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11/15/2006
Same old, same old Assembly?
Surprise, surprise. Same old leaders in the Assembly. Mike Huebsch (West Salem), previous Majority Leader, was chosen by his fellow Republican state representatives to serve as Assembly Speaker of the 2007 Legislature. Republican leaders essentially moved up the ladder of leadership positions, ** absent of course, Steve Freese, longtime Speaker Pro Tem, who lost his bid for re-election earlier this month.
Menasha’s Representative Dean Kaufert was unsuccessful in his run against Huebsch for the top spot on a platform of “Change.” He believes the Assembly must move away from concealed weapons and birth control and more toward the other side of the aisle. Good for Rep. Kaufert. Thanks for taking a stab at the thought, at least, of a different path for Assembly Republicans. But please, please don’t compromise on the critical need for fiscal responsibility.
Not necessarily because of his leadership run against Huebsch, Kaufert won’t be back as Co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee. Those appointments are really critical because work on Joint Finance will be really tough. Divided control of the legislative houses. Divided votes on Joint Finance – 8 Republicans, 8 Democrats.
As it is, Assembly Republicans have a very fine row to hoe. All business - and all the business of politics. Up against a Democratic Senate Majority and a Democratic Governor who feels he won with “mandate” credentials, the Republican Assembly will be the last bastion of hope, the last line of defense against continued spending beyond our means.
FoxPolitics has repeatedly detailed Wisconsin’s very serious fiscal problems. A budget that is perennially – some would say drastically – unbalanced. A resulting non-existent fund balance, increasing borrowing, robbing from Peter to pay Paul, dreadful bond ratings.
The temptation to spend more in this biennial budget will be enormous. Ditto the pressure for continuing smoke and mirrors with the budget.
Assembly Republicans simply must aim at goals similar to those we specified for the Governor:
- Support state budgeting using professional, honest Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP accounting)
- Do not move money from the transportation fund – or any other fund – to “balance” the budget.
- Be honest with us about long-term highway needs and how we’re going to fund them.
- Create a reasonable (just reasonable – all we ask) rainy-day fund.
- Consider promising to address Wisconsin’s $2 BILLION dollar deficit over 10 years – committing to trim the deficit a mere $400,000,000 with every biennial budget.
- Seriously address the critical challenge of school funding as enrollments shrink.
- Analyze state programs and identify those that can and should be eliminated.
- Continue to support the QEO, revenue caps, and local tax freezes.
- Control spending increases in technical college budgets; support the election of technical college boards.
- BALANCE THE BUDGET (ok – over 10 years, as above…).
We ask Assembly Republicans to lighten up on the conservative social agenda and stick to their knitting on controlling spending and taxes. The Republicans in the Assembly absolutely must clothe themselves anew and make it an ironclad commitment to be true to conservative fiscal principles.
**Other leadership positions chosen Tuesday include:
Jeff Fitzgerald (Beaver Dam) former Assistant Majority Leader, was chosen as the Assembly’s new Majority Leader. Mark Gundrum (New Berlin) will replace Fitzgerald at the Asst. Majority Leader’s post. Mark Honadel (South Milwaukee) was chosen as Caucus Leader and Mark Gottlieb (Port Washington) as Speaker Pro Tem.
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Blog Archives
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• Solberg: Healing After an Abortion
• Basketball fans eyeing extension of Miller Park sales tax
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• Obama pushes education inflation
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• Nygren: Governor Continues Terms of Failure in State of the State
• Sen. Fitzgerald: Governor down the wrong track at high speed
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• More Obama giveaways
• A reprimand? Would you keep him on the job?
• Burri: Sarah Palin for Prez troubles me
• Quote of the Day – Obama after the pie-eating contest
• Populism, abused and trampled
• Fitzgerald: Senate Republicans Propose Real Job Creation Agenda
• Stripped down health insurance – it’s about time
• Ok GOP, scrap the Party of NO; time to lead
• No way Feingold is a Coakley. Is Wall a Brown?
• Burri: Conservatives off the chart for a RINO?
• Paltry quid pro quo?
• Doyle says ARRA has ‘created or retained’ 44,000 WI jobs
• Does most of the public fall for this stuff?
• When you get signatures, always get a couple extra
• Blame it on the outmoded computers
• Scott Brown victory does not scuttle health bill
• 8th Congressional Candidate Forum, Jan. 25
• Scott Walker Meet-and-greet, Monday, Jan. 18
• Aren’t consumers taxpayers too?
• MORE taxes on investment income - dreadful and wrong
• Join the blaze orange army and say ‘Enough is Enough’
• The future of government-run health care
• Tax on banks is a really bad idea
• Roth, Savard on the stump, grassroots style
• Savard speaking in Appleton, 8 PM, Wed., Jan. 13.
• Rahmlow: Savard, Bies frontrunners for State Senate
• Burri: Failing Political Correctness 101
• School contracts and Race to the Top
• Senator Feingold worrisome and big red flags
• Psephological?
• This is really important. Contact Rep. Kagen. Now. Please.
• This is exactly what we need from Governor Doyle
• This guy is my hero
• Why am I not surprised?
• Talk health reform with Feingold (Th), Petri (today)
• Give the Mayor power over MPS - if he can break contracts
• Burri: Yup, Dems really are going to bypass a conference
• The $2.7 billion Wisconsin deficit no one told you about
• Walker launches county accountability website
• Rahmlow: Why is Van Hollen dodging the Nebraska deal?
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| 2009 |
December
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November
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October
• The Lawton-Bader files
• Yup, it’s the TAX LEVY, not the tax RATE
• Ellis: costly automobile insurance laws must be rolled back
• If not Barrett, who?
• The subsidy game
• Burri: Bailouts, Banks, Health Care, and the Mob
• Attend Appleton Schools budget meeting tonight
• A public option WON’T increase costs? That’s delusional!
• Appleton Schools budget meeting Monday
• Wisconsin should be screaming for accountability
• Burri: If anything, we need more obstructionism around here
• WI on the leading edge - in the wrong direction
• Rep. Montgomery: Utility Customers Join State’s Crime-Fighting Efforts
• Public Conservation and Recreation Lands Total 16.5% of State
• In the crow's nest of the Titanic, shouting 'Iceberg!'
• Is Rep. Nelson a political hack?
• Health care: The road ahead will be brutal
• Kagen's pandering again
• Birthers - good stuff for you
• How much do we bend over backward for seniors?
• The trouble with health care is paying for it
• Two-parent families: The Gold Standard
• Burri: Kids... the joys and blessings
• Very, very worried about health care
• Rep. Huebsch: Wisconsin is proof government health care isn’t the answer
• School district contracts push up tax levy
• What? Obama, the Peace Prize?
• TODAY - hearing on Campaign Finance Reform
• Appleton School District tax levy up way too much
• CBO report is out - and the bill isn't even written yet?
• So, how much do YOU budget for health care?
• Burri: Copenhagen trip was amateurish
• “Sotomayor, you have blood on your hands...”
• Cap and Trade. Always follow the money
• Rep. Kagen gets (almost) free health services
• I actually agree with Rep. Kagen
• Future Wisconsin Conference for Conservatives, October 10, Wauwatosa
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| 2008 |
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April
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March
• Important votes Tuesday, including Appleton Common Council
• Democrats are becoming supply siders??
• Further debunking Hillary myths
• WEAC has created an unsustainable monopoly
• From Mark Gundrum: One of the greatest honors an American can experience
• 'Operation Chaos' working?
• Joe Martin the best candidate in Appleton's 8th
• State programs to cut? - Volume II
• Oh the naivete of youth
• Not just disingenuous - flat wrong
• Steve - you will be missed
• Make cuts only AFTER you're elected....
• Getting serious: What programs can we cut?
• Rep. Steve Kagen joining me on Jerry Bader Show today
• Rep. Van Roy: Dental Care Pilot Program
• Has Dave Obey turned the corner on earmarks?
• Speaker Huebsch: Governor turns down Federal Aid?
• Mark Rahmlow: "We're Broke."
• As taxpayers, how do we know if it's a Chevy or a Lexus?
• This is trash talk - about a veteran
• Frank Lasee: Take time to get the Compact right
• 'The Gableman Ad' - is it racist?
• Roth thankful, Kagen shaking money tree
• Gov. Doyle's office not enamored with Freedom of Information
• Governor Doyle will never do it
• Leadership on smoking ban? Not Hanna
• Rep. Van Roy speaks out about smear ads
• You're threatening me about potholes?
• Losing the Hastert seat is NOT a trend and NOT curtians for the GOP
• First suggestion for 'slashing' programs
• Big money-saver for municipalities
• More one time fixes. Nuts.
• Any chances???
• I'm doing the Jerry Bader Show, today, the 11th
• Representative Frank Lasee: Final Waltz of the Season
• Guest Blog: It's not the county's business to be in the nursing home business
• Yup, Hillary won Texas and Ohio
• Gableman/Butler race featured - and it isn't pretty
• Lies from Planned Parenthood and NARAL
• He who sacrifices liberty.....
• Duh.
• The Troha sentencing, Doyle and that $200K
• Guns, passion and "originality"
• How hard is it anyway, to shut down a government program?
• Voting is a PRIVILEGE. And so are property taxes....
• Guest Blog: Governor Doyle, cancel your Ireland trip
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| 2007 |
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February
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January
• Lots of ideas. No money.
• The Cigarette Tax - "Poor Policy Instrument?"
• School budget Lite?
• Frankenstein - not in the library, but in the legislature
• A librarian, a legislator, a president
• $1.25/pack - NO, NO, NO, and NO
• Kagen and Reagan in the same breath?
• Menasha: behind the 8-ball, but not biting the dust
• Any way you slice it, Wisconsin government wants (further) in on health care
• The World is Flat...what about health care?
• The PAC - too precious to fail. Day 3
• News follow-ups: Appleton West, Kagen at the White House
• Fox Cities PAC - too precious to fail - Day 2
• Fox Cities PAC - too precious to fail
• New Transit Tax coming your way
• Rep. Petri has his finger in the dike - I guess
• AASD Retirement Costs Burdensome
• Health care, health care, health care, health care
• Water rate increase was no slam dunk
• Education for all is just a bad dream
• New Year's resolutions from a parade snob
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