Mark Green: Fiscally Unqualified to Be Governor

Mark Green gives the word 'hypocrite' a bad name. Mark 'Deficit' Green gives a whole new meaning to the word shameless.

Mark Green unveiled a plan Monday designed to obfuscate his outrageous record as a big time wastrel and major deficit spender.

Answer #1: Mark Green

Question #1: Was Wisconsin's State-Local Tax burden higher (worse) when Wisconsin legislator Mark Green approved state budgets or during the three years Jim Doyle served as Governor?

Hint #1: According to the Tax Foundation, the burden was 12.17% for Green-approved budgets and it was down to 11.54% for Governor James Doyle's years.

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Answer #2: James Doyle's administration

Question #2: When was Wisconsin's State-Local Tax burden better, and therefore closer to the average tax burden for the entire United States?

Hint #2: According to the Tax Foundation, Wisconsin's individual tax burden far exceeded the nation's while Mark Green approved Governor Thompson's budgets from 1993-1998.

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Answer #3: Mark Green

Question #3: According to our buddies at the Tax Foundation, which Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce relies on for their 'research,' does Wisconsin rank worse, when ranked with all 50 states, in terms of state-local tax burden when Green approved the budgets, or when Governor Doyle prepared them?

Hint #3: Sorry, if you still need one, go back to your caucus.

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• Bonus Round: According to most experts, over the last four years the United States Congress has broken all records for budget irresponsibility by funding the costly war in Iraq, providing graft for major corporations, and simultaneously cutting taxes on the rich, which resulted in the greatest budget deficits in the history of the planet.
  • Which Wisconsin candidate for governor, willingly approved the budgets and encouraged the record deficits by voting for the reckless spending and tax cuts for the rich?  Hint : the name is Mark Green.

Conclusions:

• You know I question the accuracy of the Tax Foundation's numbers as to actual tax burden. However while the actual tax burden data is inaccurate, the relative numbers--Wisconsin's improvement since the 1990's, and its improvement relative to the rest of the nation, are accurate.
• Mark Green was part of the leadership in the legislature that did not, during prosperous times, prepare Wisconsin for the recession that led to serious deficits after 2002.  This is not an isolated incident of Green's irresponsibility.
• Mark Green's participation and complicity in the record federal budget disaster which even our children will pass on to their children, coupled with his Wisconsin culpability, makes him totally unfit to govern this state.

Mark Green = Spectacularly Unqualified in Fiscal Affairs.

Yesterday's Mark Green post: Don't Trust This Man to Run Your Business or Your State 

Comments

[Flap Doodle]

The state-local tax burden still sucks. And by any measure the Wisconsin tax burden is one of the nation's worst. Well, by any measure except one liberals invent to make Doyle look less like the ethically-challenged, politically tone-deaf guy he is.

Mark Green was one of many legislators during the Thompson era. One could make the case this way for riding Fred Risser out of town on a rail.

I still have a blue and white Soglin sign from the 70s.

FD

[Paul]

FD: The local state tax burden does suck but it is a result of factors not related to spending. In other words, the problem is a result of the taxes being collected from the wrong people and how tax relief is distributed. Wisconsin's per capita spending is reasonable.

That was the battle I used to wage over the state's shared revenue formula. In addition, too many tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy shifted the burden onto middle income families.

Keep the blue and white sign, though I don't know what it can be used for.

[Brad Young]

Hello Again Paul,

I am taking my healthcare hat off and puting on my citizen's hat.

The topic is your response to my comments on your Tabor blog and Healthcare collaboration in this effort. I believe in your response that 12.5% of WMC Board of Directors were related to Healthcare. Of which, how much are insurance companies vs. actual care providers? I believe we are down to half of the 12.5% for actual health care providers.

Paul, you have spent most of your life finding the middle ground to get your agenda done. Do you really think that 6 or 7 percent of the WMC Board can make the difference on their positions? Do you think WHA members should stop participation because of one issue or should they be there promoting comprehensive health care coverage for all?

Healthcare providers have many problems. You are a smart guy and know that there is the hidden cost of insurance because of cost shifting to the private payers from the under insured and Medicare/Medicaid patients.

This a a national problem. I view you as a pragmatic individual. I think that you and I are on the same page. But to imply Hospitals are for Tabor is way out of the ballpark.

I moved to Madison in 1991 and always respected you and still do. Someday, I might have the honor of meeting with you. In the meantime I would hope that you reach out to your constituents where you have a common cause.

Start with the Hospitals. You know the people to call.

Brad Young

http://www.waxingamerica.com/2006/04/time_for_mark_g.html#comments
Brad Young
3228 Stonecreek Drive
Madison, WI 53719

[JD Peterson]

Wow, such nonsense..."The local state tax burden does suck but it is a result of factors not related to spending". So you're happy with the current tax level- you just want more from the rich and less from the poor. Spoken like a true socialist.

Our money (the taxpayers money) is completely mismanaged by those we have entrusted it to. Start with the schools. Milwaukee schools are a disaster, Milwaukee suburbs schools are disaster. If you're too blind to see that there's no hope. Who's to blame? The union and those in Gov't that kowtow to them.

In the state my brother lives his property taxes for a 4 bedroom ranch on 4 acres is $800. His son has gotten an excellent education and in fact he and his classmates were paid $100 for perfect attendance at a 3 week summer school program. How is it other states do more with less? Mismanagement.

Sorry if I got off point but saying spending isn't the problem is ignorance.

[Paul]

JD:
How do other states do it? simple. They rely less on property taxes and more on income and sales taxes. Some are managed better, some are managed worse than Wisconsin, but most are managed the same--mediocre. I would not paint a broad canvas that all governments are mismanaged. For real reform in Wisconsin we need two things: restructuring of our tax system and a commitment to improve management.

As for the unions, I think we have many fine examples (Sanitation collection in Madison) where unions, given a chance to work with committed managers, will work as a team to make service better at a fair price. The problem is not the unions...the problem is conservatives who bash them and liberals who are afraid to manage. The result is the same.

Most employees want respect and to take pride in their work.