Ok…I’m sorry I can’t give a super enthusiastic, utterly positive New Year’s message on today’s blog.  Just know that overall, I am extremely optimistic about the coming year; I see “opportunity” written all over it.  I’m motivated more than ever for our organizations to be involved and have an impact.  But, in case you missed this “non-news” item, you need to know about the matter I’m writing about today–to help you be even more involved and more motivated in the weeks and months ahead of this critical election year.

Our friends at Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance just released this week a short “Focus” piece that tells the abyssmal truth about Wisconsin’s state deficit.  Did you know we closed the books for 2008-2009 with a $2.7 BILLION deficit?  No press releases issued, no news stories aired on radio or tv–just a very quiet appearance of this item on a state website.  That sobering truth emerges when the CPA (aka “state controller”) does his official work on the state’s books–and cleans up all the fudging that the governor and lawmakers have done through the year.

From Todd Berry’s article:

“To many readers, this [notice of this large deficit] might come as a surprise.  By law, state government is supposed to balance its budget.  On paper, it does.  However, for more than a decade, governors and legislators of both parties have ‘balanced’ budgets through use of accounting maneuvers, timing delays, borrowing, and billions in one-time money.” (emphasis added)

This truth is enough on its own to tell me it is time to clean house–to “unelect” any state legislator who has been party to this atrocious, outrageous behavior.  And to ensure no governor or state legislator is elected who will not pledge to stop the “smoke and mirrors” with our taxpayer money and the taxpayer money of Wisconsin citizens as yet unborn.

Read WTA’s article (it’s short!)…absorb it–and then plug in with groups such as Wisconsin Family Action and get involved and make an impact this coming year!  Let’s do it! 

Happy New Year–really!