Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Tries Socialism

When it was in the best interest of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) to shift costs from their members to the general public, the Madison based lobbying cabal was never shy. One of the best examples of WMC hubris is found in their 2007-2008 Legislative Agenda, WMC, Standing Up for Business.

Tucked away on page ten is an agenda item that WMC says reflects "...our strong environmental ethic..."

Encourage the cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated sites by strengthening and improving tax and other financial incentives and liability protections.

In other words let government do it and take the money from the taxpayers.  Instead of having the responsible private property owners clean up the contamination, have everyone pay.

A little socialism right here in Wisconsin.

WMC is shameless. Contaminated brownfields are the responsibility of the owner. Property owners do not expect the rest of us to pay for the cost of grading, laying utility lines on their property, or preparing the site for construction.

American capitalism and free enterprise expect you, the homeowner, to pay your own bills the next time the furnace goes out or the roof needs repair. But WMC, filled with hubris, wants the rest of us to pay and provide financial incentives if some business finds its soil contaminated.

You have to wonder, if after the cleanup is complete and the land is productive, will WMC support the public getting a return on investment and a share in the profits?  I am not speaking of the normal property taxes - that is already expected of all private property owners. I am speaking of the return any investor or shareholder expects. Dividends. Pay outs. Big bucks.

They have absolutely no shame.

And there is more.

Comments

[nonheroicvet]

As I have said many times in the past - WMC and most Republicans are nothing but a bunch of freeloaders.