Rest in peace to Waukesha's own Les Paul.
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/News/les-paul-passes-away-at-94-813/
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
August Showdown for Brewers
Well Gang, this is it. The Brewers have an easy schedule in August and need to make it happen. The old adage is that you can't win without pitching and the Brewers are going to need to patch it together for the next month and win with what they have. Can they do it? Only time will tell.
My prediction is two or three games back in the Central come September 1. However, the bad news is that their September schedule is pretty tough. This might not be the Brewers' year, but the bandwagon should be full for a while...
My prediction is two or three games back in the Central come September 1. However, the bad news is that their September schedule is pretty tough. This might not be the Brewers' year, but the bandwagon should be full for a while...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
When Did We Vote ‘YES’ on Trains?
My new column on trains:
Have you noticed a steady increase in the number of news reports about trains? Over the past several months and weeks, newspapers have been covered in stories about light rail, high speed rail, federal stimulus money for trains, Spanish train manufactures, KRM, regional transit authorities, a loop around downtown Milwaukee, and routes to Madison, Minneapolis and Green Bay.
When did all of this happen? At what point did Wisconsinites decide we were all in on the train game?
Since the beginning of the year the legislature has been focused on one thing, the budget, and rightly so, it’s the most important vote of every two-year session. Right now, the whole budget mess seems like a Jedi mind trick, a slight of hand, to get our attention focused on billions of dollars of new taxes and not on what was going on with trains.
While the rest of the people in the state were distracted with real world problems like trying to keep their jobs and paying bills, the liberal elites like Governor Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett were off cutting deals on trains. As Wisconsin companies were leaving Wisconsin for greener economic pastures, Governor Doyle was in Spain making new friends. Those friendships led to a foreign train manufacturer landing a $47 million no-bid contract to build high speed rail cars for use between Milwaukee and Chicago. Sounds like a sweetheart deal for the Spanish company, but now taxpayers have to pay for track upgrades to make the new cars truly “high speed”.
That’s the thing with trains, the start up costs are just the beginning. Cars, new tracks, track upgrades, maintenance, future route expansions all cost money, and lots of it.
For a state that raises taxes year after year and is carrying over a $2 billion deficit into the next budget, I have one question: Should we be spending money on things that could end up costing us hundreds of millions of dollars down the line? If we can’t afford to pay for transportation priorities, like reconstructing the Zoo Interchange, can we afford to take on another huge financial burden?
These are questions that need answering. The issue of transportation, including rail, needs to be debated and voted on. After all, when did we vote “yes” on trains?
Where is the strategic plan on rail? It appears there are independent plans on rail systems offer by individual interest groups, but how do these plans link together? The fact is, there is no twenty-year plan on rail. These issues have never been debated. The individual proposals were negotiated by two groups sitting on the same side of the table. The same thing is going on behind the scenes of other rail related headlines.
Just last week, Governor Doyle traveled to Chicago and put Wisconsin in the middle of a mad grab for federal cash targeted at train projects. The only chance to get a piece of the pie was to tout our own big plans for rail and to sit down with the Mayor Daley to cut a Chicago-style deal. Those deals rarely benefit anywhere but Chicago. The Daley-Doyle deal was no different. The Governor agreed to support Chicago-centric proposal paid for by federal stimulus money in the hopes that Wisconsin might get some of the leftover pocket change to chug north.
If any federal money does make its way here, it will never cover the long term costs of the project. Wisconsin taxpayers will be paying the bills in perpetuity.
If, at some point in the future, we determine this is what the state needs then so be it, but we need to think it through. We need to debate the issues, lay out the facts and make an honest decision if rail is the right way to move our state forward. Before we get “all aboard,” we need to ask ourselves if the way we are spending money will give us a solid return on our investment.
We can’t afford to get it wrong. The stakes are too high.
Have you noticed a steady increase in the number of news reports about trains? Over the past several months and weeks, newspapers have been covered in stories about light rail, high speed rail, federal stimulus money for trains, Spanish train manufactures, KRM, regional transit authorities, a loop around downtown Milwaukee, and routes to Madison, Minneapolis and Green Bay.
When did all of this happen? At what point did Wisconsinites decide we were all in on the train game?
Since the beginning of the year the legislature has been focused on one thing, the budget, and rightly so, it’s the most important vote of every two-year session. Right now, the whole budget mess seems like a Jedi mind trick, a slight of hand, to get our attention focused on billions of dollars of new taxes and not on what was going on with trains.
While the rest of the people in the state were distracted with real world problems like trying to keep their jobs and paying bills, the liberal elites like Governor Doyle and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett were off cutting deals on trains. As Wisconsin companies were leaving Wisconsin for greener economic pastures, Governor Doyle was in Spain making new friends. Those friendships led to a foreign train manufacturer landing a $47 million no-bid contract to build high speed rail cars for use between Milwaukee and Chicago. Sounds like a sweetheart deal for the Spanish company, but now taxpayers have to pay for track upgrades to make the new cars truly “high speed”.
That’s the thing with trains, the start up costs are just the beginning. Cars, new tracks, track upgrades, maintenance, future route expansions all cost money, and lots of it.
For a state that raises taxes year after year and is carrying over a $2 billion deficit into the next budget, I have one question: Should we be spending money on things that could end up costing us hundreds of millions of dollars down the line? If we can’t afford to pay for transportation priorities, like reconstructing the Zoo Interchange, can we afford to take on another huge financial burden?
These are questions that need answering. The issue of transportation, including rail, needs to be debated and voted on. After all, when did we vote “yes” on trains?
Where is the strategic plan on rail? It appears there are independent plans on rail systems offer by individual interest groups, but how do these plans link together? The fact is, there is no twenty-year plan on rail. These issues have never been debated. The individual proposals were negotiated by two groups sitting on the same side of the table. The same thing is going on behind the scenes of other rail related headlines.
Just last week, Governor Doyle traveled to Chicago and put Wisconsin in the middle of a mad grab for federal cash targeted at train projects. The only chance to get a piece of the pie was to tout our own big plans for rail and to sit down with the Mayor Daley to cut a Chicago-style deal. Those deals rarely benefit anywhere but Chicago. The Daley-Doyle deal was no different. The Governor agreed to support Chicago-centric proposal paid for by federal stimulus money in the hopes that Wisconsin might get some of the leftover pocket change to chug north.
If any federal money does make its way here, it will never cover the long term costs of the project. Wisconsin taxpayers will be paying the bills in perpetuity.
If, at some point in the future, we determine this is what the state needs then so be it, but we need to think it through. We need to debate the issues, lay out the facts and make an honest decision if rail is the right way to move our state forward. Before we get “all aboard,” we need to ask ourselves if the way we are spending money will give us a solid return on our investment.
We can’t afford to get it wrong. The stakes are too high.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Column: An Opportunity Lost?
Here is my latest column...
-----------------------------------
Recently, the Wall Street Journal described how truck manufacturer Oshkosh Corporation was awarded a $1 billion defense contract to build a Humvee-like vehicle for use by troops in Afghanistan. The article gives an overview of how the Wisconsin-based company landed such a huge government contract and its impact on the labor market in the Fox Valley.
I, for one, could not be happier for Oshkosh Truck, the city, and the entire valley. This contact alone is expected to create 500 to 600 new jobs; great news for a city with an unemployment rate hovering around 8 percent.
Undoubtedly, it’s a great story, but could it have been better? Should it have been?
Oshkosh Truck had been preparing for the possibility of landing this contact for months. Engineers had been working around the clock to ensure its design, and its bid for the work, would best its competitors. As a private sector company it had to be prepared for anything, have an answer for any question, a solution for any problem or complication.
Their hard work paid off when Oshkosh Corporation was awarded the sole contact that could ultimately be worth upwards of $12 billion. The contract was so big in fact, the company’s Wisconsin facility could not handle all of the workload. In addition to hiring hundreds of people here, the company recalled over 500 laid-off employees in Pennsylvania. Terrific news for people in the Keystone State, but could those jobs have been created here?
If Governor Doyle thought more like the people at Oshkosh Truck, being prepared for anything, expecting the unexpected, he would have done something, anything to keep those jobs in Wisconsin in the months leading up to the contract announcement?
The Governor’s lack of a plan has once again hurt Wisconsin. If he would have thought of the folks in Janesville the story of Oshkosh Truck may have been even better. He should have been prepared to offer tax cuts, credits, exemptions, anything to put our citizens back to work and encourage Oshkosh Truck to retool the Janesville GM plant to help build the new vehicle.
Governor Doyle isn’t leading the gang that couldn’t shoot straight; he’s leading the gang that won’t shoot. Retaining and creating jobs is more than putting on a show, sending a letter or making one phone call to a CEO when the newspaper reports the tale of yet another company leaving Wisconsin. The tale of economic development is; if it’s in the paper it’s already too late.
When Thomas Industries left Sheboygan for Louisiana, the Governor said he personally called the company. That’s not going to cut it. The cost of doing business in Louisiana was less than Wisconsin. The company could save millions in labor costs by relocating. The decision to move was a no brainier from the business side.
Ultimately that’s the side of the equation the Governor Doyle doesn’t get. He doesn’t understand it, it’s outside of his comfort zone and that’s why he refuses to engage with the business community.
Right now we need a Governor that understands business and what it takes to create real jobs. 1,200 people lost their jobs when the Janesville General Motors plant closed. The city has an unemployment rate of 13.2%. Do you think Janesville could use a Governor that knows how to create real jobs?
I believe we lost a real opportunity to put Wisconsinites back to work on a large scale. The question about Jim Doyle now becomes: will he be ready the next time?
###
-----------------------------------
Recently, the Wall Street Journal described how truck manufacturer Oshkosh Corporation was awarded a $1 billion defense contract to build a Humvee-like vehicle for use by troops in Afghanistan. The article gives an overview of how the Wisconsin-based company landed such a huge government contract and its impact on the labor market in the Fox Valley.
I, for one, could not be happier for Oshkosh Truck, the city, and the entire valley. This contact alone is expected to create 500 to 600 new jobs; great news for a city with an unemployment rate hovering around 8 percent.
Undoubtedly, it’s a great story, but could it have been better? Should it have been?
Oshkosh Truck had been preparing for the possibility of landing this contact for months. Engineers had been working around the clock to ensure its design, and its bid for the work, would best its competitors. As a private sector company it had to be prepared for anything, have an answer for any question, a solution for any problem or complication.
Their hard work paid off when Oshkosh Corporation was awarded the sole contact that could ultimately be worth upwards of $12 billion. The contract was so big in fact, the company’s Wisconsin facility could not handle all of the workload. In addition to hiring hundreds of people here, the company recalled over 500 laid-off employees in Pennsylvania. Terrific news for people in the Keystone State, but could those jobs have been created here?
If Governor Doyle thought more like the people at Oshkosh Truck, being prepared for anything, expecting the unexpected, he would have done something, anything to keep those jobs in Wisconsin in the months leading up to the contract announcement?
The Governor’s lack of a plan has once again hurt Wisconsin. If he would have thought of the folks in Janesville the story of Oshkosh Truck may have been even better. He should have been prepared to offer tax cuts, credits, exemptions, anything to put our citizens back to work and encourage Oshkosh Truck to retool the Janesville GM plant to help build the new vehicle.
Governor Doyle isn’t leading the gang that couldn’t shoot straight; he’s leading the gang that won’t shoot. Retaining and creating jobs is more than putting on a show, sending a letter or making one phone call to a CEO when the newspaper reports the tale of yet another company leaving Wisconsin. The tale of economic development is; if it’s in the paper it’s already too late.
When Thomas Industries left Sheboygan for Louisiana, the Governor said he personally called the company. That’s not going to cut it. The cost of doing business in Louisiana was less than Wisconsin. The company could save millions in labor costs by relocating. The decision to move was a no brainier from the business side.
Ultimately that’s the side of the equation the Governor Doyle doesn’t get. He doesn’t understand it, it’s outside of his comfort zone and that’s why he refuses to engage with the business community.
Right now we need a Governor that understands business and what it takes to create real jobs. 1,200 people lost their jobs when the Janesville General Motors plant closed. The city has an unemployment rate of 13.2%. Do you think Janesville could use a Governor that knows how to create real jobs?
I believe we lost a real opportunity to put Wisconsinites back to work on a large scale. The question about Jim Doyle now becomes: will he be ready the next time?
###
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A Texas-Sized Problem
A week or so ago I wrote a column called “My Friend the Lawyer.” The column was based on a conversation with a friend who told me some of his clients were considering leaving Wisconsin in favor of lower-taxed states in the southwestern United States.
The response to the column was a bit unexpected.
The Democrat’s got defensive, which on its own is not unusual. I’d be a little sensitive too if I had to face my constituents after raising taxes and fees by $2.1 billion, bumping up property taxes by $1.5 billion, significantly increasing state spending and making it nearly impossible for Wisconsin businesses to create jobs.
Also not entirely surprising was a liberal special interest group attacking me for having the gall to point out that we’ve reached the tipping point in our state; people and businesses are leaving because we’re taxed too much and the job climate is only going to get worse. You would think if they really believed the Democrat’s budget was good for economic development, job creation and the future of our state they would want the media to remain focused on the budget and all the good is was doing. In reality the Democrats and like-minded third party groups are talking about anything but the budget.
The really unexpected bit started to arrive in my e-mail inbox a day or so after the article was posted on my website. Mixed in with contacts from my senate district were three e-mails from Texas. Not the Town of Texas, Wisconsin in Marathon County, represented by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, but the State of Texas; Austin, Lubbock and Sachse to be precise.
Unlike the Democrats who attacked my column and my take on their budget, the Texans liked it. They appreciated that someone recognized the benefits of lower taxes. One person went as far to express disappointment that the Democrat’s tax and spend policies are “not only ruining wonderful places like Wisconsin, they have infiltrated [Washington] DC, and will soon have our national economy, and worse the entire country on its knees if they have their way with us.”
If people in Texas understand what is happening here in Wisconsin why can’t our legislative Democrats understand?
If you were having trouble making ends meet, living pay check to pay check, would you go out and buy a more expensive car and increase your monthly payment? I would hope not, but that’s what the Democrats did this year. Their budget increased state spending 6.8%. To make matters worse, this week, the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau published a report indicating our state’s structural deficit is now over $2.0 billion.
So in the last few weeks, the Democrats negotiated a deal amongst themselves to increase taxes, increase spending and grow the deficit and are now pretending like it never happened. They have shifted their focus to other things, like keeping an arm’s length away from $5.0 billion in new taxes before their constituents figure who is responsible.
Maybe if Senator Russ Decker and the Democrats would have focused more on the 1,700 people living in the Town of Texas, Wisconsin we wouldn’t have to worry about good Wisconsin businesses moving to the Lone Star State. Until they realize we have to keep job creating businesses right here at home, we are going to have a Texas-sized problem on our hands for years to come.
The response to the column was a bit unexpected.
The Democrat’s got defensive, which on its own is not unusual. I’d be a little sensitive too if I had to face my constituents after raising taxes and fees by $2.1 billion, bumping up property taxes by $1.5 billion, significantly increasing state spending and making it nearly impossible for Wisconsin businesses to create jobs.
Also not entirely surprising was a liberal special interest group attacking me for having the gall to point out that we’ve reached the tipping point in our state; people and businesses are leaving because we’re taxed too much and the job climate is only going to get worse. You would think if they really believed the Democrat’s budget was good for economic development, job creation and the future of our state they would want the media to remain focused on the budget and all the good is was doing. In reality the Democrats and like-minded third party groups are talking about anything but the budget.
The really unexpected bit started to arrive in my e-mail inbox a day or so after the article was posted on my website. Mixed in with contacts from my senate district were three e-mails from Texas. Not the Town of Texas, Wisconsin in Marathon County, represented by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, but the State of Texas; Austin, Lubbock and Sachse to be precise.
Unlike the Democrats who attacked my column and my take on their budget, the Texans liked it. They appreciated that someone recognized the benefits of lower taxes. One person went as far to express disappointment that the Democrat’s tax and spend policies are “not only ruining wonderful places like Wisconsin, they have infiltrated [Washington] DC, and will soon have our national economy, and worse the entire country on its knees if they have their way with us.”
If people in Texas understand what is happening here in Wisconsin why can’t our legislative Democrats understand?
If you were having trouble making ends meet, living pay check to pay check, would you go out and buy a more expensive car and increase your monthly payment? I would hope not, but that’s what the Democrats did this year. Their budget increased state spending 6.8%. To make matters worse, this week, the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau published a report indicating our state’s structural deficit is now over $2.0 billion.
So in the last few weeks, the Democrats negotiated a deal amongst themselves to increase taxes, increase spending and grow the deficit and are now pretending like it never happened. They have shifted their focus to other things, like keeping an arm’s length away from $5.0 billion in new taxes before their constituents figure who is responsible.
Maybe if Senator Russ Decker and the Democrats would have focused more on the 1,700 people living in the Town of Texas, Wisconsin we wouldn’t have to worry about good Wisconsin businesses moving to the Lone Star State. Until they realize we have to keep job creating businesses right here at home, we are going to have a Texas-sized problem on our hands for years to come.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Kanavas Column: My Friend the Lawyer
I was at an event in Milwaukee last week and I bumped into a prominent local attorney. Many of his clients are the types of businesses that drive our economy; the small and midsized companies that employ anywhere from 10 to upwards of 500 or so people. These companies are established businesses, supporting real Wisconsin families. The conversation immediately turned to the budget and I asked him what his thoughts were on Wisconsin’s business climate and how he thought the budget was going to affect it.
From my perspective, as a businessman and legislator, the conversation did not go well. He was quick to point out that several of his clients were soon leaving the state. Two companies in particular have plans to move to Texas or the southwest. This comes at no surprise of course. Texas has no state income tax and has been adopting policies that favor business growth and job creation for years. What was a surprise though, was that both of his clients mentioned Governor Doyle’s budget as a contributing factor in their decision to leave.
I’ve received hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls, letters and emails about the budget over the last few months. Often the caller or writer will say something like “I just can’t take it anymore,” “our taxes are too high,” “I can’t afford to live here any longer,” or “I’ll be forced to leave this state if this budget becomes law.” I’ve heard it, I’ve read it, but I’ve wondered how many people are going to actually do it?
The conversation with my lawyer-friend was proof it was really happening. We have reached the point where businesses, which means jobs and people, are leaving Wisconsin because of what the Democrats have done and are doing in Madison. Unfortunately, when these companies do leave it isn’t going to be like General Motors; splashed over the front page of the newspaper. These businesses are going to quietly tip-toe out of town and the employees are either going to be out of work or moving out of state.
This scenario is a disaster, and it’s a disaster for a reason that may not be on the top of your mind. Not only does it mean that the Democrats unfettered control of the state legislature and governor’s mansion is driving people away from our state, but it also means things are only going to get worse.
I know it’s hard to imagine a situation worse than the one we’re in right now. The Governor just signed a budget bill containing $2.1 billion in new taxes and fees, increased spending by 6.8% and allowed property taxes to go up by $1.5 billion. Couple that with the state’s unemployment rate at roughly 9% and you would think we could only improve from here. But let’s not forget those companies we just forced out of town. They will have an impact on our future.
When the companies leave they’ll take their tax dollars with them. Those companies will not be paying property taxes or corporate income taxes. Their employees will not be paying property taxes on their homes or personal income taxes.
So what happens next year when the state crunches the numbers and discovers that fewer companies and fewer people paid taxes in Wisconsin? The situation will be worse. Deficits will be greater. The unemployment rate will be higher. These numbers will not go down until we change the way we do business. The economy is falling apart around us, and here in Wisconsin we raised taxes by $5 billion since January, grew the size of government and increased state spending.
People have to take a long hard look at the policies being pursued in Madison and realize they just don’t work. Our state is going to experience a net out-migration of producers and a net in-migration of people who are more dependent on government.
We are killing our economy and our future.
If we don’t change and change soon, I may bump into my lawyer friend again, but it just might be in Texas.
From my perspective, as a businessman and legislator, the conversation did not go well. He was quick to point out that several of his clients were soon leaving the state. Two companies in particular have plans to move to Texas or the southwest. This comes at no surprise of course. Texas has no state income tax and has been adopting policies that favor business growth and job creation for years. What was a surprise though, was that both of his clients mentioned Governor Doyle’s budget as a contributing factor in their decision to leave.
I’ve received hundreds upon hundreds of phone calls, letters and emails about the budget over the last few months. Often the caller or writer will say something like “I just can’t take it anymore,” “our taxes are too high,” “I can’t afford to live here any longer,” or “I’ll be forced to leave this state if this budget becomes law.” I’ve heard it, I’ve read it, but I’ve wondered how many people are going to actually do it?
The conversation with my lawyer-friend was proof it was really happening. We have reached the point where businesses, which means jobs and people, are leaving Wisconsin because of what the Democrats have done and are doing in Madison. Unfortunately, when these companies do leave it isn’t going to be like General Motors; splashed over the front page of the newspaper. These businesses are going to quietly tip-toe out of town and the employees are either going to be out of work or moving out of state.
This scenario is a disaster, and it’s a disaster for a reason that may not be on the top of your mind. Not only does it mean that the Democrats unfettered control of the state legislature and governor’s mansion is driving people away from our state, but it also means things are only going to get worse.
I know it’s hard to imagine a situation worse than the one we’re in right now. The Governor just signed a budget bill containing $2.1 billion in new taxes and fees, increased spending by 6.8% and allowed property taxes to go up by $1.5 billion. Couple that with the state’s unemployment rate at roughly 9% and you would think we could only improve from here. But let’s not forget those companies we just forced out of town. They will have an impact on our future.
When the companies leave they’ll take their tax dollars with them. Those companies will not be paying property taxes or corporate income taxes. Their employees will not be paying property taxes on their homes or personal income taxes.
So what happens next year when the state crunches the numbers and discovers that fewer companies and fewer people paid taxes in Wisconsin? The situation will be worse. Deficits will be greater. The unemployment rate will be higher. These numbers will not go down until we change the way we do business. The economy is falling apart around us, and here in Wisconsin we raised taxes by $5 billion since January, grew the size of government and increased state spending.
People have to take a long hard look at the policies being pursued in Madison and realize they just don’t work. Our state is going to experience a net out-migration of producers and a net in-migration of people who are more dependent on government.
We are killing our economy and our future.
If we don’t change and change soon, I may bump into my lawyer friend again, but it just might be in Texas.
Monday, June 29, 2009
4th of July Activities
I already kicked of my annual 4th of July parade circuit.
On Sunday, I took some time away from volunteering at GreekFest, and walked in the Hartland 4th of July Parade. It was a great crowd as usual. I saw some old friends and enjoyed the beautiful walk down Main Street.
Later in the week I will be in parades in Oconomowoc, Menomonee Falls, the Town of Brookfield, City of Brookfield, Hartford and Pewaukee. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year.
I have attached some links from the Channel 4 website (below) so you can find the celebration nearest you.
Waukesha County:
http://www.todaystmj4.com/promotions/49019031.html
Washington County:
http://www.todaystmj4.com/promotions/49018996.html
I hope to see you out there celebrating America!
On Sunday, I took some time away from volunteering at GreekFest, and walked in the Hartland 4th of July Parade. It was a great crowd as usual. I saw some old friends and enjoyed the beautiful walk down Main Street.
Later in the week I will be in parades in Oconomowoc, Menomonee Falls, the Town of Brookfield, City of Brookfield, Hartford and Pewaukee. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year.
I have attached some links from the Channel 4 website (below) so you can find the celebration nearest you.
Waukesha County:
http://www.todaystmj4.com/promotions/49019031.html
Washington County:
http://www.todaystmj4.com/promotions/49018996.html
I hope to see you out there celebrating America!
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