Community Quotes #2

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It's been a long, long time since I posted the last "Community Quotes" column. This collection of quotes is an alternate version to the Janesville Gazette's "Sound Off" column. It is meant to provide further discussion and accurately reflects the social/political majority and values of the area.

On Scott Walker's Criminal Scheme:
✦ Just when you think you've seen the worst, Governor Walker does it again. When will the press and voters hold him accountable?

✦ This shows clearly who Gov. Walker works for, and it's not us. If ever a governor needed to be removed from office, it's the one we have now. Go ahead folks, vote for Scott Walker again and get more of the same criminal behavior.

✦ The case against Scott Walker is still pending and regardless of which way a final ruling might go, Walker as an elected official, owes the people of Wisconsin answers to many of the questions raised by the evidence. It's less about legality and more about public trust.

Scott Walker's Act 10 Budget:
✦ People stating that Walker balanced the budget without increasing debt are being willfully deceptive or are misinformed. Walker increased state debt in his two budgets by borrowing $4B to balance. That's not a problem if borrowing to balance is acceptable to you. But if you voted for Scott Walker, you should reconcile the borrowing with his Brown Bag Rule #1: Don't spend more than you have. Clearly, he failed.

On Talk Of GM coming back to Janesville:
✦ Yes. let's bring GM back so then we can have a large part of the workforce doing uneducated, factory labor for a company that could easilly get up and leave again on a whim. let's do the same thing we did before because that clearly worked out so well. How about more jobs for people who actually have college degrees?

✦ The last time GM opened for business in Janesville, they created a minimum of 2,500 family raising jobs, bringing a $150 million annual global payroll to the area ...for 90 years. It was horrr-rible.

On Janesville's New City Manager:
✦ Hopefully he had no connections to any power house big wigs in this area. Would be great to have a new perspective.

✦ He was appointed by them. Who do you think is advising and training him?

✦ So Colonel Freitag called an "all hands on deck" meeting for a pep talk with Janesville municipal employees. Wonder if he lightened the mood for the meeting with Scott Walker's top ten ode to public employees?

✦ Don't personally know him, he could be a great guy. But City Manager Mark Freitag is beginning to sound like a Forward Janesville tax shifter and spender. He seems to think our local tax treasury is as bottomless as the federal government's. Hold on to your wallets.

On Democratic Candidates, Bipartisanship and Forward Janesville:
✦ A Democrat working with or supporting Forward Janeville's legislative agenda is no different than being Republican. Janesville, you may as well re-elect their tool, Joe Knilans.

✦ When I hear a local Dem running for office talking about how they will work with the other side to promote bipartisanship, I want to throw up. This is not 1975. It's not 1990. Heck it's not even 2000. If Tim Cullen couldn't convince Republicans to drop their assault, don't tell me you can. I want someone who will stand up to them. Not wave the white flag. We are not them. Get it?

✦ So local Dem candidates are talking about working with Forward Janesville? What changed? Did FJ members apologize? Did they drop their war on workers, unions or teachers? Did they ever stop laughing at the notion that area workers will be forced to work for less now that GM is gone? Dems are making a mistake telling voters they'll work with FJ after what FJ did to us. I won't be part of aiding the enemy and would rather skip voting in this senate race if that's what we have.

On Janesville's Property Tax Road Hike Referendum:
✦ Funny how so many in the Janesville Gazette's anonymous "Sound Off" column state the dire importance of funding local road maintenance, but when Forward Janesville's leadership supported deeper cuts in state aid for local roads, not one of them voiced their concern.

✦ Let me get this straight: Forward Janesville and the road cartel can simply lobby state legislators to spend $1B to double the lanes of I39/90 and have their way, no referendum needed. But Janesville residents have to referendum themselves a property tax increase to maintain our local roads? On property taxes? No way. We pay our taxes. Walker supposedly had a surplus. Why didn't he increase road funding to locals instead? Oh I forgot, it's an election year.

✦ Wow. So the Janesville city council want property owners to increase taxes on themselves to pay for road maintenance. Yet the council refused to raise the Walker Wheel Fee on their own when they had the chance. Why does the council approve a tax rate hike through referendum they wouldn't approve themselves?

✦ This referendum should be called the "Forward Janesville Suckers Pay" referendum since they were the loudest local supporters for dropping state funding levels for our streets. Charge their membership to make up the difference in state aid to pay for Janesville's streets since they lobbied for it. This is Forward Janesville's puppy.

✦ Hilarious hearing Janesville council members rationalize foisting a tax hike referendum on property taxpayers for roads. "The wheel tax is regressive because it's not tied to the value of the vehicle." Seriously? No. It is regressive, but not for that reason. Any tax that is income blind of the person paying it, is regressive. Property taxes are not the worst offenders, but they're in the top three.

✦ Had to shake my head when council member Doug Marklein stated that the $10 wheel tax is very unpopular, yet he is selling a permanent annual $30 to $40 property tax hike to supplement it as the next best thing.

✦ If Janesville residents vote themselves a property tax hike to replace withheld state aid for roads they already paid, Gov. Scott Walker wins.

ADDITIONAL

RNR - Community Quotes #1 Post (Oct. 2013)