Wednesday, February 12, 2014
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State Assembly passes controversial tax bills Supermajority tax bill passes state Assembly 60-to-39
DANA KAMPA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke said Gov. Scott Walker’s plan for the projected surplus is “irresponsible.”
Mary Burke responds to Walker surplus plan By Dana Kampa THE DAILY CARDINAL
Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke responded to Gov. Scott Walker’s plans for the state’s projected $977 million surplus in a press conference Tuesday. Burke stated the projected surplus is “based on some pretty rosy assumptions” and Walker’s plan is “irresponsible.” “We know that 2013 was a record year in the stock market, and as a result, 75 percent of the states across the country are seeing these projected surpluses,” Burke said. “In just the first five weeks of this year, we’ve already seen how volatile the
stock market can be and how quickly these rosy assumptions can go away.”
“Our economy grows when we grow and strengthen the middle class.” Mary Burke democratic candidate 2014 Gubernatorial Election
Burke said Walker is spending money the state does not have without addressing a “large number of financial obligations,” including record-high
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The state Assembly approved an amendment to the state’s constitution Tuesday that would require 66 percent of voting members of both chambers to vote in favor of future tax bills in order to move them to the governor’s desk. Currently, all legislation needs a simple majority vote of 51 percent to be approved by both houses of the Legislature. Republicans defended their legislation from Democratic criticism saying the bill would protect tax cuts Wisconsin citizens deserve. State Rep. Daniel Knodl, R-Germantown, said requiring a supermajority vote for
future tax bills would constitutionally protect the people of Wisconsin. He also said a supermajority vote would ensure the approval of only bipartisan tax bills. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Burlington, said the amendment would allow more people to keep their money, and said many states around the country already have the amendment in their respective constitutions. Assembly Democrats fervently spoke to convince Republicans to vote against the amendment saying it would allow minority parties to block bills and disrupt legislation. State Rep. Frederick Kessler,
D-Milwaukee, compared the amendment to a similar amendment in Nevada and said the state has a 50 percent graduation rate for public high schools and its supermajority clause has prevented Nevada from raising its taxes for education. This bill is a “recipe for dysfunction and minority rule,” Kessler said. State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, said the bill would “tie the hands of future legislatures.” The amendment passed 60-to-39 and the bill must be approved by the state Senate before citizens vote in a simple majority referendum. —Eoin Cottrell
Gov. Scott Walker’s tax bills move on to state Senate By Eoin Cottrell THE DAILY CARDINAL
The state Assembly approved two bills Monday proposed by Gov. Scott Walker in the year’s first Assembly special session. Walker’s bills aim to cut income taxes and award grants to technical colleges as an investment in future jobs. The governor requested the Assembly debate the bills in a special session as part of his “Blueprint for Prosperity.” Republicans such as state Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee, supported the bills for their tax cut initiative and investment in technological colleges. “The people in my district want lower taxes, and I work for them,” Neylon said.
Assembly Democrats opposed the bill on the grounds that not only do the tax cuts increase Wisconsin’s structural deficit, but they also give the most relief to the wealthiest tax brackets. State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said according to the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, the bottom 20 percent of citizens are receiving 5 percent of the tax cut while the top 1 percent are receiving 7 percent of the total tax cuts. Taylor assured the Assembly she has nothing against the wealthy but said trickle down economics does not work and will not help the middle and lower classes. State Rep. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, disagreed with
Taylor and said the tax relief was fair relative to what different tax brackets pay into the system. Additionally, state Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, said the state’s $977 million surplus should be spent to pay down the state’s debt and put into Wisconsin’s rainy day fund. Berceau called Walker’s tax plan a “smoke and mirrors tax break” and asked the Legislature for further debate before voting on the bill. Democrats argued an accountability amendment should be added to the technical college grant bill, so the money would be spent responsibly, but the amendment was tabled. The bills will now move to the state Senate.
ASM hosts Diversity Day to promote ‘unity of identities’ on campus By Dana Kampa and Bri Maas THE DAILY CARDINAL
The Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee hosted a celebration of the “unity of identities” at Union South Tuesday. The committee organized many presentations and performances from groups of different ethnicities, religions and abilities. UW-Madison graduate student Andrew Haisley and Hannah Fry, a UW-Madison junior and caregiver, spoke about their experiences with McBurney Disability Resource Center. Haisley, drawing on his own experiences with blindness, advocated for open and tactful discussions about disabilities,
emphasizing the importance of outreach “especially on issues that people probably aren’t necessarily going to bring up to each other sitting at a table at lunch.” “I think [Diversity Day] is really important because it gives people a venue to explore some of the stuff they don’t necessarily think about,” Haisley added. UW-Madison sophomore Nichole Springer said she was excited to attend Diversity Day and learn more about the Arab Students Association because it was one of the only groups offering a workshop on culture and ethnicity. “I’m just really interested in culture and different areas,” Springer said. “[ASA is] dealing with people from around the
‘Flappy Bird’ flies away +OPINION, page 4
world and trying to connect them with people who aren’t Arab.” ASM Vice Chair and Diversity Committee member Mia Akers attended a presentation by Impact Movement, a Christian Evangelical organization on UW-Madison’s campus. Akers said she hopes “this day has opened up [students’] minds to how different identities function on this campus,” and that “people [will] walk away with more questions.” Madison Flow Club started the second half of the night with two of its most widely-practiced styles of performance art: hula hooping and “poi.” The hula hooping acts went beyond simple twirling, with
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JAMES LANSER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Members of the Madison Flow Club showcase their hula hooping talents at the 2014 ASM Diversity Day Tuesday.
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”