It's reached the point where I can't even read my own blog threads anymore. My recent Two Cents about what Dr. Martin Luther King would think about today's society resulted in an extended argument about city employee salaries and benefits. The same thing happened to yesterday's request to have Menasha Mayor Joe Laux apply for Oshkosh city manager. My call to have the same strong turnout we saw in the February primary at the April general election resulted in a discourse about teacher salaries and how much they actually "work".
A listener asked me (in person--a refreshing change in today's e-mail, instant messaging, texting dependent society) why I don't jump in on these discussions? As I told him, I would much rather honor those with good points in the medium where a much larger audience gets to hear them: right here on the radio.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Kudos to Esslinger! Last night during the workshop there was a presentation on the Wisconsin property tax system. The group making the presentation was making the case that in general, corporations in Wisconsin are paying less and less into the tax system. This deficit is becoming a problem. As an offset to Corps paying in less, the lower wage or middleclass family is paying more.
ReplyDeleteEsslinger commented about the story in Green Bay of Mayor Schmitt taking the bull by the horns and making a stand that expenses need to be trimmed as income from taxes would simply not create the revenue to meet the expenses.
I say congrats to the GB Mayor, and to Esslinger who is helping spread the word that as income becomes stagnant or reduced, our city expenses need to be reduced also, and that city worker healthcare costs (Oshkosh taxpayers pay 95%, workers pay 5%) are a big part of the problem we are in.
I will continue to read your blog Jonathan, but will no longer contribute, because the 2 or 3 people who just want a forum for their displeasure on "government workers and their benefits" continue to monopolize this space ad nauseum. They should really develop their own blog for their neverending, repetitive thoughts, but apparently have settled in here for the long term. Sad, because some very good conversations could be had about the subjects you choose.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, sorry you won't contribute anymore but glad you will continue to read the blog!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous #1 -- Can you explain why you think it is OK that companies like Microsoft and McDonalds pay ZERO taxes to the state of Wisconsin when they have millions in sales in Wisconsin. That is what the gentleman was trying to explain at the council meeting. A concept Mr. Esslinger seemed to have difficulty grasping.
ReplyDelete"Anonymous #1 -- Can you explain why you think it is OK that companies like Microsoft and McDonalds pay ZERO taxes to the state of Wisconsin when they have millions in sales in Wisconsin."
ReplyDeleteANSWER-
It think its totally WRONG that they don't!!!!!
But with the loopholes the system has, they get away with it.
The end result is that us little propertytax payers end up footing all the costs for everything.
If you say the program, you saw the bar graph.
I think Esslinger was pointing out that cities need to focus on where the costs really are if they want to cut costs in the face of declining revenue. And that starts with labor. Specifically healthcare contributions so out of line 95/5. He was echoing what the GB Mayor was stating and I think they both are right on target to the problem.
Copy and paste dude stretches even his own tactics to the limit. Get a life, pea-brain. Your cause is a lost one, or haven't you read about the arbitration win that wasn't?
ReplyDelete"Get a life, pea-brain. Your cause is a lost one"
ReplyDeleteI hope this is not representative of the typical union member employed by our city. That kind of derogatory language is a sign that if you really have no defense, you turn to name calling.
I agree with the fundamental concept written by the Green Bay Mayor that the cost to the taxpayer for funding employee healthcare is simply unaffordable.
"Green Bay Mayor Schmitt said he doesn't want to increase taxes are go to a levy referendum. What he wants to do is re-negotiate the expensive health care package for city employees.
The annual cost (for healthcare)is up to $16,000 per family. The mayor said, "We just can't afford that any more."
Pea brain is a fitting term since all copy and paste dude can focus on is on thing although pigheaded with no peripheral vision is a better description.
ReplyDeleteOh I think he has excellent "peripheral vision". He see's what's happening in Green Bay, He sees whats happening in the school systems. All these units of government are on a cut back mode. Labor/Fringes are getting to expensive.
ReplyDeleteJust because you don't like the message, don't shoot the messenger.
A true messenger would (1) tell the people who can make a difference in a way other than whining on blogs ad nauseum, and (2) possess enough intelligence to see that quid pro quo laws can't be changed by childlike whining and temper tantrums. For all his good intentions Green Bay's mayor can't change the laws either. SO much for heroism.
ReplyDeleteWe'll watch GB and see how that turns out. After all, unions aren't really "all that". You toss your brothers under the unemployed bus anyhow Quidy so no worrys for you Pal.
ReplyDeleteReally?? Please enlighten us as to who's become unemployed as a result of unions? You're just a whiner who's full of it! You've got repressed anger and resentment and blogs give you an outlet for your daily dose suffering. What a miserable old coot you are.
ReplyDeleteKudos to the Mayor!
ReplyDelete"Green Bay Mayor Schmitt said he doesn't want to increase taxes are go to a levy referendum. What he wants to do is re-negotiate the expensive health care package for city employees.
The annual cost (for healthcare) is up to $16,000 per family. The mayor said, "We just can't afford that any more."
Finally some real no-spin talk!
So, copy and paster, you still can't answer any real questions. You just foam at the mouth with your same old tired out mantra. Good riddance to you.
ReplyDeleteI still don't get why people think it is OK for multi-state (national) corporations to pay ZERO taxes in Wisconsin when all it would take to make them pay would be to enact the combined reporting law in Wisconsin:
ReplyDeleteHere is a brief explanation from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington DC: This law would bring in approximately $3billion to WI.
http://www.cbpp.org/4-5-07sfp.pdf
"By requiring corporate parents and subsidiaries to add their profits together, combined reporting states are able to nullify a variety of tax-avoidance strategies large multistate corporations have devised to artificially move profits out of the states in which they are earned and into states in which they will be taxed at lower rates — or not at all. These strategies cost the non-combined reporting states billions of dollars of lost corporate income tax revenue they need to finance essential public services, like education and health care. Households and small businesses, which do not have the opportunities or resources to engage in interstate income-shifting, end up paying higher taxes than necessary to make up for the taxes that large corporations are able to avoid."
This law could lower property taxes for individuals and small businesses and allow services to continue at the current rates, I honestly don't know why anyone would be opposed.
So, copy and paster, you still can't answer any real questions. You just foam at the mouth with your same old tired out mantra. Good riddance to you.
ReplyDelete