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July 09, 2008

Wednesday Update

July 9, 2008  Volume 2, Number 29    In This Issue:  Fierce Independent or Shamelss Self-Promoter?

July 09, 2008 Volume 2, Number 29 The Wednesday Update
In This Issue: 1. Fierce Independent? 2. Gas Prices Catch     Fire 3. Have Assistant - Will     Travel 4. Flying Pigs Sighted	Keeping Free Marketers Current on the Issues Thanks for your support of Wisconsin Club for Growth! We hope you enjoy the newsletter. Our goal is to be brief, informative and bit provocative. We welcome your feedback. Please feel free to contact us anytime by emailing staff@wicfg.com , or come visit us on the worldwide web. Wisconsin Club for Growth Website Contribute! Fierce Independent or Shameless Self-Promoter? While the Wisconsin Assembly is teetering perilously between the two parties, Democrats received a special gift this week from Republican Representative Jeff Wood of Chetek.  Wood, running virtually unopposed, registered to run as an Independent, rather than as a Republican. As a result, Republicans go into the election down one seat before the campaigns even begin - important, since Republicans now hold a 51-47 advantage, instead of the current 52-47. While this maneuver certainly will get him some extra press coverage, Wood’s self-aggrandizing stunt isn’t completely out of character. In 2006, Wood flirted with the idea of running for Lieutenant Governor. Wood consistently torched Republicans for not passing "his" version of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, a constitutional amendment that would have limited state taxes and revenue. Yet at the same time, he championed more money for the ethanol industry to help his own district. He even claims to have voted against a Republican version of the state budget because it didn’t have enough ethanol subsidies in it. When announcing his last run, Wood listed all the great new spending he was able to secure for his district: During the state budget he was able to restore funding for the Chippewa County Assistant D.A. position funded by the Violence Against Women's Act that Governor Doyle had transferred to Milwaukee, and he helped find funding for a Chippewa Dental Clinic. Naturally, all of this new spending would have been impossible had TABOR actually passed. But Wood hasn’t exactly been known to balance his books, given his past criminal charges for passing fraudulent checks (charges that were eventually dropped) and various private party court judgments against him. The good news is that Democrats still have to win 3 seats to pick up a majority. But if they only win 2, the Assembly is split 49-49 and Wood becomes the de facto majority leader - a prospect that should send a chill up the spine of Wisconsin taxpayers. Gas Prices Catch Fire in Legislative Races With gas prices still hovering over $4 per gallon in much of the state, some legislative candidates are taking action to make gas more affordable. This weekend Republican State Senate candidate Chad Fradette protested high gas prices by handing out $128 to 34 drivers at a Green Bay gas station. The money represented the amount drivers would save per tank if the state were to repeal the "minimum markup" law, which requires gas to be sold at over 9% over the wholesale price. The law adds roughly 35 cents to every gallon of gas sold in Wisconsin by mandating a certain profit for gas station owners. Fradette's opponent, Democrat Senator Dave Hansen, supports the minimum markup law and voted against repealing it in the State Senate. Hansen called Fradette’s protest against the minimum mark up law a "gimmick," implying that the 35 cents per gallon extra his constituents are paying is fine with him. In fact, if Hansen had his way, taxpayers would be paying an additional 8 cents per gallon on top of that since Hansen was the lead proponent of Governor Doyle"s gas tax increase last year. Fradette has set up an online petition urging Hansen to support repealing the minimum markup law, which would immediately provide drivers relief at the pump. Wisconsin Club for Growth urges legislative candidates to follow Fradette"s lead!d a chill up the spine of Wisconsin taxpayers. Have Assistant - Will Travel According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Wisconsin Commerce Secretary and one of his aides have been living the high life - and the taxpayers are footing the bill. According to the paper, Jim Doyle appointee Jack Fischer and his executive aide Deborah Godt have been traveling the world together, charging $21,282 to the taxpayers for their international adventures. Often times, Fischer and Godt would fly out to conferences early and leave late, to allow for a little down time on the taxpayers’ dime. While some of the charges have subsequently been reimbursed, payment was only provided after it was clear the newspaper was investigating the Secretary’s travel records. Furthermore, it is against the state’s rules to charge personal expenses to the state and reimburse taxpayers later. In less than three months this spring, Fischer and Godt billed taxpayers $21,282 for three international trips - to Ireland and the United Kingdom; the Czech Republic; and Canada, according to the Journal Sentinel. Fischer's flack, Chandra Miller-Fienen, daughter of State Senator Mark Miller and international exchange rate specialist, blamed the high travel costs on the weak dollar. "That’s an exchange-rate issue," she said. "When you travel, food is expensive." That completely explains the $2,300 taxpayers had to pay for Fischer, Godt and two other state employees to stay at a five star hotel in Ireland. According to the Journal Sentinel report, records show Fischer and Godt billed taxpayers for dinners that cost as much as $89 for one person. Each had six meals that cost more than $80 while they were in Ireland and the United Kingdom. They were not required under state rules to provide receipts for those expenses. Miller-Feinen’s spin doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. She claimed that Godt and Fischer saved taxpayers $742 by flying out a day early on one occasion - yet they had to get a hotel for $892 that night, which actually cost the taxpayers more. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that department heads rarely take lower-level assistants on state trips, and according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Since Doyle took office in 2003, no other commerce secretary has made more than two trips out of the country in a year. Fischer is also the first commerce secretary under Doyle to go overseas without the governor. Doyle appointed Fischer, an Appleton architect, to the job in November. Fischer earns $119,851 a year; Godt makes $54,587. "His assistant Deborah Godt has been essential in making sure all the work Secretary Fischer wants to accomplish is getting done," Miller-Fienen said. Uh-huh. We'll look forward to reading the annual report. In the meantime, Godt’s Attorney excuses his clients extended trips by saying, "She’s not a wealthy person. Why wouldn't you take an extra couple days?" Godt may not be wealthy, but she certainly makes more money than the vast majority of Wisconsin taxpayers. Still, the more relevant question is why did Godt and her boss continue to travel so extensively after Governor Doyle called for state employees to limit their travel in the wake of a huge budget deficit? Flying Pigs Sighted WSJ Endorses Nukes  Following the recommendation of the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming to alter the state’s moratorium on nuclear energy, the Wisconsin State Journal last week endorsed the idea that nuclear energy can provide clean, effective energy for the state. The State Journal concluded: The task force correctly identified conservation and energy efficiency, which can reduce the demand for new power plants, as the state's top priorities. Renewable wind power and biomass are also promising power sources. But conservation, efficiency and renewables are unlikely to be sufficient answers for a growing demand for electricity. Nuclear power offers the important advantage of being free of most air pollution, including mercury and the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. And nuclear fuel is cheap. Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the more energy that is available, the cheaper it will be for consumers. But give credit to those who are starting to figure it out. They are taking important baby steps toward a more stable source of energy in the state.