Tag: wisconsin

#rsrh QotD, Harbinger of DOOM edition.

From the WaPo, on the President’s no-doubt-temporary inability to rally the youth vote:

On Saturday, student organizers waved signs outside Camp Randall Stadium [at the University of Wisconsin] as thousands of fans filed out of the football game. The Badgers won in a rout, and the young Democrats tried to break through the excitement of the game with perhaps a more exciting announcement: “President Obama on campus Tuesday!”

Some fans gave thumbs up or yelled “Go, Obama!” Others responded disapprovingly, as in “How’s that hope and change working out for you?” Hundreds more walked past in their red-and-white gear without paying any attention.

Bolding mine: it’s nice to see the kids mock all those no-longer-trendy Democrats, but it’s even nicer to see rather more of them ignore them totally.

Moe Lane

PS: Ron Johnson for Senate; and Scott Walker for Governor.  And click the NRCC link on the side there for the House candidates.

“Who is Elizabeth M. Ackland?”

No, I’m not doing an update of Atlas Shrugged – the name doesn’t really scan, does it? – but I’d like to note that Ms. Ackland features rather prominently in a Russ Feingold ad:

One of the people whose Russ Feingold’s tireless work in the Senate has benefited with a job!  Isn’t she lucky, in this wonderful, Democratic-controlled economic environment of 9.5% national unemployment!  Just one small problem, though: she’s apparently not real. Continue reading “Who is Elizabeth M. Ackland?”

State of the Race: Sean Duffy, (R CAND, WI-07)

I was able to talk for a few minutes about the state of Sean’s race against David Obey over in WI-07:

Obey is in one of those seats that usually looks untouchable, and pretty much is effectively untouchable, most years; but this isn’t one of those years. The man has a lot of explaining to do, both in terms of his political party and his behavior as Appropriations Chair… which is one reason why Cook is rating this one as no better for Obey than Likely Democratic.

Sean’s website is here: check him out again.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Wisconsin is now *totally* punk.

The funny part? I wish that this wasn’t just a goof-up.

Madison — As the state agency charged with running elections, the Government Accountability Board can’t show favor for Republicans or Democrats.

But is it biased toward anarchists?

The board recently launched a new logo – an A inside a circle – that looks similar to the traditional symbol for anarchy.

Continue reading Wisconsin is now *totally* punk.

Phosphate madness comes to Wisconsin?

Like Lakeshore Laments, back in April I commented on the fairly obvious results of banning phosphates in Washington state (here and here): short version is, you end up with people driving out of state to get products that work and snarky conservatives pointing out to libertarians that elections have consequences.

Well, guess that we’ll have to do that again: only this time, it’ll involve people from Wisconsin.  Which this time includes Lakeshore Laments, whom I’m pretty sure does not need to be told the bit on consequences: Continue reading Phosphate madness comes to Wisconsin?

Democrats in Wisconsin trying to extend, bloat cell phone tax.

There is no such thing as a temporary tax.

There are merely taxes that people pay attention to, and then there are taxes that people forget about. And once they forget about them, the government can safely and quietly make them permanent. Wisconsin’s cell phone tax is a case in point:

In 2003, the state created the cell phone tax to upgrade 911 response services. When the upgrade was done, it left a balance of $20 million in the state’s coffers, which was slated to be returned back to consumers as a credit on their phone bill.

However, Gov. [Jim] Doyle has now proposed extending the cell phone tax, raising it by 75-cents, and then making it applicable to all landlines as well. Oh, then he would then add another 56-cent tax to cell phones for the state’s Universal Service Fund, which has nothing to do with cell phone usage. All told, the proposal amounts to a $100 million per year tax increase on cell phone users.

See also local blogs Wigderson Library & Pub, No Runny Eggs, and Boots and Sabers for more details. I will repeat: this is how permanent tax hikes happen. It’s easy to put them in – and once they’re there, they’re staying there, as Wigderson reminded us about the 100 year old phone tax. Remember that any government will always consider a tax to be justified (otherwise, it wouldn’t impose it in the first place), and will thus think nothing of trying to find some way to keep it, and the revenue that it represents.  That’s just the way the world works – and that’s one reason why the GOP defaults to supporting tax cuts: it’s always a safe bet to make that the government’s taking too much of your money.

Needless to say, both the Governor and the state legislature of Wisconsin are Democratic. Still, that party’s control of the legislature is by thin margins, so pushback is possible. People are coordinating one through here and here; I suggest that people check it out, particularly the ones from Wisconsin itself.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.