Wake up, Wisconsin! (Madison: taxes, living, auctions)

[spkrman]

Originally Posted by IBStrollin

Betty:

I've lived here my entire life, but I have visited every state in the union except Alaska, and I would still want to be here for more reasons that I can count. You sound like the guy I once talked to in Chicago who said Chicago is a great city. In some ways it is. They have the Bulls, Da Bears, the White Sox, the Cubs, the museums and so on. But this guy had never been to one of them. So who's fault is it that he didn't go see what Chicago has to offer. I grew up in Milwaukee, but never went on a brewery tour! I live in Northeast WI now. So you live in Kenosha, how sad for you. Right between Chicago and Milwaukee and you say it's boring - nothing to do. Don't blame Wisconsin. Blame yourself. Life is what YOU make of it, not Wisconsin's.

To hopefully add something useful

Kenosha is in-between with nothing going on... to those used to walking conviences of a city, or those used to living a few mins drive/bus ride away... kenosha might as well be 1000 miles from the nearest mcdonalds.

If you can drive 30 mins.. you have unlimited options

[toast12]

Originally Posted by LML

Well Betty, a whole lot of people have spent a whole lot of time making suggestions and telling you all the reasons that we enjoy Wisconsin. Your response has pretty well been that; 1. It is boring because you went to a park and no one was there. 2. It doesn't have ocean frontage. 3. People are poorly educated because you found a couple of examples of poor grammar usage...and we KNOW such mistakes are not found ANYWHERE else in the world. 3. You walked down the street in the Dells and, without ever exploring the beautiful scenic surrounding area, you decided it was all about water parks. I suspect that you are truly enjoying your pity party and simply are not going to be convinced that there are thousands of people living in Wisconsin who are not bored. I wonder what would happen if you took the focus off of your complaints and put it on finding things to make you happy. I have a feeling we will never know.

I second that LML

[holysmokebatman]

Wisconsin has great schools but, based on average income, is the 4th highest taxed populace in the country. I grew up in a major metropolitan area where the people were friendlier than any whom I have met in Wisconsin. The impression for those not from the state originally is that if you are not born in the zip code then you are considered an outsider. All our friends have been fellow out-of-staters. Madison, a great town if you are in your Twenties, is a bastion of Socialism and unfortunately has sway over the State Government in establishing the tax base. The irony of this is that you can live in Wisconsin and pay $100 to $300K (based on home ownership and tax rate) in taxes over the period of time it takes for your children to grow up and have them still be denied entry in UW-Madison. Where I am from, which has several Universities in the state considered of greater or equal value to UW-Madison, as a resident you are accepted for at least one semester to prove oneself. I can go on and on. I have several paragraphs on the terrible passive aggressive drivers, the lack of quality restaurants, the quality of homes--took us six months to find one and then had to gut it and remodel it. I am being a little bit of a snob about Wisconsin but after five years of living in the state I just can't take it anymore. All that said, even given all the above, we loved living in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. But only because we chose a home built it 1974 where the property tax was lower in a very unique neighborhood. Cedarburg, the county of Ozaukee in general, are more conservative areas as well. There... got that off my chest.

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by holysmokebatman

The irony of this is that you can live in Wisconsin and pay $100 to $300K (based on home ownership and tax rate) in taxes over the period of time it takes for your children to grow up and have them still be denied entry in UW-Madison.

I know of no state that guarantees acceptance to any specific university based on tax money paid by parents.....not when I live in Ohio or now North Carolina.

We have a possible move coming up to Wisconsin (we are in negotiations.....the higher tax rate in WI is an issue, by the way) and I wouldn't expect Wisconsin to be any different for university admission.

[holysmokebatman]

Originally Posted by Desdemona123

I know of no state that guarantees acceptance to any specific university based on tax money paid by parents.....not when I live in Ohio or now North Carolina.

We have a possible move coming up to Wisconsin (we are in negotiations.....the higher tax rate in WI is an issue, by the way) and I wouldn't expect Wisconsin to be any different for university admission.

Good luck with your move to the area. I feel that I know SE Wisconsin fairly well in terms of school systems and home ownership. Let me know if you would like info on relocating. I know I come off a little negative below (it is a little bit of a rant) but would never turn down an opportunity to grow in my career either.

Fifty percent of what you pay in taxes in Wisconsin will go to support an administratively HEAVY educational system. The larger portion to the university system, vs. K-12. Don't expect much of a break on university tuition though.

Homeowners bear the brunt of the responsibility for ensuring the state and, to a lesser extent, the local gov't are well funded. The rate, depending on where you live, is between $19/$1000 of the state assessed value of your home to $23/$1000. This can be greatly reduced by living in a town vs. a city.

I agree that no state has a published standard that allows for entry based solely on residency. For UW-Madison (without checking for accuracy) "general knowledge" dictates you must be in the top 10% in your class to gain entry for residents. This does not exclude one from the other campuses in the UW system, some of which are more appropriate for certain academic programs.

The published standard for the flagship campus in my home state is the top 50% of class for residents. It is a very flexible requirement given other qualifications. (I oversimplified in my previous post.)

[brandon_jakubik1]

bettyboopster...what a name, anyways you should come to Mad-Town, i'll take you to some bars over on Frances/ Lake Street or on University Ave. We will have some fun! But to be honest, I know so many people that stay outdoors during the summer, we go a lot to Lake Michigan and do water sports, boating, swimming. Bettyboopster, you just wanted attention eh?

[sonicreducer]

Although the troll seems to have moved someplace cool, like, I dunno, Miami or Turdsville, I still wanted to chime in here since I feel kinda strongly on the topic. I moved to Wisconsin in 2002 (Madison), and I LOVE it here. I've traveled all over the state, so my opinion is definitely not "Madison-skewed" as some may think. My in-laws live in Wausau, which is a very underrated and beautiful little metro area. My husband also has relatives in the Sheboygan/Manitowoc/Green Bay area, which have a totally different charm and feel to them. I grew up in a rural area near Champaign-Urbana, IL, and have also spent 2 years in Ohio. As others have said, no state is perfect, but in my mind, Wisconsin is about as close as it gets (at least for my tastes). The people here are much friendlier than the other places I've lived--I'm all the time striking up conversations with kind folks at the grocery store over common purchases or other such things. People just seem to generally be more genuine. People don't honk their horns at you if you (by accident) sit at a green light for a second too long, and seem to just be safer drivers in general--and they can drive in the snow! (on a side note, I found Ohio drivers to be extremely cantakerous, and horn-happy, which surprised me...)

Wisconsin is beautiful and there is so much to do here besides drinking. I always have an awesome time just driving around and exploring new places, including unique little towns, many of which that have retained an original ethnic flavor (like New Glarus). The beer IS good though, if you enjoy microbrews and craft-brewed ales. I am currently in a nationwide job hunt and have been hoping like crazy that I can find a job somewhere in the state. It's a real crapshoot though, as entry level jobs in my field are few and far between. Staying here is my number one priority. An interview in Chicagoland recently confirmed why I could never ever live in that area. Some of us just aren't cut out for living in big metro areas. Visiting on the weekends is one thing, but suffering through it daily is another.

And as far as Kenosha goes....this is going to sound terrible, but I think most Wisconsinites think of it more as an extension to Chicagoland. I know it didn't used to be that way, but as the burbs to the south exploded, it just sort of happened. My husband, and everyone else from WI that I've talked to about the subject, don't even associate it with the state--it's kind of like a forgotten place when people talk about WI metro areas. It's definitely not a good part of WI to make broad generalizations about at least.

Although the Jelly Belly factory is nearby in Pleasant Prairie!

[katreese]

Interesting. I have similar issues with Wisconsin (and I live in Madison) and I've always wondered whether another place would be any better; i.e., do I have to live in a big city to get what I want?

[PixurMan]

KENOSHA is the 3rd largest city in WI..With every park loaded with baseball,softball, football, and soccer leagues, youth and adults,,, a lakefront with bikers, joggers, roller-bladers, and a boat-busy harbor,, two lakefront museums, and a weekly magazine called "GET OUT", you've got to be in a geographical time-warp to miss it... My advice, Wisconsin or anywhere else, is to GET OUT and do something...

[GreggB]

Originally Posted by PixurMan

KENOSHA is the 3rd largest city in WI..With every park loaded with baseball,softball, football, and soccer leagues, youth and adults,,, a lakefront with bikers, joggers, roller-bladers, and a boat-busy harbor,, two lakefront museums, and a weekly magazine called "GET OUT", you've got to be in a geographical time-warp to miss it... My advice, Wisconsin or anywhere else, is to GET OUT and do something...

A correction, for what it's worth. Kenosha is actually Wisconsin's FOURTH largest city, population 92,513. Green Bay is THIRD, population 101,515.