Joint Finance Committee Asked to Include 1% Sales Tax For Milwaukee County in Budget

by capper

As previously posted by Dan Cody and Jason Haas, the Quality of Life Alliance, another group I have ties to, have released the following press release:

The Quality of Life Alliance, a group I’m a part of, released the following press release today asking for the Joint Finance Committee to include the voter approved 1% sales tax for Milwaukee County in the upcoming budget.

For the sake of our Park System, Transit, and Emergency Medical Systems, we are asking the Joint Finance Committee to include in the next State budget what the citizens of Milwaukee County have already approved: a one percent sales tax increase that will provide sustainable, dedicated funding for Parks, Transit and EMS.

“Please don?t continue to allow the voices of the 400,000 people who voted in November?s referendum to be ignored”, remarked Cheri Briscoe of Sierra Club-Great Waters Group and Quality of Life Alliance member. The referendum was advisory and requires action from the state to be enacted.

“Our Milwaukee County Park System, once proud and strong, is now limping along with an ever decreasing staff to perform daily maintenance and a log of deferred maintenance for its facilities of nearly $275 million,” added Jim Goulee, a QLA member who is also on the Board of Directors for Preserve our Parks.

This group’s attempt to gain local legislative support for enabling legislation from our state legislators was unfortunately, a tough sell. The Governor instead inserted the creation of RTA for Milwaukee, Kenosha, and Racine and funded by a sales and use tax in his proposed budget, leaving out any support for Milwaukee County Parks.

It is now becoming apparent that the proposal for the creation of the Southeastern Wisconsin RTA is not finding the necessary support from the Joint Finance Committee and may not be included in their version of the state budget. Instituting the sales tax increase in Milwaukee County would, in fact, provide the source of funding needed for a Milwaukee County RTA and could easily accommodate a broader RTA if and when it is created.

“Milwaukee County needs property tax relief and we need a solution to our looming transit and parks crisis,” commented County Supervisor Chris Larson, Quality of Life Alliance spokesperson. “Milwaukee County needs the 1% sales tax that was passed in referendum nearly months ago. Property tax payers can?t wait any longer, transit riders can?t wait, any longer, and all our neighbors who love our parks shouldn?t have to wait any longer to see these problems fixed.”

Quality of Life Alliance (QLA) is a grassroots organization made up of representing a wide swatch of Milwaukee County?s concerned citizens set out to improve our community for a stronger future. Members of the Quality of Life Alliance include transit riders, union leaders, parks supporters, and business men and women, and everyday citizens who are deeply concerned about the future of Milwaukee County and all of Southeastern Wisconsin. Quality of Life Alliance provided the advocacy effort that led to the passage of the sales tax/property tax relief referendum last November. The Quality of Life Alliance is a registered political action committee based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It’s important the members of the Joint Finance Committee understand the importance of this dedicated funding source to the regions well being for decades to come. All we’re asking is to let the voices of the people of Milwaukee County be heard on this issue.

If you know any of the members of the JFC from the Milwaukee area like Rep. Tamara Grigsby, Rep. Pedro Colon, Sen. Lena Taylor or Sen. Alberta Darling, please contact them to voice your support.

Crossposted at Whallah!, Cog Dis, and Uppity Wisconsin.

That's one way to stop it

by folkbum

This is why I like My State Senator:

State Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) said Tuesday he will try to pass a law that would prevent the Department of Transportation from expanding I-94 in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties.

"Reconstruction of the freeway is needed; expansion is not," Carpenter said in a press release.

When the DOT's own studies say that widening the freeway will have no beneficial effect decades out, why they persist in doing it is a mystery only the highway lobby can solve.

Time To Go To Override

by capper

I wrote last week about the importance of the Milwaukee County Board to override Scott Walker's veto of the sales tax referendum.

Walker has, in the last week, offered up a lot of rhetoric in trying to persuade the Board in not going for the override. His rhetoric is full of false arguments, and a dose of hypocrisy. He claims that the sales tax would make Milwaukee County a "tax oasis", drive business out of Milwaukee County, wouldn't really provide tax relieve, and that the voters already had such a referendum when they re-elected him last April.

I wrote a piece nearly a year ago, at this here site, on the irrational argument of a sales tax making Milwaukee County a "tax oasis." And at that time, gas was relatively cheap at $3 a gallon. Now that gas is hovering around the $4 a gallon range, his argument is even more specious. His supporters try to argue about how much money they could save on a large purchase, ranging in the thousands of dollars. But in today's economy, how many people are going to be willing to make purchases that large on a regular basis? Not many, I'm sure.

In the same piece, I pointed out that the sales tax in Milwaukee County was already higher than that in surrounding counties, but that businesses were still thriving in Milwaukee. Having an even higher sales tax in Chicago doesn't appear to have shut that city down either. If anything, major employers, like Miller, are leaving Milwaukee, but it has nothing to do with the taxes. But transportation seems to have more of an effect on the issue.

Walker is absolutely incorrect when he says that the sales tax won't provide property tax relief. It will do so. Walker is hoping that people will confuse tax relief with tax prevention. It won't keep taxes from going up indefinitely, but it will ease the pain. More long-lasting tax relief would come from things Walker and his ilk oppose, like a rational approach to health care, developing alternative forms of energy and making corporations pay their fair share of taxes. The hypocritical part comes in when Walker argues that in the '90s tax relief measures still resulted in higher taxes. It is hypocritical of Walker to say this, as that a major reason for the increase in county taxes was due to the State government short-changing Milwaukee County (something that he still complains about), due to budgets that he and his Republican allies helped forge and pass.

Walker's assertions about the referendum already being held is as equally laughable as the rest of his arguments. Yes, he was elected by a respectable margin. But so were the members of the County board who are poised to override his veto.

The thing that Walker hasn't mentioned in his arguments about how much the sales tax would cost us, is how much more it would cost the county to have a failing transit system or a parks system that is in ruins. That would do more to drive away taxpayers and businesses alike.

It's not too late to call your local county board supervisor, and encourage him or her to override the veto. You can get the contact information for your Supervisor here, and if you don't know who your Supervisor is, you can find out by clicking here.

Cross posted at Cognitive Dissendence, with the slightest in modifications for coherency purposes.

How Are Those Talking Points Working Out?

by capper

During the course of the last year, we have had a deluge of talking points from the right side of the blogosphere, all in an effort to sway the elections their way. We have heard about how property taxes and sales taxes are too high, that light rail is the devil's work, and that the KRM would be just a waste of taxpayers' money, to name but a few.

These talking points helped get Scott Walker re-elected this past spring. He even ran commercials on the subject of taxes, and how an increase in taxes would drive Miller out of town:




Well, I guess that didn't work out as promised. MillerCoors announced that they will be moving their headquarters to Chicago, along with a couple hundred high-paying white collar jobs.

But their move wasn't based on taxes (emphasis mine):

In addition to being a neutral site, Chicago presents a more attractive location than either Milwaukee or Denver for the marketing talent that MillerCoors needs to be successful, Long said.

Chicago also boasts O'Hare International Airport, the world's second busiest airport. O'Hare offers global air connections, an important consideration for a company that is partly owned by London-based SABMiller.

Long said those factors outweighed the higher cost of doing business in downtown Chicago, where a specific site for the headquarters has not yet been disclosed.

He said taxes were not a deciding factor in evaluating headquarters sites, which included Dallas as a finalist. Illinois has a corporate tax rate of 7.3%, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. That compares with 7.9% in Wisconsin, 4.63% in Colorado and 0.5% to 1% in Texas.

Need I point out that Chicago also has a high quality mass transit system, that includes a rail component?

Even though their headquarters will be in Chicago, MillerCoors has promised to not only leave their brewery here, but invest heavily into it in order to expand production. With their headquarters there, and their brewery here, I wonder what they would say about having a nice, efficient rail system connecting them?

Meanwhile, due to insufficient revenues, our parks and transit systems are being found to be subpar. It is way beyond time for the people's voice to be heard, and the sales tax referendum needs to be allowed to happen, before we lose more businesses and people due to the poor quality of life Milwaukee County is becoming known for.

Contact your County Board Supervisor and urge him or her to override Walker's veto on July 24th. If you don't know who your supervisor is, you can find out by clicking here.

Scott Walker is Dumb. But I repeat myself. Literally.

by folkbum

Scott Walker has threatened to veto, for what must be the bazillionth time, an advisory referendum on raising the Milwaukee County sales tax to fund, among other things, parks, transit, and emergency medical services. In honor of that, I would like to reprint, wholesale, the post I wrote the last time he vetoed the referendum.

I don't know how else to put it. Scott Walker is just dumb.

Today he vetoed an advisory referendum on raising the Milwaukee County sales tax one cent in order to fund the public services he won't, and offer a little property tax relief on the side. If passed, this would not of itself raise taxes--it would merely advise the county supervisors whether the public is in favor of the increase or not.

If the public votes no, Scott Walker is vindicated in his and his suburb-dwelling radio chorus's constant no-tax crusade. He can rub the county board's face in their clear out-of-touchness with the voters. He can dance the jig of joy on the grave of the people who still believe that there is a place for the public--parks, transportation, schools, and so on.

If the public votes yes, then no doubt the county board will send along a sales-tax increase for Walker's signature. There, he's got two choices, both of which leave Walker a potential winner. One, he vetoes the measure then, claims his victory, and remains a hero of the pundit class. (The danger is that the board could override him.)

Two, he could sign the sales-tax increase into law. Would that violate the no-tax-at-any-cost ethos that Walker is so dimly the hood ornament for? Yes. But Walker gets a freebie here--after all, the people wanted it! And, perhaps most importantly for Walker, Milwaukee County services will finally get the funding they need! Walker gets to dodge the blame for raising taxes while at the same time fixing a lot of the problems people hate him for!

Walker looks obstructionist and petty with this veto. It will not help as much as he thinks it will with his said-it-wouldn't-happen re-election campaign. Not letting this referendum through is just dumb.

(I hope I'm not stealing capper's thunder too much here; I know how much he likes blogging about that ol' Walker: Tosa Ranger.)

Transit Fare Hike Rebate--In Pizza Form

by folkbum

This hit the inbox this morning:

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to invite you all to an event we're holding that I think you'll be really supportive of. The event is the Official kick-off of "Walker Rebate Wednesdays."

As you might deduct on your own from the title, we want to give a little something back to public transit riders. On Wednesdays at Transfer we will be starting a new special...20% discounts to any customer that arrives by bus (just show your bus transfer ticket or bus pass). We are also offering the discount to bike riders.

To get things started in grand fashion, we will have a bit of a celebration on Wednesday, June 25 at 7 pm...in addition to the discount, we hope to have some special guests, music entertainment and giveaways that night. We will be inviting groups that are "pro-public transit" and bike-friendly to visit or dine with us that opening night and are looking for a nice turnout. Please spread the word if you feel so inclined. Thank you!

- Penny Rossetto, owner
Transfer Pizzeria & cafe
101 W. Mitchell St.

I've only eaten at the Transfer once, but it was excellent pizza. They have a limited menu of non-pizza things should you be inclinced. But it's a really nice spot and easy to get to by bus from just about anywhere in the city.

Who Killed Janesville?

by folkbum
Post title patterned after this film, which I have not seen, but have heard good things about. And it's narrated by President Bartlet.

I hope, of course, that Janesville recovers from the blow it received today. I spent five years in Rock County and I know how GM's plant there is the lynchpin to a whole lot of that economy. If another manufacturer doesn't come in and utilize that talent pool, well, I don't know what will happen. Let us all hope for the best.

But the question remains: What did in the Janesville GM plant? Seems to me there are, perhaps, a handful of reasonable suspects:

1. The oil companies. For many years, Big Oil and Big Auto have had a sick, almost incestuous relationship; cars would only run on gas and gas would stay cheap enough to keep people buying cars. The 1990s was perhaps the worst of it: Not only did GM sell key electric car technology to the oil industry (where it never saw the light of day again), gas prices in the U.S. stayed ridiculously cheap in the midst of a mondo economic growth spurt. Suddenly everyone had more money--or at least felt flush, since we were told the market was never going to go down again (Dow 36,000, anyone?). The answer: Bigger cars. For Janesville, a boon. For oil companies, a massive boon. But it was an illusion. And as soon as the SUV lost the consumer juice to the hybrid--and Big Auto started chasing that ball--Big Oil bailed. With profits like it's making now, the oil sector could easily roll back prices a little, even a moderate amount. But they won't--the market will bear $4.25 a gallon, and that's what they'll charge. (Which, ultimately, is why a gas-tax holiday is a dumb idea: You'll pay the same for a gallon of gas, but the part of the price that used to pay the bill to fix the roads will instead boost Exxon-Mobile's third-quarter profit.)
   
   
2. George W. Bush. Why not? There can be little doubt about two things: One, the war in Iraq has not done a thing to stabilize the world oil market. Sure, it didn't really fall apart as soon as the first tanks rolled into Baghdad, but you have to admit that the rise of Iran, the lack of the promised Iraqi oil, and the general antipathy with which the rest of the world now view us is not helpful in the least. Two, the present administration has done nothing to promote alternative source of fuel, alternative sources of transportation, or greater responsibility among automakers to provide higher efficiency vehicles.
   
   
3. Ronald Reagan. Yeah, I'll go there. When the CAFE standards were relaxed in 1985--and the tradition of halting increases was begun--the stage was set for the absurdly low-mpg SUVs that ruined Detroit. As long as I'm at it, I'll add in the Republicans and Michigan Democrats throughout the 1990s that refused to reclassify the SUV as anything other than a truck, which is what gave GM and Ford such license to make inefficient monsters for so long.
   
   
4. GM. GM was slow, slow, slow to catch on that efficiency was going to be the key to success in this century. GM has locked itself into old facilities (it cannot afford to build new ones), sometimes, as in Janesville, literally locked in because of the life that has grown up around the plant over 90 years. It is too big, with too many products (including legacies that should be put to pasture), and, like the Titanic, too big to dodge the iceberg.
   
   
5. Unions, NAFTA, and taxes. I put these together because they are weak candidates, and, even taken together, they cannot compete with the top four here. GM didn't close its Janesville plant because Wisconsin taxes are too high (I haven't even seen that suggested, though I thought it would be Talking Point A on every conservative blog today). NAFTA didn't save GM's plant in Toluca, did it? And the unions didn't crush GM either. It may well be that the typical American-made GM car has more labor costs in it that the typical American-made Toyota, but wait a few years until Toyota's employees start retiring and see what happens then. Besides, what's killing the SUV is not its sticker price, but rather the price at the pump.

Ultimately, I'm not sold on any one of those, or even all of those in combination, as what killed Janesville.

I think it's us. I think we did it, the zeitgeist, the ethic, the Culture of the Car that is so ingrained into us that "What do you drive?" is a fairly common getting-to-know-you question. It's the nagging suspicion that people who ride the bus are poor and will rob us if we get on there with them. It's our representatives who see only lanes, lanes, lanes, and not a track to be had. It's the rules that require big lots and far-away shopping, rules that we demand because, well, we have a car, so what's the harm? It's the belief that whatever happens everywhere else, America will be just fine. When you live by the car, you die by the car. God bless you, Dwight D. Eisenhower, indeed.

General Motors could never have been born in any other place, among any other people. In the end, we also killed it.

Is this how bad I-94 traffic has gotten?

by folkbum

A plane en route to Waukesha from Milwaukee made an emergency landing at a New Berlin golf course about 11:30 this morning, emergency officials said.

The 34-year-old pilot from Milwaukee suffered "some minor scratches" but was taken by ambulance to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa as a precaution, New Berlin Police Lt. Mike Glider said. The pilot was alone on the Cessna 150 single-engine plane, which was on its way to Crites Field from Mitchell International Airport when it experienced engine trouble, he said.

People have to fly instead of drive 30 miles! I think now even Mark Belling would agree that we need high-speed rail to prevent these kind of accidents in the future!

This is dumb, dumb, dumb

by folkbum

State plans to add new lanes to I-94 in a 35-mile stretch from the Illinois border to Milwaukee's south side are in line for federal approval this week, and a construction start within a year. [. . .]

According to the Final Environmental Impact statement, there would be very little difference in travel times in Racine and Kenosha counties whether lanes are added or the road is rebuilt with its current six lanes.

In the one-month comment period that ended May 5, statements in opposition to the expansion outnumbered those in favor by nearly 3 to 1, based on a review of those submitted in writing and via telephone.

So this summer, when gas is over $4 a gallon, we're talking about expanding a highway for no good reason with construction to begin next summer when gas is $6 a gallon and to be completed in a few years when gas is $12 a gallon. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

We must be the only region left in the nation that is banking on the automobile as the future of transportation.

UPDATE: See Milwaukee Rising and The Political Environment (whose post aptly names this project: "planning for yesterday").

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

by capper

Walker must have a distinct phobia when it comes to telling the truth. The news came out yesterday that his campaign is lying about his most recent commercial. The fallout is still coming in on that lie.

Today, the lies keep on flowing out of his mouth and keyboard. Walker did an "online chat" for JSOnline, in which he handpicked most of the questions to give himself softballs. He did let a few tougher questions through, which I am sure he thought he had the answers down pat. But his lies are pretty easy to observe to anyone paying attention.

One of the questions had to deal with transit. Here is the question, and Walker' response (emphasis mine):

Q: Emily Mullen of Milwaukee - You claim to be pro-transit, yet as County Executive you have presided over significant fare increases and crippling service cuts. In addition, while in the State Assembly you never voted to increase the State's support of transit. How do you reconcile your record with your alleged support of transit?

A: Scott Walker - Emily, When I came into office as County Executive, the state covered about 44% of the costs of the transit system and the county tax levy covered 14%. That is now 40% from the state while about 14% comes from the county tax levy. In the future, we need to control costs and get stable support from the state. In the Assembly, I voted for some increases in transit spending, but they were not always as much of an increase as some transit advocates wanted to spend. I don't claim to be pro- or anti- transit. I just tell you what I want to do with transit in the future. To control costs, I want to consolidate transit amongst the four systems in southeastern Wisconsin. To stabilize state support, I want to capture the growth in the CURRENT sales tax collected on automobile related sales and apply it to transit statewide. In this budget, that would be more than $100 million with about 60% coming back to the Milwaukee area.

As I have highlighted, Walker claims to be neither pro-transit nor anti-transit.

If he is truly not pro-transit, why did he film this commercial?




But he didn't do just that one commercial. He also has a web commercial that is even titled "Walker: Committed to Transit". I don't know about you, but that seems to me to be that he is pretty much claiming to be pro-transit.

He also spouts about some plan that he has to fix transit. A plan that would take the sales tax from everyone in the state, to just support our transit system. A plan that has been repeatedly proven to be a non-starter from day one. Yet he is hypocritical enough to accuse Senator Taylor of not being realistic about the plan.

But then again, remember he also claims not to be anti-transit. Then could he please explain why he is using such a poor business design of raising rates and cutting services. Does he think that he is actually doing anyone any favors. Or is he really trying to kill transit? After all, he is overseeing one of the few systems in the entire nation that hasn't seen a huge jump in ridership. In fact, due to his incompetence, Milwaukee buses are actually losing riders. And let us not forget that when he had a chance to approve a tax-neutral plan that would have boosted ridership, like it has elsewhere in the state and the country, Walker vetoed it.

He also claimed not to be anti-transit just one day after he cuts more routes.

In summary, Walker denies being pro-transit, but then puts out to commercials touting how he is pro-transit. Walker in the same sentence, denies being anti-transit, but then has given us six years of methodically trying to dismantle it.

Not only is Walker incompetent and a hypocrite, he is a lousy liar. And he is not even very good at his lying either.

Taylor vs. Walker: Bus Wars

by capper

This is almost becoming painful to watch. Walker is becoming more desperate as his chickens are coming home to roost. He made some poor decisions, trying to pander to his base. He probably knew that things would blow up, but he was expecting to be living in the Governor's mansion by now, and didn't care.

His continuing paring down of the transit system as led to a massive decline in riders, to a tune of 4.1 million riders, in just one year. This happened under his watch while the rest of the country is seeing a boom in ridership.

Last night, Walker's campaign sent out a newsletter, which read (with my observations):

Don't be fooled by the smear piece printed in Saturday's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Watch the video below to hear Scott set the record straight. The link is to his home page.

In 2008, regular riders of the bus continue to pay the same amount as they did in 2007 (weekly passes did not go up). And even though the transit system originally proposed eliminating a series of routes, Walker put them back in his 2008 budget. In fact, Scott Walker has not vetoed out improvements to the transit system that were included in the various versions of the county budget passed by the County Board in previous years. He in fact tried to raise all the rates and it was the county board that stopped him. Just like it was the county board, not Walker, that restored the routes he had cut. They were able to restore the routes due to the millions of dollars Senator Taylor brought to Milwaukee County. Even Walker grudgingly has admitted that in the BlogTalkRadio debate.

The long-term success of the transit system is based on lowering costs and stabilizing state support. Scott has a plan to lower costs by operating transit on a regional basis and getting employees to pay a reasonable amount for benefits. In addition, Scott has a plan to identify a stable form of support for transit from state government that does NOT include a sales tax increase. He wants tax support from the rest of the state. Why is bad if Senator Taylor would suggest something like that, but OK for
Walker?

Scott's plan takes the growth in the current sales tax collected on automobile purchases and applies it to transit statewide. This amount exceeds $100 million during the budget and about 60% would come to the Milwaukee area. Overlooked by the media is the fact that the state government covers 40% of the costs of the transit system while the county tax levy covers just 14% (a few years ago, the state covered close to 44% and the county just 14%). Steady support from the state will stabilize the transit system. See what I mean?

Finally, Scott wants to use all of the $91.5 million in federal money to enhance our current system and to develop a regional form of transportation that will grow this community and attract employers - not develop a downtown streetcar line or a new light rail system. And if he doesn't get his way, he won't play.

UPDATE: MSJ is now reporting that the $91.5 million is now being blocked, and is in jeopardy of being lost forever, due in no small part, to Walker's shenanigans. How much more of this guy can we afford?

Today, I received an email from Senator Taylor's campaign. This too was about the transit situation:

Over the weekend, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that our "Transit System ridership plunged to a 33-year low in 2007. . .[and the] ridership drop may have been the biggest decrease of any major U.S. bus system," (3/1/08). Across the nation, the rise in gas prices has boosted public transportation ridership. But here in Milwaukee County, Mr. Walker cannot deny that the decisions he has made-raising fares and cutting routes-have made our public transit inefficient and cost-ineffective. For example, the cost of a ride here is as expensive as one in Chicago, New York, or Philadelphia (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 9/18/07).

To read the full text of this weekend's article, click here.

Just recently Lena rode bus route 15 from downtown Milwaukee to Bay View to hear and see the effects of the transit situation firsthand. Bus route 15 is one of the bus routes that Scott Walker had wanted to cut.

Lena was privileged to speak with several riders who, like so many of us, depend on public transit to access their work and get around. Reality hit home when one resident from Oak Creek stated that if Mr. Walker cuts this bus route, he will be forced to quit his job. He is not alone. And of on top of service cuts, riders agreed that the fare increases have put a pinch on their already-thin wallets.

Another great take on this issue comes from Michael Rosen, author of mid coast views:

Milwaukee County Executive, Scott Walker, says government needs to be run like a business.

But there’s not a business anywhere that would succeed if it was mismanaged the way Mr. Walker has mismanaged the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS)!

Walker, who has no private sector experience, has raised prices, while cutting service- a recipe for failure!

************************

Walker doesn’t grasp rudimentary economics. You can attract riders/customers with low prices. Or you attract them by offering high level (quality) services. But no enterprise, public or private, can raise prices and slash service and operate successfully.

Yet, this has been Walker's strategy for the Milwaukee County Transit System.

************************

Does the County Executive really believe Milwaukee can attract and retain jobs and corporate headquarters without a viable public transit system?

Does Mr. Walker really think we can connect the unemployed with employers experiencing labor shortages without affordable and efficient mass transit?

When you put a fox in charge of the chicken coup, the feathers fly.

My own view is that I'm sure glad Walker didn't take up medicine. If he were a doctor, he would be pinching off the oxygen tube, saying he was trying to help the patient breathe.

The Death Of Transit?

by capper

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has reported that the number of riders taking Milwaukee County Transit buses has dropped by 4.1 million riders from 2006 to 2007. That is 4,100,000 less riders, in just one year. The paper goes on to report that the number of passengers last year was the lowest number since the County took over the transit system in 1975.

This decline is happening while almost every other major city is seeing the highest number of riders in two generations. Oil prices are regularly breaking record highs and analysts are predicting that gasoline could reach $4 a gallon this year. That combined with the other growing costs of operating a car, traffic congestion, and parking headaches, adds up to the logical conclusion in higher amounts of people riding public transit.

The article goes on to report that the increased costs of bus fares, as well as severe cuts in routes and schedules for the routes remaining are major factors into the reduction in riders in the Milwaukee area. We all know who is responsible for those decisions.

But what is interesting is the response around the blogosphere regarding this news. Gretchen Schuldt and Ken Mobile both point out the article and ask if anyone is really surprised. Bill Christoffersen sees this being the death knell for public transit, if something drastic isn't done soon.

However, those on the right are circling the buses and are in full mode to protect their boy, Walker. The defenses they are offering to try to warp the reality of the situation would be funny if they weren't so pathetic.

Over at Badger Blogger, they are saying that it isn't Walker's fault, but that all 4.1 million passengers stopped riding because of urban sprawl and crime. I reckon that in their skewed view of the world no other major city in the country has a problem with crime or urban sprawl. What they also don't mention is the fact that without sufficient access to public transit, people will be forced to drive, even when they can't or aren't allowed to drive legally. That not only drives up the cost of our insurance rates, but can have much more deadly consequences.

And Owen at Boots & Sabers, is taking the predictable approach of "it's my tax money, dammit."
He writes:

If only everyone would ride busses (sic), they say, then there’d be less congestion on the roads, less pollution, and the people of the community would be forced to mix and understand each other. Of course, that comes at the expense of less choice, less liberty, and higher taxes.

What Owen doesn't appreciate is that by cutting all of these bus routes and schedules, it limits the choices and the liberties for those that are dependent on them. He also seems to fail to understand that all of the roads that he and his kind advocate for doesn't come for free, but are paid for by our tax dollars, and at much higher levels than public transit is taking.

Not only that, but as mentioned before there are higher costs, such as insurance rates, with all of the unlicensed drivers taking to the streets again. And while I am not an economist, it would seem to me that if more people had access to transportation, more people would be able to get to where the jobs are, make more money, and help defray the costs of taxes among more people.

But I guess to some people on the right side of the sphere, their rights are more important than other people who might not be of the right socioeconomic class. And they support Walker because he promises to maintain the status quo of steady decline in the quality of life for the majority of people in Milwaukee County.

I have even seen arguments that people need to vote against Senator Taylor because she wants to take Milwaukee's fair share of tax revenues back from the state. As the MSJ article shows this is a lame argument, as that Walker wants to do the same thing:

But because state aid provides more transit funding than the Milwaukee
County levy, Walker said the focus should be on earmarking more state dollars
for transit.

Their argument against Taylor and their vehement opposition to raising taxes is also refuted by the article which reports that on a national level, 70% of ballots seeking to raise taxes to improve transit systems were approved by the voting public.

My biggest fear is that Xoff may be right. Walker may get re-elected, and that would mean the demise of public transit. Has anyone ever heard of a major city that has survived without some sort of public transit? I know I haven't. Even smaller cities like Stevens Point and Wausau need public transit systems.

Please vote for Taylor. There is a lot more riding on this election than just a buck two eighty in taxes.

Journal Sentinel Still Behind On Stories

by capper

In today's JSOnline Newswatch, they have this little blurb:

Have county transit changes affected you?

How have you been affected by Milwaukee County Transit System fare increases and service cuts? Please contact Journal Sentinel reporter Larry Sandler at lsandler@journalsentinel.com to let him know, and please include your name and a telephone number where you can be reached.

I'm sure that it's not Mr. Sandler's fault that this story is so slow in the making for MSJ, but they are several months late, just like they were on the pension scandal. Actually, both of them.

I would kindly suggest that Mr. Sandler take advantage of Gretchen Schuldt's hard work as his launching point.

Saving the Number 9

by capper

I have already pointed out how Senator Lena Taylor has done more for Milwaukee County before being elected than Scott Walker has done in the past five years. She did this by getting millions of dollars from the state budget to help preserve as much of the transit system as possible.

Gretchen at Milwaukee Rising points out that it was Governor Jim Doyle that preserved the Canal Street bus line when Walker again refused to do his job.

Now it looks like it will be up to Governor Doyle and/or the state to ride to the rescue again. Taking a page out of Walker's book, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas is refusing to find the funding for the #9 bus route. Seventy some families depend on this route for jobs to support themselves, but for the want of a $100,000 dollars, this route is due to be eliminated on January 1, 2008.

And has James Rowen points out, with Waukesha County and the State ready and willing to spend millions of dollars on an unnecessary interchange at the Pabst Farms, there must be a way for the two counties, the state and/or the businesses that get all the tax breaks to pony up this money.

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like the threat of losing your ability to earn a living. I personally don't care who fixes the problem, but someone better get on it. Governor Doyle could easily get the funding here, but I like Gretchen's suggestion better-something about the thought of knocking Walker's and Vrakas' heads together appeals to my baser side.

Clarke Gets One Right

by capper

Sheriff David Clarke must read folkbum's, as he has realized that privatization isn't always the best way to go.

Just a few days ago, I posted about the folly of privatizing everything, and how it usually doesn't work out for anyone, but the private agencies and apparently the politicians that enact the privatization.

Now Sheriff Clarke is calling for an audit of the private agency that is contracted to provide security on the Milwaukee County Transit System:

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. has called for an audit of Wackenhut Corp., claiming the company is doing a poor job despite its nearly $1 million-a-year contract to provide security on county bus routes.

In a letter to Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and County Board Chairman Lee Holloway, Clarke asked for a "qualitative and quantitative audit" to be performed amid questions about Wackenhut's deployment levels.

"There has been little oversight of this program, and self-reporting has allowed Wackenhut to operate without accountability and in relative anonymity," Clarke wrote in his letter, dated Tuesday.

One million dollars for not doing their jobs...sweet work if you can get it. And what is the position of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker? After all, he is the one with the campaign slogan of "Safe. Affordable. Pride." (SAP for short).

Walker could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Apparently, he is too busy preparing to schmooze with that so called social- and community-minded group, Americans For Prosperity. (And he complains of Lena Taylor getting help from special interests. Go figure.)

If you are as tired of this garbage as I am, you should know there is something you can do. There is an event going on for Lena Taylor tonight. The information is:

Taylor for County Executive Fundraiser with Governor Doyle
Thursday, December 20, 2007
5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Roots: 1818 N. Hubbard St., Milwaukee
RSVP to Sonja at 414-344-4529 or sonja@lena2008.com

If you are unable to attend, you can still help in a number of ways. Just visit her website to find out how: http://www.lena2008.com/Welcome.html.

What Were They Thinking?

by capper

I have already written about Scott Walker and the decimation he would create to the public transit system if he would have gotten his way. The County Board restored many of the cuts that he had made, as well as removed his massive increase of Transit Plus.

But the County Board, for whatever reasons, chose not to restore all of his routes. One of the routes they chose to leave off of the county budget was Route 11, which travels Vliet Street from Water Street to 47th Street. This makes no sense.

On 12th and Vliet is the Marcia Coggs building, which holds Economic Support Services, Disability Services, and most of the other social services that Milwaukee County provides. Most of the people that utilize these services are the poor, the physically disabled and the developmentally disabled. These same people are often reliant on public transit to get around, including to meetings with case workers who provide the social services for them.

On 17th and Vliet is the Martin Luther King Community Center (which Walker had also threatened to cut). This facility offers many community activities, including lectures, social events, educational sessions, community meetings and various charitable activities. One of the most notable is the donation of school supplies like backpacks, pens, pencils, paper and the such to neighborhood children who are in need of these items.

One would think that even if the County Board wouldn't or couldn't restore all of the routes that Walker had cut, they would at least have maintained the ones that were most needed.

I'm Glad I'm Not Her

by capper

Poor County Supervisor Lynne De Bruin. She's got herself into a crossfire.

First, she starts catching grief from the left for inability to decide if she should let her constituents have a voice, as evidenced by Story Hill* and Mobile's Take.

Then, news breaks out about the continuing fiscal crisis at the Milwaukee County Public Museum, and Patrick at Badger Blogger, representing the right, points out that she is part of the "do-nothing Museum Board", that allowed the crisis to start. (Well, privatization did that, the Museum Board just made it worse.)

I may be mistaken, but I do believe that she is up for re-election next year. With that kind of leadership, I hope for the sake of the people in District 15, as well as the whole county, there is a viable opponent.

But Ms. De Bruin, even if she were to lose her seat, should be OK. Her educational and professional background is impressive, and she can always get a few bucks playing the puppet on Sunday Insight with Charlie Sykes.

*Story Hill has another great clip about the impact of the proposed transit cuts. Some of the clips can also be found at Milwaukee Rising.

Getting Thrown Under The Bus, Revisited

by capper

I have already commented on what Walker's draconian attitude towards public transportation would result in, especially for the disabled.

I would strongly suggest to the people who might not have faith in my words, that they actually listen to the voices and see the faces of those who would suffer the most, if Walker would get his way. This is as easy as going to Story Hill. (I think #6 and #7 are especially powerful.)

H/T to Milwaukee Rising.

Getting Thrown Under the Bus

by capper

On the heels of the news that Milwaukee County Executioner Scott Walker wants to continue dismantling the parks, is the story of his efforts to eliminate another chunk of the transit system. I won't repeat what has been so effectively and eloquently stated by Dan, Gretchen and Cory.

The thing that stood out to me wasn't even in the main story, but in the side notes. It reads:

Paratransit service cut Instead of countywide door-to-door service, the Transit Plus van service for the frail elderly and disabled would run only within three-quarters of a mile of county bus routes. Transit Plus fares would rise from $3.25 to $4.

For those not familiar with Transit Plus, it is a transportation service, often contracted out to other agencies, that provide specialized transportation to the elderly, the physically disabled and the developmentally delayed people in Milwaukee County. These people are carefully screened and are not allowed services if they can drive or if they can use public transportation safely. Walker is now saying that if they don't live within three quarters of mile away from an existing bus route, they don't get a ride. This already covers a small part of the county, and if Walker gets all the other cuts he wants in the routes, the permitted areas grow even smaller.

These people don't use the rides to go to the mall or attend festivals. People use these rides to get to and from doctors' offices, to and from day programs and other basic necessities. Imagine Grandma trying to go over three quarters of a mile, with her walker, in the cold winter, or the hot summer. Developmentally delayed people not only suffer from cognitive limitations, but they also are often mentally ill. Does Walker think that this person can walk that far, navigating traffic, crossing roads, and do it safely? Does he think that most people would feel comfortable having these people walking through their neighborhoods? Most people get upset when someone wants to open a group home in their neighborhood, and now they face the prospect of these people walking the streets, just so Walker can have his single issue talking point for his next campaign.

We can only hope that the county board will do the right thing again this year, and put the needs of Milwaukee County and its people before a political posture and soundbite.

METRA in Milwaukee

I had a dream last night--don't ask me why--that Milwaukee had a subway system, although instead of really being a subway, it was more like a roller coaster that ran through downtown and all around the area. Not exactly the same thing.

Back in reality, I see Mayor Tom Barrett has the idea of expanding the METRA rail service, which is slated to stop at the Amtrak station downtown, out to Miller Park and State Fair Park. Seems like the perfect way to get more people to these places with less need for parking at the venues. Now Chicagoans who want to go see a game at Miller park have to navigate the maze of under-construction freeways, adding to Milwaukee's congestion. The traffic around State Fair Park during the fair is awful, and trying to park anywhere nearby is a real bear. If I could hop on a train to get to State Fair, or the Brewers, or Summerfest, I'd consider it more than I do now.

It also seems like the existing tacks and METRA's willingness to invest in Southeastern Wisconsin make the plan a natural fit.