Why is WI a high tax state? (Madison, Grafton: unemployment, luxury)

[Empidonax]

Originally Posted by augiedogie

Wis. is a very liberal state and liberals usually love high taxes. Pretty simple. The govt. pays out of lot in welfare type payments and for decades has been a magnet for people from other states who want to sponge off the govt.

The legislature and governor's office have been Republican for several years now, but tax rates have not become appreciably lower. As it turns out, conservatives here also love high taxes, though they want their high taxes to be lower than the liberals' high taxes.

[GraniteStater]

I didn't mind paying higher taxes for the most part when I lived in WI because I could see the benefit of those taxes at the local level and the high degree of which things functioned and worked well for the most part. Try living further south for awhile in a "low tax" area and you'll quickly see how much lower the bar is set across the board and the lower expectations of what the populace expects in terms of overall services.

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by Empidonax

The legislature and governor's office have been Republican for several years now, but tax rates have not become appreciably lower. As it turns out, conservatives here also love high taxes, though they want their high taxes to be lower than the liberals' high taxes.

I see it as a delicate balance between instituting changes that are important to conservatives while striving to maintain the essence of Wisconsin. The Republican governor and legislature could've made extreme changes rendering our state similar to other states with much lower taxes and services. But they haven't.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by augiedogie

Wis. is a very liberal state

Laughable

Originally Posted by Empidonax

The legislature and governor's office have been Republican for several years now, but tax rates have not become appreciably lower. As it turns out, conservatives here also love high taxes, though they want their high taxes to be lower than the liberals' high taxes.

They want the benefits of those higher taxes going to different constituents.

[MaseMan]

Originally Posted by timberline742

Laughable



They want the benefits of those higher taxes going to different constituents.

Exactly. Look at the problems with Scott Walker's WEDC.

[Rynldsbr]

I stumbled across this thread and want to add the perspective of someone who was forced to move out of state due to career needs and thought a few examples of how tax money is effectively spent in WI would be appropriate.


When unemployed recently for a year my family was covered by excellent insurance through the state and we were able to maintain our same health care providers, including the dentist office we loved. Friends have told of horror stories from other states where insurance was not as good or very restrictive of providers. The same period of unemployment and subsequent underemployment we received food benefits that bordered on excessive, but were a welcome aid in tough times.


For many years we utilized the state Medicaid program as a secondary insurance for our special needs son, allowing us maintain insurance for conditions that (at that time legally) were written off by insurance carriers as pre-exiting conditions. Additional assistance for occupational training and therapy as well as physical therapy helped him become a semi-independent adult in spite of an original prognosis that he would never walk or talk. Fast forward to present day, and the state of TX where we now reside, there is almost nothing for our now adult son in the form of assistance here. It has been an incredible challenge to get any form of services to help him.


Infrastructure such as roads and parks are far superior in WI than they are in many states I have lived or visited. The planning and development of good roads, well designed and maintained streets, bridges, shoulders, and intersections make driving and traveling in WI far easier than most places and this in spite of the winter challenges. Don't even get me started on snow removal. WI residents are spoiled. Period.


Look at your property tax bill and realize the largest portion (by far) is the UW system and the tech school system in the state. While many will continue to debate the cuts and the future of the UW system, it is a leader in the country as is the entire state educational system. Our children came to central TX +/- 2 years ahead of their peers here. My teenagers are amazed that the schools here focus so hard on football and cheerleading and the students are struggling to do simple history and math. I dare say the average public school in WI is equal to some of the finest rated charters schools here.


Wisconsin has a high tax burden, but as others have mentioned, there are visible and tangible benefits to the cost. Before anyone jumps to leave for greener pastures elsewhere, take a long hard look at what you will get because the "bang for your buck" may be more of a fizzle.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Rynldsbr

Wisconsin has a high tax burden, but as others have mentioned, there are visible and tangible benefits to the cost. Before anyone jumps to leave for greener pastures elsewhere, take a long hard look at what you will get because the "bang for your buck" may be more of a fizzle.

Agree to your post 100%.

[ranger17]

I will say after the 6+ years we were in SC compared to our life up here before SC and now: from a selfish standpoint I loved the low prop tax rates SC offered us. Far more bang for the buck on home taxes (large differential), even after adding in prop taxes on our cars and boat it was still a large difference. Being empty nesters and only thinking of our situation it was great.
But for the long term, good schools make for a desirable home location regardless if you have kids or not and i could see the value WI's taxes in education placed over down there. So eventually a lower rated school system will affect all.
Roads? ahhhh i could complain about them here, down in SC and near every other state I've driven thru. They can all suck and we can all complain, until it's time to raise a tax somewhere to pay for them lol

For me, somehow and someway the gov't will get what they need for the services they provide. If it is not enough money, something will have to go no matter what side of the political fence you play on.

[ipkl07]

Originally Posted by Jumpindogs

Did you read the study? Or even the excerpt I posted? There's apparently more to it than "welfare".

He's from the south. They aren't real high on reading down there or education down there. You know? One of those low taxed states.

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by Rynldsbr

For many years we utilized the state Medicaid program as a secondary insurance for our special needs son, allowing us maintain insurance for conditions that (at that time legally) were written off by insurance carriers as pre-exiting conditions. Additional assistance for occupational training and therapy as well as physical therapy helped him become a semi-independent adult in spite of an original prognosis that he would never walk or talk. Fast forward to present day, and the state of TX where we now reside, there is almost nothing for our now adult son in the form of assistance here. It has been an incredible challenge to get any form of services to help him.

We live in TX also and have a 3 year old special needs daughter. You are probably well aware that the state of Texas is about to make $350 million in cuts to Medicaid/special needs programs. Our daughter had ECI home therapy for a year here, but has to transfer into the school system for her therapy now that she's 3. That therapy starts in a few weeks, and we are really nervous about it, especially if the school district is going to be feeling more pressure to provide for these kids now that such massive cuts are underway. Now, I am a conservative and a huge football fan, but when I see these school districts building $65 million stadiums while the state cuts funding for special needs children my blood just boils. There is just no rhyme or reason to that.

I worked in Lake Geneva for a year prior to moving us down here to be near an orthopedic hospital our daughter receives free treatment from. That has been a blessing, but she also has developmental delays and now that her ortho surgeries have been done she will need the type of assistance your son benefited from in order to also become independent as an adult. The school system is only going to be able to do so much for her....she is going to need private therapy as well, and I fear that is not going to happen because of these impending cuts. We are considering moving back up there in large part due to this, and - as others have said - the benefits of better educational opportunities for both her and our other children. I am willing to pay higher taxes for these types of services.

By the way.....the surface roads in North Texas where we live are AWFUL. They crumble like cookies because of the soil composition and the extreme heat, and the cheap fixes never last. I've already had the alignment on my vehicles screwed up many times because of it. Just sayin'.....the upper Midwest always gets such a bad rap for road conditions, but some of these roads down here are among the worst I've ever driven on. Wisconsin did a great job by comparison.