No Runny Eggs

Selected excerpts from the latest whine from the ‘Rats that taxes aren’t going up:

Democrats who control the Senate and Republicans who run the Assembly agree that fees for vehicle and truck registration, driver licenses and titles should increase. Lawmakers had hoped to raise many of those fees on Oct. 1, but because of budget delays they likely can’t go into effect until Dec. 1, at the earliest.

That delay translates into $28 million that drivers will save and that the transportation fund will lose, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

That increase is exceptionally dumb. I welcome the lack of the increase, even though my driver’s license is good through 2011, and my car registration is good through next July.

By Oct. 1, the DOT must tell local governments how much state transportation aid they’ll receive in 2008. Without a new state budget, local governments will be told to budget using the aid they got last year, which likely will lead to fewer projects, service cuts or higher property taxes and bus fare hikes, Busalacchi said in his letter.

You mean that Payne & Dolan might not get to spread as much of their inferior product around? Out-fragging-standing! You mean that not as much air might get shuffled around Milwaukee County on buses? Huzzah! You mean that the freeloaders on said buses might be asked to pick up a little more of the cost of transporting them around (and in the case of the public college students, pick up any of said cost)? YES!!! You mean that there won’t be more choo-choos in Milwaukee? Where do I sign up?

“If you don’t pass a budget and you don’t have a bonding level set for what you’re going to do for roads or buildings, then you’ve got to cut way back on what you’re doing,” Doyle told reporters.

If it means less roundabouts, I’ll take that trade. Besides, how many outstate towns are left that don’t have 4-lane bypasses?

Doyle and Senate Democrats want a tax on oil companies, who the governor says have forced Wisconsin drivers to pay unreasonable gas prices. If it became law, and survived an expected court test, it would bring in about $160 million a year.

Keep this number in mind; I’ll bring it up again in a bit. That, plus interest, is what the state the state’s taxpayers will be refunding the oil companies once the courts strike the tax down. Oh yeah; that’s also what the drivers in the state will be paying until said tax is struck down.

“I don’t know why (Republicans) continue to protect big oil,” Decker said.

Allow me to ReWrite™ that for truthfullness – “I don’t know why (Republicans) continue to protect big oil the taxpayers,” Decker said.

Over the past four years, more the $1 billion was moved from the transportation fund into other spending. Doyle moved much of that money by reshaping two budgets with his veto powers….

Doyle’s original budget included $160.8 million in transfers from the transportation fund. The Senate-passed budget had transfers of $73.3 million, and the Assembly budget had no transfers.

SHOCKA! Craps’ latest proposed raid is half his gas tax. It also is essentially the entire agreed-upon-in-principle licensing and registration increases.

As for the $1 billion, you suppose that if it had stayed in the transportation fund, we could get by without tax increases? Instead, we get increases now, and more when that money has to be returned to the transportation fund (think “Social Security ‘Trust Fund'”).

But Decker noted Republican legislators have approved transportation fund transfers in the past.

So, Russ. Just because the Pubbies acted stupid before, they have to continue to be stupid? Sorry, but that’s not how rational people think. Of course, I know I’m probably making the mistake of believing the light at the end of the tunnel is the sun instead of an oncoming train by applying rationality here, but unlike you and your fellow ‘Rats, there is a glimmer of hope for rationality out of the Pubbies.