Voices Question

In order to balance the budget I would support raising taxes on the wealthiest citizens and closing the tax loopholes that allow the corporations to avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

(1) End tax breaks/loopholes. Big corporations will continue profiting without them. We could get $177 million back from Feb. 2011 and another $400 million from May 2011. Two-thirds of Wisconsin corporations don't pay state income taxes. This is a federal problem. (2) End school vouchers. Look at the ugly history of the school voucher system in Milwaukee--corruption, degradation of funding public schools, and the games with income level caps that legislators are playing right now. It is un-American for taxpayers to fund a private education for any children, let alone only the wealthy ones. (3) Increase state sales tax; cut waste & frills.

Close corporate tax loopholes (the top 10 grossing corporations pay no taxes & receive billions in refunds), reinstate pre-Bush income tax rates on the wealthiest Americans(because supply-side economics is a colossal fraud), reduce military spending to levels needed to defend our borders, end subsidies to big oil and corporate agribusiness.

I would pass a measure temporarily allowing an unbalanced budget until unemployment drops to 5.5% or less. Then I would raise taxes. You cannot balance a budget without revenue.

I would support policies that keep lobbyists from promoting big business that hurt small business, front line workers and the environment. People need to vote their conscience and not their pockets. "No new taxes" is not a good policy to run on even though it may get votes. It is not honest and it is not feasible. Government money comes primarily from establishing fair taxation and then being frugal and responsible. Those are two things lacking in today's economy. I would promote policy that fosters family accountability in the school communities and push for a more budgetary oversight of the district.

There are many changes I would make to solve the budget crisis, but the first change I would make is increase taxes on the wealthy. The rich used to finance our country, but their rates have been cut so much, that funding has gone away. Everyone needs to pay their fair share. In a system that is rigged so the rich get richer, it is their patriotic duty to pay more and feel proud about it.

Tie government officials into the same plans they have for other public employees. Beyond that, term limits have created a dearth of "retired" elected officials who get a full retirement and benefits for life after only a short time working for their constituents. Let's cut that off. Finally, for Michigan, I think it is time for a graduated income tax that fairly taxes our residents based on how much money they make.