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I am speaking today on behalf of Wisconsin Citizen Action in opposition to Assembly Joint Resolution 55. Wisconsin Citizen Action has over 75,000 individual members throughout this state – all of whom pay taxes. We urge the state Legislature to focus on issues of real concern to our members and the citizens of this state – and to refrain from telling them how the local governments they have elected ought to be run.
Many people complain about their taxes. But they also want dependable, quality services. They want their roads plowed, their streets repaired, police and fire protection, clean drinking water, quality education, and parks to enjoy. And this gives us quality of life that makes Wisconsin a great place to live. If you look at the services provided and the amenities we enjoy, our tax bill is a pretty good deal.
And many of us also care about services we do not use personally, but want in our community. I have no children in school, but I am glad that there are public schools for my neighbor's children. I may not have the time to spend with a senior that lives up the street, but I am glad she has a senior center that keeps her learning and active. I don't go to the zoo often, but am glad that it is there. I don't camp, but am glad that we are protecting our parks and forests. I am proud we have made these investments in our community.
Many people grumble about their taxes in part because of the growing unfairness. As more and more exemptions are made, the burden for paying for services and our quality of life falls to fewer and fewer citizens. As more and more companies are allowed to pay less and less, the average working family must pay a disproportionate share for the corporations who are not.
This country has developed a system to determine what resources are needed and how they should be used. It is called democracy. It works at all levels of government. It is how we choose to live together. We elect representatives at every level of government whom we can hold accountable. Local officials are closest to citizens. Preempting their authority undermines our democracy. Why should someone vote if the person they elect has no power?
When the Boston Tea Party cry "no taxation without representation" was heard, we opted for representation and taxation. This resolution calls for no representation and no taxation. It goes against the heritage of our country.
Wisconsin Citizen Action opposes Joint Resolution 55 because it will inflict pain on those who can afford it least. This proposed constitutional amendment undermines our values on community, on democratic decision-making, and on the quality of our lives. It implies that the solution to all problems is reducing taxes. Most people understand that is not true. Increasing the minimum wage and bringing in new high wage, high benefit jobs would do more to enhance most people's income than carving a few hundred dollars from their tax bills. Cutting the resources to keep our parks, library, and transportation systems running will not solve problems – it will create them.
Finally, we oppose the politics of this amendment. We oppose the efforts to divert attention from the real problems in this state such as jobs and health care. We also recognize that the interests that support this amendment have far more financial resources, though fewer people, than those who oppose it. This Legislature has yet to deal with real issues around campaign finance reform. Introducing this resolution which will raise the stakes for referenda seems to accent the problems with money in politics, not address them. We already have problems with special interests funding campaigns of elected officials. By requiring endless referenda to raise taxes, the amendment appears to open the door to many of those same interests paying to influence the outcome of those referenda.
Passage of this amendment will tell the majority of us in Wisconsin that our vote does not count. It will tell us that our local governments are unable to represent us. In short, this amendment undermines the basic values of our democracy.
Posted December 18, 2003