4A • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2024 GMTODAY.

COM

OCONOMOWOC
ENTERPRISE
Established July 1, 1888
COMMENTARY Bill Yorth, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
Email letters to the editor:
[email protected]

OWEN
ROBINSON

Democrats keep
the change
I recently had an infuriating experience at my local
gas station. I stopped in for my morning coffee. Of
course, I’m a sucker for the doughnuts in line, so I
grabbed one of those too. My total was $3.49. All I had
on me was a $20, so I promptly put it on the counter.
The clerk smiled, put the $20 in the drawer, wished
me a nice day, and beckoned the next customer up.
Irritated, I asked about my change and was told, “oh,
we keep the change now to use for other customers
who we like better.”
Of course, this scenario is fictional and unbeliev-
able, but that is exactly what the legislative
Democrats and Gov. Tony
Evers are doing with your tax
dollars.
Ever since Republicans took
control of the state Legisla-
Dressed up in ture in 2010 thanks, in large
the language of part, to anger over the massive
fake compassion, state deficit that Democrat
Governor Jim Doyle and the
Evers and legislative Democrats had cre-
legislative
Democrats have
ated, the legislative Republi-
can majority has built fiscally LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
responsible budgets that ran
offered dozens surpluses. Despite increasing
of ways to spend spending every budget, the
Outrage behind race to the presidency, will be using a We’re all frogs
the surplus Republicans managed to bend shiny object to distract your atten-
instead of giving
the cost curves to ensure that
all bills were paid while leav-
Black national anthem tion away from their willful destruc-
tion of this country. That object is
in boiling water
it back to ing plenty of change. Republi- misplaced abortion at any time, for any reason To the editor:
Do you know the analogy of the
hardworking cans have since filled up the up until birth. It’s not an issue this
To the editor: frog in a pot of boiling water? This
state’s rainy day fund with bil- year since the U.S. Supreme Court
Wisconsinites. lions of dollars and the state’s
To those thin-skinned folks who
threw it back to the states where it apocryphal but widely repeated
were outraged about including the story goes something to the effect of:
finances are stronger and belongs. People running for every
song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at If you drop a frog in boiling water,
more stable than they have office will have their own opinions,
the Super Bowl: The song has long he’ll hop right out. But leave a frog
ever been thanks to Republi- but they shouldn’t matter for now.
been a pillar of black culture and life, in cool water and slowly bring the
can fiscal management. This year vote to save the country.
sung at church ceremonies, school temp up to boiling, and it’ll stay
Last week, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau issued its Look at a few things that have hap-
graduations and family gatherings pened to us since Joe Biden was there right up until ... well, you get
regular report about the state of the budget and pro-
jected surplus or deficit. The estimate is based on for generations. The Catholic, Presby- placed in office. Day one he used the drift.
projected macroeconomic conditions and current terian and even the lily-white Luther- executive orders to stop our energy I’m reminded of this analogy as I
state policies. Once again under Republican fiscal ans include the song in their hym- independence, thus causing the survey our supposed “winter” this
leadership, the LFB is projecting that the state will nals. The phrase “Black national worldwide inflation. Another order year. At the time of this writing,
end the current budget in June of 2025 with a budget anthem” was used a decade before rescinded the policies at the southern we’re in a nearly historically
surplus of $3.15 billion — about $550 for every man, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was border which stopped wall construc- unprecedented period of warmth for
woman, and child in Wisconsin. named the national anthem. If you tion and created an open invitation to January and February, with highs
Let me write that another way: The state of Wiscon- feel it compromises “The Star-Span- the world that our border is open. routinely hitting mid-high 40s and
sin is overtaxing every man, woman, and child in the gled Banner,” then why do they sing The one thing this administration even 50s. And yet, the only conversa-
state by about $550 and refusing to give any of it “America, the Beautiful?” did that every woman who cares tion I hear about this is how thank-
back. For the average family of four, they will be How is this different from the about women’s rights should be abso- ful people are for warmer weather,
unnecessarily taxed $2,200 above and beyond the defense of using the Gadsden flag? It lutely ashamed of is the surrender in so they can get out and wash their
needs of government as expressed in the budget. too has been around a long time. Afghanistan. Joe Biden ignored the cars, bundle up less, and get out
Noting this overpayment, the Republicans want to Opposition to the flag stems from previous administration and his own more.
give the taxpayers their change and adjust the tax what it has come to represent today, military advisers who said the crite- All valid reasons to be happy, sure;
rates to reduce the amount of overpayment. Legisla- after being co-opted by racist and big- ria for leaving was nowhere near and of course, the old adage “cli-
tive Republicans passed their third attempt at a tax ots including the death and destruc- being met. This was his decision mate is not weather” still applies.
cut last week that would reduce income tax rates to tion at our nation’s capital. Opposi- alone. Besides getting our service However, as the proverbial frog, our
bring the level of taxation in line with the amount of tion to the song comes from the members killed, abandoning the air cool water is rapidly coming to a
money that the government is actually spending. Yes, phrase “Black national anthem," its base with billions of dollars in equip- boil. Wisconsin winters, as mea-
the spending is still too much, but Wisconsinites are meaning and use have not changed. ment for the Taliban to use, he abso- sured from 1950-2018, warmed an
still being taxed way more than even the spending It’s simply a song that inspires mil- lutely destroyed the current and average of 2-3 degrees in southern
justifies. lions and harms no one. future lives of every girl and woman Wisconsin, and even more in north-
Democrats in the Legislature voted against this tax Now, the real outrage on Super in Afghanistan. They are now sub- ern Wisconsin. A strong El Nino
cut just like they voted against the last two tax cuts. Bowl Sunday was the Hobby Lobby servient to the males who have a year is certainly contributory, but
Governor Evers vetoed the last two tax cuts and will family spending $20 million selling us vicious 18th-century mindset. For the trends are worrisome.
probably veto this one too. Democrats refuse to give Jesus. The real Jesus would have put those still supporting Biden, I hope Much of what we took for granted
the Wisconsin taxpayers their change after funding that money to better use. you’re proud. as “normal,” and much of what our
government. Sara Mei Wilson It’s apparent that the Democrat ecosystem depends on, falls within a
Why are Evers and his fellow travelers refusing to Oconomowoc view of women is that you are very certain temperature range. As temps
let Wisconsinites keep their money to afford the simple-minded and abortion is the continue to escalate, the effects will
exploding cost of living despite government being only thing you care about. Show them be felt on our trees, animals, plants,
fully funded? Simple. They do not think it is your Women voters, you truly care about our country and microbes, and all the things we
money. They think it is their money and they want to throw Senator Baldwin and the anti- depend on.
spend it on things that they want. beware the shiny object American Biden administration out Will we have the collective will to
Dressed up in the language of fake compassion, To the editor: of office. pull ourselves out of the boiling
Evers and legislative Democrats have offered dozens All women voters will be targeted I have faith you can do it. water before it’s too late?
of ways to spend the surplus instead of giving it back this election cycle starting now. The Bruce Harrison Nathan Dombeck
to hardworking Wisconsinites. They have proposed Democrat Party from the U.S. Senate Town of Oconomowoc Janesville
spending it on child care welfare, pouring more bil-
lions into the black hole of the government education
complex, corporate welfare to big business to pay for
paid leave and worker training, creating new govern- LETTERS POLICY: Letters should be signed and include phone number and address so that we may verify authenticity. Neither
ment bureaucrats like the Office of State Employee phone number nor address will be printed when letters appear. We reserve the right to edit letters. Please keep letters to no more than
Engagement and Retention, and all manner of spend- 300 words. Generally, letter writers are limited to one letter every 30 days. Letters might appear in multiple Conley Media publications.
ing.
All of the Democrats’ spending proposals have two • Email: [email protected]
things in common. First, they were not in the state
budget. They are just more ideas to spend money
after the budget was completed and signed into law
by the governor. Second, every one of the spending
proposals is designed to be spent on, or filtered
through, the Democrats’ favored people. As the
CARTOON SHOWCASE
money flows, Democrats and their liberal constituen-
cies throughout Wisconsin will get their beaks wet in
a stream of tax dollars that were forcibly and unnec-
essarily taken from hardworking Wisconsinites.
If you are not angry about that, you should be.

(Owen B. Robinson is a conservative political com-

mentator and former West Bend resident. He can be
reached at [email protected].)

TODAY’S INSPIRATION
“Win without boasting.
Lose without excuse.”
— Albert Payson Terhune

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