HELL!   I'm not giving up anything without a fight and neither should anyone else.  I don't care what the so called experts have to say.  In previous police administrations I'm sure the people who have recently taken a stand against criminals would have been arrested themselves. So Kudos to the new police chief for allowing us to excercise our right to defend ourselves as well!    Now if the U.S. Supreme Court decides that the individual has the right to keep and bear arms and local government may not enact measures to overide that right, we'll be golden.