UW System and the Budget

[paul253]

In some form or another, guns, cars, cellphones, alcohol and fast food can all be considered dangerous, so why not just raise all of the taxes on them? Like I said before, I couldn't care less how much a pack of cigarettes cost because I don't smoke, but that doesn't mean I want them to continually raising the tax. We already live in one of the highest taxed states in the union. Everyone whines about jobs leaving the state, college grads leaving the state, and so on, yet we continue to raise tax after tax after tax, basically forcing people out. This past budget originally wanted to raise the cigarette tax, to raise the oil tax, to create a hospital tax, and to raise the registration fee for vehicles. People who know anything about the free market know that if a hospital or oil company is taxed, those taxes are being passed along to the consumers, so the state may as well bill us directly. This state absolutely has got to learn how to control spending. For heavens sake, the governor was threatening to shut down the entire university system because he wasn't getting enough money, but at the same time he wanted to send people, who don't even have a legal right to be in this country, to those same universities, at taxpayer cost. How backward is that? He also wants to guarantee a spot in our college system for every high school student that maintains a B average and meets some other basic requirements. According to the JS, not even the governor know what that will cost, but I can bet it's going to take higher taxes to pay for.

[PeaveyFury]

Budget is in.

 

http://www.channel3000.com/politics/14379766/detail.html

[brewcrewman17]

This past budget originally wanted to raise the cigarette tax, to raise the oil tax, to create a hospital tax, and to raise the registration fee for vehicles

Aren't these all "voluntary" taxes though when you really think about it? - don't want to pay the cigarette tax? don't smoke. don't want to pay the oil tax that will theoretically get passed on to the consumer? take the bus - same goes for registration fee for vehicles. The governor even tried to make it easier for people to commute in the most populated area in the state by extending the Metra line from Kenosha to Milwaukee, but alas, no funding.

 

And this talk about college grads leaving Wisconsin because of high taxes... I'm sure that's part of it - but this new budget aims to curb the rise in property taxes in the future. And not only that, I'm not convinced Wisconsin students are leaving because of the taxes... it's the horrible job market in Wisconsin when two neighboring states have average salaries about $10,000 above Wisconsin's average salary. Not only that, but I know myself that a lot of students are turned off by a government that refuses to fully fund the UW system, so these promises to highschoolers about guaranteed admission will certainly help with that problem. I like this budget for the most part, although I would have liked to have seen an increase in mass transit options... I'd think if people were given good options in mass transit they could save a lot of money sans car payment, registration fee, and fuel costs, not to mention the other numerous costs involved with car ownership.

[danzig6767]

This past budget originally wanted to raise the cigarette tax, to raise the oil tax, to create a hospital tax, and to raise the registration fee for vehicles

Aren't these all "voluntary" taxes though when you really think about it? - don't want to pay the cigarette tax? don't smoke. don't want to pay the oil tax that will theoretically get passed on to the consumer? take the bus - same goes for registration fee for vehicles. The governor even tried to make it easier for people to commute in the most populated area in the state by extending the Metra line from Kenosha to Milwaukee, but alas, no funding.

 

And this talk about college grads leaving Wisconsin because of high taxes... I'm sure that's part of it - but this new budget aims to curb the rise in property taxes in the future. And not only that, I'm not convinced Wisconsin students are leaving because of the taxes... it's the horrible job market in Wisconsin when two neighboring states have average salaries about $10,000 above Wisconsin's average salary. Not only that, but I know myself that a lot of students are turned off by a government that refuses to fully fund the UW system, so these promises to highschoolers about guaranteed admission will certainly help with that problem. I like this budget for the most part, although I would have liked to have seen an increase in mass transit options... I'd think if people were given good options in mass transit they could save a lot of money sans car payment, registration fee, and fuel costs, not to mention the other numerous costs involved with car ownership.

1.How do you figure those are voluntary taxes?The government can choose whatever it pleases to tax that people use or enjoy that takes even more money out of peoples pockets and none would be voluntary.Instead of reaching even deeper in citizens pockets,hows this for a novel idea for the government,stop spending so much damn money and leave the money in the free market?Finding separate things to tax is simply politicians way to grab more money without as much political backlash to them as possible.

2.As for more mass transit,i don't agree with you that alot of people are looking badly for that option compared to their car regardless if it would save them money.Outside of broke students,the small minority who don't drive,and a select few other people,how many folks out there really are going to get rid of their cars to take a bus,train,or rail system?I honestly can't think of a single person i know who would do that.Not to mention,for alot of mass transit stuff being proposed,people would need to drive to get to the places where the trains/rail cars are at from their own home/apartment.How many people are going to get in their car,drive to where the mass transit place is,and then get out of their car to hop on some rail car?

Milwaukee and Wisconsin in general doesn't have the congestion and lack of parking that makes mass transit so much a huge need in other cities.It's spread out enough that it's easier for the vast vast majority to just get in their car and drive to where they want to go.I've lived in the Milwaukee area a long time and haven't ever heard a single person say they wish they had a mass transit option available so that they could use their car less often,much less get rid of their car entirely.Sure for things like Summerfest,other big event,and maybe getting to Chicago there would be hide rider levels.For the vast majority though,they like the convenience of their car and won't bother with the hassle of mass transit.Unless your on the route or by the station and the route goes to exactly where you need to go,why wouldn't it be much easier to just get in a car and drive to your destination?

 

[paul253]

They're is no such thing as voluntary taxes. First of all, I don't smoke, and as I've stated before, I really don't care how much a pack of cigarettes cost, but that doesn't mean I agree with the idea of continually raising the tax just because they can. Second of all, as I have pointed out before, taxes on oil companies and hospitals are simply going to get passed onto the consumers, and the governor knows that. He's playing politics. Most people don't choose when they go to the hospital, they end up there. Hospitals are losing enough money by taking people without insurance. The only reason they supported the tax after all was because Federal Medicaid reinbursement payments would go up.

 

As far as mass transit, I am not opposed to it, and I don't think most people are either. I will gladly use the mass transit system if it makes things more convenient for me, which it isn't. For instance, if a shuttle would pick me up from say, Bayshore, and go directly to Miller Park or the BC for a cost of about $3 or $4, I'd use it. Or if i could get to work without having to take one bus, get off, walk a block, get on another bus, get off, and walk 4 blocks to work, maybe I'd use that too. The fact is, this people are trying to force mass transit on us. I have never been opposed to trains, but supporters want to go ape**** with it and build a system throughout all of SE WI that costs like $100 million, and they want to do it now. I've always said I'd support one rail line that goes directly from Waukesha to downtown Milwaukee, running mainly during work hours, and makes stops at say State Fair Park, maybe Brookfield Square,, (Miller Park for games) and 2 or 3 places downtown. If we see workers beginning to use it and traffic ease up on the freeways, I'd extend it to the airport. If that works, extend it to Racine with stops at a few south suburban locations. If that works, make a line that goes to Bayshore and further north. But don't build the entire thing at once just praying people are going to use it, using arguments like...."well Portland has a choo-choo train so why can't we?"

 

One last point, regarding funding the UW system fully. Our governor wants to send illegal immigrants to the universities at taxpayer expense. Is he really the one that we should trust making the best decisions for the schools?

[wallus]

The higher the cig tax, the better as far as I am concerned.

[PeaveyFury]

Our governor wants to send illegal immigrants to the universities at taxpayer expense. Is he really the one that we should trust making the best decisions for the schools?

 

This thread has apparently gone as far as it can go without crossing the political line.