State of Wisconsin Archives: on Budget & Economy
Sarah Godlewski:
We can help people get back to work, small businesses
There is a shared sense, summed up by Godlewski in her announcement, that, "We can do so much better. Instead of conspiracy theories, we can focus on actually helping families. We can get people back to work--especially women and people of color and
those in rural communities who have been hit hardest by this pandemic. We can help the mom-and-pop small businesses--not just the big corporations. And instead of denying climate change, we can combat it."
Source: Wisconsin State Journal on 2022 Wisconsin Senate race
Apr 14, 2021
Tom Nelson:
US should develop a national industrial strategy
[On federal government]: "This country is one of the few developed countries that does not have a national industrial strategy," the county executive said. "It's a big reason why I believe that the core of manufacturing was hollowed out in the 1970s and
1980s. A national industrial strategy will allow us, under one umbrella, to address all these key bread-and-butter issues, economic issues, everything from trade policy, research and development support, targeted industries, and bargaining rights."
Source: The Madison Capital Times on 2022 Wisconsin Senate race
Oct 26, 2020
Phil Anderson:
Market-led recovery better than stimulus
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Stimulus better than market-led recovery"?
A: Oppose.
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Wisconsin Governor candidate
May 18, 2018
Kelda Helen Roys:
Stimulus better than market-led recovery
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Stimulus better than market-led recovery"?
A: Support
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Wisconsin Governor candidate
May 5, 2018
Kathleen Vinehout:
Investing in more support for people helps economy thrive
Budgets are a blueprint of our priorities. What we spend state dollars on truly reflects what we value for our people and our communities. When government provides the supports that increase opportunities for people, the economy thrives.
The corporate think tanks tell us that the "business climate" is good when the choice is low taxes and few regulations. But, research tells us the states with good public services are the states that thrive.
Source: 2018 Wisconsin Gubernatorial website KathleenVinehout.org
Feb 22, 2018
Leah Vukmir:
Congress is addicted to spending our money
It's not just that Congress spends too much--Congress is addicted to spending our money. Leah Vukmir is a conservative who believes that if hard-working Wisconsinites have to balance a checkbook, Congress should too. Leah supports a Balanced Budget
Amendment to the Constitution for this very reason.To pay for all this spending, Congress has created a complicated federal tax code. Thousands of pages long and burdensome for many Americans, Leah believes we must streamline the tax code by
eliminating loopholes and deductions, while lowering tax rates for all Americans.
Finally, smaller companies pay one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. Taxation of this magnitude negatively impacts our ability to
remain competitive and keep our workforce in the United States. In the Senate, Leah will push for a tax code that is simplified, increases competition with other nations, and benefits all Americans.
Source: 2018 Wisconsin Senate campaign website LeahVukmir.com
Aug 10, 2017
Mike Gallagher:
Cut wasteful spending and pay down the national debt
Federal spending is out of control, leaving us with a national debt of over $19 trillion, bankrupting the country and sending the bill to the next generation. To revive our economic strength, I will work tirelessly to cut wasteful spending,
streamline government, and get our economy growing again so we can balance the budget and pay down the national debt. I strongly support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and will support one in Congress.
Source: 2016 Wisconsin House campaign website MikeForWisconsin.com
Nov 8, 2016
Bernie Sanders:
Yes, limit size of government, but address inequality
Q: How big a role do you foresee for the federal government? It's already spending 21% of the entire US economy. SANDERS: Well, to put that in a context, in the last 30 years in this country there has been a massive transfer of wealth going from the
hands of working families into the top 1/10 of 1% whose percentage of wealth has doubled.
Q: But, my question is how big would government be? Would there be any limit on the size of the role of government?
SANDERS: Of course there will be a limit,
but when today you have massive levels of income and wealth inequality, when the middle class is disappearing, yes, in my view, the government of a democratic society has a moral responsibility to play a vital role in making sure all of our people have a
decent standard of living.
Hillary CLINTON: The best analysis that I've seen based on Senator Sanders plans is that it would probably increase the size of the federal government by about 40%.
Source: 2016 PBS Democratic debate in Wisconsin
Feb 11, 2016
Scott Walker:
Wisconsin Comeback: lower unemployment and lower tax burden
Over the past four years, we put the power back into the hands of the citizens of Wisconsin. In turn, Wisconsin is more free and prosperous. If you remember nothing else, remember this: more people are working, while fewer are unemployed.
State government is more effective, more efficient, and more accountable, and the state's financial condition has improved. Budgets are set based on the public's ability to pay, instead of the government's hunger to spend. School scores are up and more
students are graduating, and we are helping more of our fellow citizens to transition from government dependence to work.The Wisconsin Comeback is working. There are now 7,600 more private sector jobs in Wisconsin than there were before the recession.
The unemployment rate that peaked at 9.2% in January of 2010 is now down to 5.2%. Trends show it will continue to drop this year. Budget reforms over the past four years reduced the burden on the hard-working taxpayers of this state by $2 billion.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Wisconsin Legislature
Jan 13, 2015
Glenn Grothman:
Free enterprise instead of assuring livable income
Q: Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self interest into the fairest and most productive economic system there is, and are the key to national prosperity?
GROTHMAN: Strongly Agree
Q: It is the government's responsibility to be sure everyone has health care and a livable income?
GROTHMAN: Disagree
Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Wisconsin House race
Sep 30, 2014
Glenn Grothman:
Outspoken critic of increased spending & new government jobs
Glenn was a leader in pushing to turn Wisconsin's $3.6 billion deficit into a budget surplus. Glenn firmly believes that our elected officials must be good stewards of the people's money. He has been an outspoken critic of increased spending and new
government jobs, fighting both during the 2011&2013 state budget debates. In Washington, Glenn will fight to reduce government spending, eliminate unused & unneeded government jobs, and implement a plan to reduce the burden of debt on future generations.
Source: 2014 Wisconsin House campaign website, GlennGrothman.com
May 31, 2014
Scott Walker:
Blueprint for Prosperity: Lower taxes & $100M Rainy Day fund
Tonight, I propose a Blueprint for Prosperity, which will continue to improve our economy, while preserving our strong fiscal standing. Specifically, I ask you to work with me over the next few weeks to return the vast majority of the new surplus
directly to the hard-working taxpayers of Wisconsin and to add more than $100 million to the state's rainy day fund. As it has over the past few years, lowering the tax burden will contribute to a stronger economy and a better fiscal situation in the
future.Our Blueprint for Prosperity will put more than $800 million back into the hands of the hard-working taxpayers all across the state through tax cuts and withholding changes. Once passed, the total tax relief provided since I took office
will be roughly $2 billion.
- We will reduce property taxes by $406 million.
- We will reduce income taxes by $98.6 million.
- We have adjusted withholding for state income taxes by $322.6 million.
Source: 2014 State of the State Address to Wisconsin legislature
Jan 22, 2014
Tommy Thompson:
Balanced budget is first priority
If elected to the U.S. Senate, Thompson said one of the first needs he would support is "a balanced budget. I'd also ask every federal agency to reduce spending by 5 percent and give the Secretaries who run those departments the authority to do
away with programs that weren't working."Baldwin, if elected, "would end the war in Afghanistan, make it illegal for drug companies to profit from Medicare Part D, get rid of corporate welfare for big farms and big oil."
Source: Madison Agri-View on 2012 Wisconsin Senate debates
Oct 4, 2012
Tommy Thompson:
Tax-and-spend policies are out of the mainstream
Thompson opened the debate by labeling his opponent Tammy Baldwin "a taxer and a spender." He accused her of being out of the mainstream and failing to produce any changes in Washington. "Baldwin doesn't have a record to run on, so all she can
do is try to get people not to like me," Thompson said.Baldwin responded by labeling partisan name-calling "crazy."
Source: Wisconsin State Journal on 2012 Wisc. Senate debate
Sep 28, 2012
Mark Neumann:
Full audit of the Federal Reserve
Question 6. Would you support a full audit of the Federal Reserve?
Mark Neumann: Yes
Tommy Thompson: Yes
Source: 2012 Wisconsin Tea Party Senate Debate Questionnaire
Aug 13, 2012
Tommy Thompson:
Full audit of the Federal Reserve
Question 6. Would you support a full audit of the Federal Reserve?
Mark Neumann: Yes
Tommy Thompson: Yes
Source: 2012 Wisconsin Tea Party Senate Debate Questionnaire
Aug 13, 2012
Scott Walker:
Growth agenda: ease tax burden & regulatory burden
Q: Will you raise taxes, or cut state spending to close the budget shortfall gap? WALKER: Clearly, Wisconsin faces a major challenge. We're going to push a growth agenda. It's about our focus in creating 250,000 jobs. The states that have lowered the
cost of doing business, by easing their tax burden, easing their regulatory and litigation burden, gets you not only more job growth in the past couple of years, they've actually seen greater revenues coming in as more people are working. So part of our
agenda is to cut the costs of doing business and getting more people working. On top of that, it's clear we're going to have to reduce state spending. To me, one of the prime examples is we can't have the public employees being the have's and the
taxpayers who foot the bill being the have-nots. So I'm going to ask more of public employees, simple things like asking state workers to make the employee contributions to the pension system, 5%, exactly what the national average is.
Source: 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall debate on 620-WTMJ
Jun 1, 2012
Scott Walker:
Eliminating collective bargaining created $154M surplus
For a moment Thursday, the campaign returned to the issue that sparked the historic recall in the first place. The two rivals spent the first 15 minutes of the debate sparring over the governor's decision to eliminate collective bargaining rights for
public employees.Walker framed his budget bill as a bold but necessary action taken to get the state's finances in order and pointed to a $154 million surplus and the addition of 23,000 jobs this year as evidence his reforms had already produced
results. "The mayor has said repeatedly throughout the primary he wants go to back and restore collective bargaining," Walker noted.
Barrett acknowledged as governor he would restore collective bargaining rights, but pushed back on the assertion that
he would be a pawn of the unions. "The difference is I'll allow them to be at the table. He doesn't even want to have a conversation with them. They know that I'm not a pushover, but the difference is I respect them to be at the table," he said.
Source: Politico.com on 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall debate
Jun 1, 2012
Tom Barrett:
Put Madison on a diet: trim budget without raising taxes
Q: Wisconsin faces major budget shortfalls in the coming years. Will you raise taxes, or cut state spending to close the gap? BARRETT: It's true that we have a pending budget deficit of $2.7 billion. So this is not the time to raise taxes. It is
certainly the time to cut state spending and I've put forth a plan to put Wisconsin and Madison on a diet. That includes consolidating the ability for local and state employees to purchase health insurance, eliminating the office of Secretary of
State, and cracking down on Medicaid fraud. Those are places where I know we can cut spending and that's what I'm looking for. In terms of taxes, I'm not looking to raise any taxes because I think particularly in the first budget, our focus has to be
on doing everything we can to get our budget under control.
WALKER: We're going to push a growth agenda, by easing their tax burden, easing their regulatory and litigation burden
Source: 2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall debate on 620-WTMJ
Jun 1, 2012
John Schiess:
Get rid of federal reserve system
Candidate John Schiess says the last time he ran for US Senate was 28 years ago. "And my platform hasn't changed--get rid of federal reserve system and department of education and get rid of the communist
United Nations, it's a trojan horse on our soil," said Schiess. All the candidates do seem to agree on the key issues--getting the budget under control, and creating jobs.
Source: Fox11online.com coverage of 2012 Wisconsin GOP Senate Debate
Mar 25, 2012
Mark Neumann:
Balance the budget by eliminating Obamacare
Former Congressman Mark Neumann touted experience. "I've written a five year plan to balance the budget by eliminating
Obamacare, cutting $1.4 trillion out of the budget," Neumann said raising a printed copy of his plan. All the candidates do seem to agree on the key issues--getting the budget under control, and creating jobs.
Source: Fox11online.com coverage of 2012 Wisconsin GOP Senate Debate
Mar 24, 2012
Scott Walker:
Wisconsin's once strong economy is in need of repair
We have an economic crisis in this state that demands our immediate attention. The solutions we offer must be designed to address both job creation and our budget problems. Wisconsin's once strong economy is in need of repair. Too many of our people are
hurting and too many of our employers are struggling. As I travel the state, I hear too many stories of families struggling to put food on the table; and I learn of too many small businesses who are forced to layoff workers because of the economy.
Source: 2011 Wisconsin State of the State Address
Feb 1, 2011
Ron Johnson:
$184B stimulus drove the country deeper into debt
Feingold voted for the $814 billion economic stimulus measure last year, saying it would create jobs and stabilize the economy. He has defended the vote by saying it created jobs, pointing as proof to the abundance of "under construction"
signs on highways across the state. Johnson says the vote drove the country deeper into debt without providing any meaningful benefits.
Source: Chicago Tribune coverage of 2010 Wisconsin Senate debate
Oct 7, 2010
Tommy Thompson:
Vetoed 255 spending bills totalling $43M
The 1999-2001 Budget made historic investments in Wisconsin families, provided over $1 billion dollars in tax relief and made unprecedented commitments in education and health care.
Gov. Thompson strengthened the budget by making 255 vetoes to cut a record $43 million in unnecessary spending. The governor also used his veto pen to eliminate $43 million in tax hikes on business, including $31 million in recycling taxes on companies.
Source: Wisconsin Governor’s web site, “Budget”
Dec 25, 2000
Page last updated: Oct 14, 2021