Mark of Appleton writes:
What are your thoughts on
the Convention of States resolution relating to the U.S.
Constitution?
I have consistently voted against calling a
new constitutional convention. I’m a firm believer in our
Constitution as it stands; however, I also believe Congress
needs to do its job of balancing the federal budget and that the
best term limits are regular elections. When I see the mischief
radical leftists cultivate with petitions for a constitutional
convention on everything from the Electoral College, to Citizens
United, to redistricting, I know any convention would be a
complete free-for-all, which I cannot support. The
resolution I voted against this week in the State Assembly
was just too vague for me to support without the concern that it
might warp our Constitution in unintended ways.
Maiyoua of Appleton writes:
Concerns have been raised that the federal government is in renewed
talks with the country of Laos to begin accepting individuals
deported from the U.S. What can we do to help the Hmong
community?
I’m concerned that the county executive and
the media are simply stoking fears to gain attention. Law abiding citizens, permanent
residents, refugees, and individuals with asylum are in no
danger of being deported.
Only individuals who have been convicted of a serious crime are
at risk of deportation and there is no guarantee that Laos
will begin accepting these deported individuals. The Hmong
people of Wisconsin have contributed greatly to our community
and nation, and I will do everything I can to ensure they are
respected and not used as political pawns.
Helen of Neenah writes:
Why do we have a state
budget surplus? Couldn’t we have just budgeted better to begin
with? Don’t we also have a structural deficit? How much would it
cost to issue rebate checks to tax payers?
Budget surpluses occur when the economy is
stronger than expected and the state collects more sales and
income tax revenue. It’s difficult to predict the economy two
years in advance when the state adopts its budget, so we
sometimes have to come back and adjust the budget. Wisconsin is
legally prohibited from operating under a deficit; however, we
do take out debt in order to fund long term projects. Low
interest, long term bonds allow Wisconsin to build roads and
buildings today and spread out the cost over time. In fact, this
bonding process actually saves taxpayers money because
construction costs inflate even faster than the current interest
rate on the bonds. Building today with a bond is more fiscally
responsible than saving money for thirty years and then building
at a much higher cost. We are currently discussing returning
surplus revenues to the people of Wisconsin through tax cuts.
Instead of receiving a tax rebate check, folks would see their
income tax and personal property tax rates go down. Returning
excess tax collections through reduced tax rates is the most
efficient way to get taxpayer money back into the hands of the
people who actually earned it.
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