Jay Weber Show transcript 11-27-24
Here’s some good news-and this is- all Republicans, folks: the non-partisan Wisconsin policy forum says that Wisconsin has dropped from a high of ‘third worst’ for state and local tax burden…all the way down to 35th.
Moreover-Let this sink in: Wisconsinites are paying the lowest percentage of their income in state taxes- ever. Ever. In the history of the state.
At least since the records have been kept tracked.
This is based on 2022 numbers, because they are the latest, they must analyze, apparently.
But this is impressive-and we should thank the republican lawmakers stretching back to Scott Walker and the Fitzgerald’s who led that 2010 caucus to start the turn around with act ten- and all the consecutive legislatures since- whose leaders have found ways to keep cutting taxes. Lowering the burden. Eliminating the state portion of property taxes. Lowering brackets. Etc.
This is big. It’s what we, the people, sent republicans to Madison to do. I know the unified party we had under Walker has splintered since. We have more griping and carping and misguided moaning than we ever have.
Hell, I’ve gotten heat over the years for simply complimenting and defending our GOP lawmakers when they deserve it-
Some people only want to ever walk around under a dark cloud and be critical.
Tomorrow’s thanksgiving. Give some thanks for this, and for our continued GOP control in Madison. At least control of the budget.
The WI Policy Forum found:
They mention our highest ever being 2000. I can remember those days. 2000 was the end of the Tommy Thompson era, and we were number three in overall tax burden, yet tommy acolytes get upset at me when i tell the truth on this one: Tommy Thompson was a ‘spend it as it comes in’ governor in a time of prosperity, when he could have been a small govt reformer. Instead, Thompson expanded state government.
And then- Jim Doyle expanded it more. Taxed and spent even more. He outspent what was coming into the treasury-to the point that he had a three-billion-dollar structural deficit in the budget when he left office. So unpopular with voters that he decided to not even run again…
I remember thinking back in 2000 that this is never going to get better. My property taxes are only going to keep skyrocketing. We are never going to get relief from this. I probably won’t be able to retire and stay in Wisconsin.
I vividly remember listening to belling one autumn, with my headphones on, out splitting wood, getting depressed over how much Doyle was screwing us and how he and the dems were going to raise taxes-again- to try to keep up with his spending.
Then came walker, act ten, reform-minded government. More reasonable spending increases. Budgets that weren’t only balanced but were set up to run at a little bit of a surplus, to make sure our state’s bills were paid.
And folks- just last week- Governor Evers announced that we are expecting to have a four-billion-dollar surplus at the conclusion if this current budget- in the middle of next year.
Republicans have done this. Evers has been a bystander as governor-and if anything-has insisted we and our GOP lawmakers spend more than they have wanted to over the last 6 years…as Evers has been in office.
He has only ever proposed massive new spending in his budgets. He wants to spend billions of dollars more every time he and Maggie Gau, the real governor, submit a budget. It will be the same thing in spring.
It has been the republicans that have kept Evers in check…and have continued this run of responsible, pro-growth, surplus budgets.
If immense credit needs to be given to Walker and Scott and Jeff Fitzgerald and that legislature for passing act ten and getting the more responsible run of budgets rolling…
Then Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald and Devin LeMahieu and the more recent GOP legislatures need to be given immense credit for keeping this going.
Instead, all they ever seem to get is crap from people who want them to be more ‘Trumpy’...or who are still angry at them because they still aren’t obsessed with the 2020 election…or whatever.
I am a commonsense conservative…and more than anything else. I am a fiscal conservative: it is the idea of smaller, less intrusive, lower tax government that really interests me more than anything. First principals. Individual freedom. The American dream. Keeping what you earn to prosper on your own and elevate your family, generationally.
The social conservatism interests me as well-but i am primarily driven by fiscal conservatism.
And so…
Let’s at least stop and pause today…in this week of Thanksgiving….and acknowledge how far WI Republicans have taken us in this regard over the last 14 years: from third highest state and local tax burden in the country…own to 35th.
Whine and moan about ticky-tack nonsense if you want. Moan about Robin or Devin for your own petty and ridiculous reasons if you want…but that’s impressive.
Then understand that-if it wasn’t for Governor Evers- this tax burden would be even lower. Evers has stopped these republicans from cutting taxes even more. And has stopped them at least twice from giving more of the surplus back to the taxpayers it was taken from…
And you watch…. this nob is going to do it again in spring. Watch Tony Evers refuse-again-to return any significant portion of this four-billion-dollar surplus to the taxpayers.
And-thru–out the budget process- watch Vos and LeMahieu and the republicans- again- under cut and block Evers everywhere they can-as he insists it needs to be spent on expanded government. More govt handouts. More permanent programs to grow our tax burden, again.
And as you watch that- think about how amazing it would be to keep this run of fiscal responsibility and conservatism going….by retaking control of the state Supreme Court in spring by electing Brad Shimmel to it…. instead of another lefty member-
Because at this point-only that liberal court can destroy and dismantle the republicans good work over the last decade and a half. And boy, will they try. Act ten is next on the chopping block-
And then- in understand the importance of having the state elect a republican governor in 2026: one that could pick up where Scott Walker left off-and continue to lower our taxes-but also-finally- pass a bunch of pent-up legislation that Evers won’t allow to pass into law: like the remaining ‘election integrity’ reform that needs to get done in order to ensure fair elections in this state…etc.
A GOP governor in 26- would be huge. And nearly as big: getting Brad Shimmel onto the state supreme court as a buffer against the leftist attempt to undo all the republican’s good reform work over the last decade and a half.
But-to learn that -at least statistically-your state and local tax burden hasn’t gone up over the last 14 years, but has gone down a little?
That’s good news.
Everyone’s situation is different-but that’s good news: Wisconsin actually has become a state that is in the lower third of all states when it comes to the local and state tax burden: number 35. All the way owns from number 3…in the Doyle/Thompson era.
photo credit: Getty Images
story credit: The Wisconsin Policy Forum
audio version of the segment here > Wisconsin goes from #3 highest taxed State to #35. ALL REPUBLICANS BABY!