Conservative-Digest
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Free Sample Copy Issue: 8 Cost: $1.25 of Conservative Issues and Ideas Taxpayers taken for a ride, a ride that is now ending By Sen. Alberta Darling (R-8th District) permanent maintenance facility for 20 years vs. and Rep. Robin Vos (R-63rd District) the cost of running the current Amtrak trains. The difference made last week's decisions an This past session, we spent a lot of time fix- easy one for Wisconsin taxpayers. ing the mess former Gov. Jim Doyle and the The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau Democrats made when they were in power. From estimated that Talgo trains would cost taxpayers filling a $3.6 billion deficit to repaying the $10 million more each year for the next 20 years. Injured Victims Compensation Fund that he raid- We didn't believe it was wise to throw $200 mil- ed, we've made it our goal to protect taxpayers lion taxpayer dollars at a bad project. from the bad decisions made in years past. As the The state would be bound by contract to have chairs of the budget-writing Joint Committee on a more frequent maintenance schedule than Finance, it is our job to be responsible stewards Amtrak, instantly inflating the cost of operations with the generous money taxpayers provide the by 3%. These new Talgo trains have to be serv- state. iced every other day. The current Amtrak trains The no-bid Talgo Inc. contract was astonish- are maintained on a set schedule and on an as- ingly irresponsible, even by Doyle and the needed basis, similar to how you maintain your Democrats' fiscal standards. Shortly after a hasti- own car. ly announced jaunt to Spain, Doyle used a loop- The Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates the hole in the law to commit Wisconsin to a no-bid cost to operate the new trains would be $5.1 mil- boondoggle that locked in escalating costs for a lion higher. However, that's assuming the same train that couldn't survive without continual tax- number of people ride the trains. However, the payer support. Talgo trains are smaller. In addition, Illinois now The more we found out, the less there was to helps pay for 25% of the Amtrak contract, but it like. The deal was sold as a $47.1 million con- wouldn't pay anything to help maintain the Talgo tract, but the actual cost was closer to $70 mil- trains. It's not part of the Talgo agreement. lion. Those trains were meant to be built for a Now you have to add the required construc- less than high-speed rail line between Madison tion costs of the maintenance facility. The capi- and Milwaukee at great taxpayer expense. Gov. tal costs would add $5 million annually to the Scott Walker smartly turned away one-time fed- state's bill. That brings the total cost to $10 mil- eral funding for a train people didn't want and lion each year for the next 20 years - $200 mil- couldn't afford. The federal funding wouldn't lion that can be better spent elsewhere. have touched the long-term costs of maintaining For those who currently ride the Amtrak and operating the train that wouldn't have saved train, this decision means you will see no differ- commuters any time and would cost taxpayers in ence with your service. However, if we would've perpetuity. It was a boondoggle we couldn't chosen the more expensive route, riders of the afford. new trains could potentially see fair hikes, less Since the trains wouldn't be used for the seating on the train and this popular line sudden- Madison-to-Milwaukee line, the trains had to go ly becomes less attractive. It's a gamble we were to Amtrak's Hiawatha line. Unfortunately, the not willing to take. trains are too small to meet ridership demands Luckily, the state has options. According to for that line, which means we would need to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, if no funds were build even more cars that are more expensive to given for the Talgo maintenance facility, the operate on the Hiawatha line. It's throwing good "agreement can be terminated by either party." money after bad. For the sake of the taxpayers in So that's where we are now. The state will go Wisconsin, it was time to go back to the table back to the table with Talgo and try to work out and work on a deal that would better protect tax- a better deal than the no-bid one they received in payers. the final days of the Doyle administration. We made the decision in the Joint Finance Wisconsin taxpayers were taken for a ride by Committee like any family would–by looking at Doyle and the Democrats. We're proud to say the numbers. In early December, the committee that the ride is coming to an end. passed a motion to ask the Department of Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Transportation for a full analysis of the taxpayer Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester) are co-chairs of cost of running the Talgo trains and opening a the Joint Finance Committee. Page 2 Conservative Digest May 2012 Walker and the Legislature had to fix liberal mess Gov. Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Legislature with this HOPE AND CHANGE program voted in were faced with some very tough decisions after nationally. being elected in 2010. Raise taxes and chase people Scott Walker is a REFORM governor, sent in to and businesses out of state–as Jim Doyle, Wisconsin's clean up the mess made by Liberal Tom Ament and worst governor in 100 years and as Illinois and his leftists. They feathered their beds at the expense California are doing–or to restore fiscal sanity to the of the taxpayers, as have the other public employee budget for a generation. They figured that they were unions around the state. Now, having to deal with the going to have to break a few eggs. mess left by the Leftists in Mad City, Walker and the Not wanting to see massive layoffs and big class Legislature made some tough decisions. He dealt sizes, across the state, they settled on the best possible with Milwaukee County's mess and is now dealing answer–making public employees pay their fair share with the mess in Mad city, and, boy. are they scream- of pensions and health costs, as the rest of the state ing. "When you pull all of those noses away from the does. trough, you sure do get a lot of oinking,” Ronald Their results were good and they are working. Reagan said. Some of the public employees were a little upset, with Unions, faced with the loss of dues that they use having to do with the same salary deductions as what to pad their fat salaries and further their leftist politi- the taxpayers are getting and so decided to complete- cal power, have been the worst. ly engage in a civil war with the governor and legis- Tommy Thompson showed us the way in 14 years lature, upsetting the whole community and throwing as governor. He cut taxes, encouraged businesses, the economy into a tailspin. controlled spending, and kept a steady course to Few businesses want to work with these aggres- attract and grow businesses. Walker is following the sive unions and their foul mouthed friends so they same path, while the dimwitted left wants to make have held back and watched. The carryover from the enemies of those that start from scratch, work 60 bad decisions of the Doyle administration precluded a hours per week, and grow their businesses to create quick recovery, so Wisconsin continues to suffer jobs. They need capital to do that and the more we under their obnoxious tactics. take from them the less we get. With this recall election, Wisconsin has two dis- If you take money from productive people and tinct paths to follow for their schools: either the path give it to non-productive people, you get less produc- of our kids under the thumb of the union thugs or the tion from both. path of more freedom for the families and local com- There is a reason that around 7,500 top income munities to plan for their own kids. people have left this state and over 150,000 tax eaters Already we have seen some amazing changes. have moved in and it isn't because of Conservative In Brown Deer they have shown that minority stu- fiscal policy. dents can be taught to read while in Milwaukee, still It might be nice to live in Mad City with the uni- under the thumb of the union thugs, thousands more versities, hospitals, and state government there, pro- kids will leave school with minimal skills, but the viding stable, high salaried jobs, but the rest of the teachers pensions, health and salaries will remain state does not have that and we need private jobs to intact. pay the way there. While the leftists in Mad City can If a kid can't read by 4th grade, he or she is pretty stroll along the lake in their birkenstocks puffing on a much lost. little pot while talking about socialism and its goals, Why do you think kids are in trouble? Poor fam- the rest of us have to work. ily lives, uncaring school monopoly and unable to comprehend lessons put in front of them, they act up. Bob and Jean Dohnal, Publishers Thank God that CHOICE came along to give some of The Wisconsin Conservative Digest them hope, something that they have not had even Give $25 or Get 25 Digests!! About this time of the year, after the elections, is get immediate updates on what is happening in when all conservatives go to sleep, zip up their billfolds Madison and DC.