The Critical Thinker

A Rose By Any Other Name…is Still a Tax

Bell takes a critical view of Walker's repair bill.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Almost everyone has heard this famous line from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” Basically, it is saying that the names of things do not matter, but what they are does matter. So let’s talk about the “roses” coming out of Governor Scott Walker’s Budget Repair Bill. The “roses” in this bill are what is known as revenue enhancements and/or cost containments (or pick any phrase or words you like.) Make no mistake, these “roses” are taxes dressed in sheep’s’ clothing. What is a tax? Simply put, it is a fee that is charged or levied by a government. This tax can be direct, such as on income; or it can be indirect such as on the price of a good or service. “Fees” are coming soon to our state’s …

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Wanted: Good Paying Jobs, and NOW

State legislators focus on getting businesses to start hiring again and removing roadblocks to growth.

Sworn into office this week for another term, State Rep. Robin Vos plans to focus on job creation. "We want to grow the economy, but we also want to create jobs people can live on," said Vos, R-Rochester. And that means the focus will be on establishing immediate and long-term goals, but also focusing on the larger principals at hand, not personalities. "The key principal is that we are open to listening to good ideas, no matter who they come from," Vos said. "We can all agree that this state needs a new direction, especially with 9 to 10 percent unemployment." In November, the Village of Caledonia had 3.1 percent unemployment while the City of Racine had 13.4 percent unemployment in December, according to the Department of Workforce …

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