No more recalls. Who will be the grown-up in the room and say enough is enough?

Our elected officials, both Republicans and Democrats, did not sign up for this nonsense. They were elected fairly. Elections take a toll on those running for office as well as their family, friends and those who support their candidacy. Money is the obvious and most visible cost. What we usually don’t see are the physical and psychological ones.  

A recall election should be reserved for those extreme offenses such as illegal or unconstitutional actions. There is the issue of ethics violations which seem to be so prevalent today. But that is not what these recalls are about. 

By now everyone understands how these recall elections began. Basically, someone didn’t vote the way they “were expected to vote” and someone didn’t listen or return phone calls. Some recalls are in response to other recalls. I think it is a fair statement to say that if this did not involve unions, we would not be having these elections. 

We all knew Wisconsin was going to work toward a balanced budget. The problem was it came as a shock to many how they were going to go about it. As a retired federal employee (non-union), I understand. It is not good to work for an employer who is broke and in debt. 

Having recall elections for these reasons disrupts the entire election process. They have been an enormous distraction, to say the least, for all involved. No elected official, Republican or Democrat, deserves this. It is tough enough to run once, let alone an extra time for the same term, because of those who feel it is not fair to have to wait until the next election. The system may not be perfect. But which one would you trade it for?  

  --Pat Sabin, Hudson resident

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This spring, I was proud to be one of the hundreds of volunteers who collected more than 23,000 signatures to recall Senator Harsdorf. Our collective action was citizen democracy in its finest form. We were driven by the notion that what Wisconsinites need most are strong schools, a thriving middle class and quality healthcare, not politicians willing to put the wealthy ahead of the working. But if the latest commercial from the Harsdorf campaign is any indication of how the senator views her constituents, I am even more confident we were right to recall Sheila Harsdorf. 

In the midst of talking about her support of Governor Walker's reckless budget, Senator Harsdorf laments the "big-spending special interests that are driving the recall against me." Big-spending special interests?  Sheila Harsdorf couldn't possibly be referring to the hundreds of people who volunteered their own time to exercise their democratic rights in the dead of winter and collect thousands of signatures, could she? 

Maybe she was referring to the vicious Club for Growth ad that unfairly attacked Shelly Moore? Perhaps she was referring to the Right to Life robocall that conveniently confused voters just hours before the Democratic primary two weeks ago? Or possibly she was referring to the Koch brothers' unending crusade to strip workers of their rights? Or maybe she was referring to ALEC, the corporate "think tank" which is ghost writing anti-middle class legislation in state capitols across the United States? 

But something tells me she wasn't. 

The hypocrisy never ends. Any senator who sees their own constituents as outside special interests while acting at the will of actual big-spending outside special interests like the Koch brothers and ALEC just isn't fit for public office. 

End the hypocrisy and bring some balance back to Wisconsin. Vote for Shelly Moore on Aug. 9. 

  --Katie Thurmes, Somerset resident

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Before you vote on Aug. 9, please think about public education.
 
According to two recent Hudson Star-Observer articles about how the Hudson School District is faring under Governor Walker’s 2011-13 state budget, an additional two-percent increase in the property tax levy is expected because the Hudson School District is unable to recoup the $2.6 million in state funding cuts it will suffer—despite making budget adjustments by increasing staff contributions for retirement accounts, getting competitive bids for staff health insurance, allowing no increases in staff salaries and benefits for union or nonunion employees, cutting 40 staff positions, taking savings from staff retirements and attrition, cutting operating costs, cutting transportation costs, and increasing student fees (7/21/11 Hudson Star Observer; 7/13/11 Hudson Star Observer).
 
So while the Hudson School District will be able to provide less to students next year, in addition to the $55 increase in property taxes over the next two years compared with 2010 that the typical homeowner will see under Governor Walker’s budget (7/5/11 Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo "Property Tax Estimates, Governor and 2011 Wisconsin Act 32"; 7/18/11 PolitiFact Wisconsin), homeowners in the Hudson School District also will pay another 2 percent increase in property taxes.
 
The state budget proposed by Governor Walker and passed by the Republican majorities in the Assembly and Senate undermines the quality of public education, while increasing local property taxes; that’s not a good outcome for anyone in the Hudson School District, but Senator Sheila Harsdorf voted for it anyway.
 
Vote for a better deal on Aug. 9. Vote for Shelly Moore.
 
  --Celeste Koeberl, Hudson resident

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Before you vote on Aug. 9, please think about fairness in taxation.

Under Governor Walker’s 2011-13 budget and other of his proposals, although two-thirds of Wisconsin corporations already paid no state income taxes, corporations were given further tax breaks (4/8/11 One Wisconsin Now, "We're Not Broke"; 5/11/11 PolitiFact Wisconsin).

But taxes were raised on Wisconsin's low-income taxpayers, by $70 million over the next two years, through cuts to the Earned Income Tax Credit and through repeal of inflation adjustments for the Homestead Tax Credit (6/13/11 Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo "State Tax and Fee Modifications Included in the Joint Committee on Finance's 2011-13 Budget Recommendations"; 7/6/11 Wisconsin Budget Project analysis).

In addition, Governor Walker’s budget raised fees over the next two years by a net increase of $111 million, and these fee increases included items such as 5.5 percent annual increases in tuition at UW system colleges, higher student technology fees, and higher fees for driver's license testing and vehicle titles, that have greater negative impacts on lower- and middle-income, rather than higher-income, families and individuals in Wisconsin (6/13/11 Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo "State Tax and Fee Modifications Included in the Joint Committee on Finance's 2011-13 Budget Recommendations"; 7/1/11
PolitiFact Wisconsin).

Governor Walker proposed, and the Republican majorities in the Assembly and Senate approved, further shifting tax and fee burdens from corporations and wealthier Wisconsinites onto lower- and middle-income Wisconsin families and Individuals. Those are not good policy choices for our district or our state, but Senator Sheila Harsdorf voted for them anyway.

Vote for tax fairness on Aug. 9. Vote for Shelly Moore.

  --John Gostovich, Hudson resident

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