Ghost of Wisconsin Yet To Come

By Jeff Simpson



I have said numberous times that when someone tells you who they are, you should listen!   Recently Rebecca Kleefisch had a secret "tax round table" discussion at Beloit College with local business 'leaders".  

Rebecca, who basically let us know what to expect if she receives a second term, let us have the quote of the year:

"We want to know how we can love you more," Rebecca Kleefisch told the group of about 30 executives, managers, accountants and others during the 1-hour, 40-minute session.

 As the inimitable Charles Pierce points out:  Now Becky is not the brightest bulb in an admittedly dim chandelier, but she has to know better than to sound like someone at her first Bieber show in front of a bunch of CEO's. Nonetheless, she certainly will try to love them back.

The group of republican donors, were not shy.  They let Becky know how she can be a good mistress to them---- Give them free money!!!

 They said the state should do more to attract new businesses and help existing companies, loosen restrictions on tax credits, simplify the tax code, cut commercial property taxes, consider lowering income and property taxes while increasing the sales tax, and issue more business loans that don't need to be paid back in some circumstances.

What speaks more to free market capitalism than big donors getting massive government loans that do not need to be paid back?  

Particularly brazen was Scott "Blinky Mcblinkerson" Bianchini who wants more than just some love from Rebecca:

 

 ABC's tax director, Scott Bianchini, said the state should stop disclosing how much residents pay in taxes, saying the information is used for "sabotage." Contacted Thursday, he wouldn't say if he was referring to 2012 newspaper reports indicating Hendricks paid no taxes in 2010 because of a change in her company's structure.

 

When you pay no taxes, its best not to let the plebes know!   Besides if they had to pay taxes, it might curtail their political donations!  With no political donations, then you can not get in on the ground floor of the Governor's strategy: 

 

 

The sad thing though, like so many dysfunctional relationships, as much as Rebecca and her friend Scotty LOVE their donors, their donors are not returning the love.     

Then, even more headshaking, was Kory Stoehr, of the McGladrey accounting and consulting company.  He said the problem is we aren't giving helicopter rides to CEO's.  That will make everything better!

 

 

Kory Stoehr, of the McGladrey accounting and consulting company, said his clients complain that state auditors disallow research tax credits, and they tell him what other states are doing to recruit new investment.
“(Company executives) are being flown around in helicopters, just luxurious stuff, and they were given millions in tax incentives,” Stoehr said.

Apparently no one told Kory about the unlimited supply of I-tunes gift cards and Wisconsin Badger tickets!  

Now back to the original, here is a picture of Becky and Mr. Bianchini hving an exchange.   He is asking for free money and Mrs. Lieutenant Governor has absolutely NO idea what he is talking about so she spouts some garbledy gook about the problems of WEDC.

   

 

 

Re-elect the Walker/Kleefisch ticket in November and this will be your tax policy.  A greedy corporate exec telling rebecca how much more taxpayer money he wants and a Lieutenant Governor smiling and waving!  

 

The Ghost Of Wisconsin Yet To Come has visited us in our sleep.....Now it is time to wake up and change the ending! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diane Hendricks Has The Last Laugh!

Why is Diane Hendricks smiling(I think that is a smile)???

Because she bought a Governor and now pays ZERO DOLLARS in state income taxes in 2010! For a mere $510,000 in donations to her employee Scott Walker, she was able to freeload on our great state's economy.

An active financial supporter of conservative extreme right wing causes, Hendricks has given Walker's campaign more than $500,000, making her Walker's largest donor. Her state tax obligation dropped from $2.26 million for 2009 to zero for 2010 because of a change in the corporate structure of ABC Supply said Scott Bianchini, ABC tax director. The company paid taxes of $373,671 for the second half of 2010, the records show. Bianchini explained that before 2010, ABC Supply was an "S" corporation, meaning the profits and the tax obligation flowed to Hendricks as the owner of the firm. In 2010, the company changed its structure so the profits and the tax obligation stay with the company. "Now ABC is paying taxes on its own," Bianchini said. Hendricks' March net worth was estimated by Forbes Magazine to be $2.8 billion - some $300 million more than Helen Johnson-Leipold, chief executive of Johnson Outdoors Inc. The magazine last year listed Hendricks as No. 188 on its ranking of the wealthiest people in America, a spot that had her as the financial equal of William Randolph Hearst III.

I know the righties will be out in force saying that it was a change in tax code but maybe we can clarify that a little more.....

Bianchini declined to comment when asked whether Hendricks, who is chairman of ABC, had other income such as salary or dividends that could have been taxed in 2010. He also declined to say why ABC's tax bill in 2010 was so low compared with what Hendricks had paid on its behalf in prior years, when its profits flowed to her bottom line. "Diane is not willing to divulge any more," Bianchini said. "ABC converted to a 'C' corporation - that's a substantial part of why there's no 2010 tax liability (for Hendricks)." He added that there were other reasons Hendricks paid zero state income taxes in 2010. "We're just not willing to get into it," Bianchini said. "It's just digging, in our opinion, too deep into her taxes." Hendricks, who worked with her husband, Kenneth, in building ABC, became chairman of the company after her husband died in 2007. The company now posts annual revenue of more than $4 billion.

Thanks but no thanks, the ydo not care to explain any more reason why they are freeloading on the taxpayers of Wisconsin and especially the taxpayers of Beloit. By the way want to see what happens in a community when the richest do not pay their fair share??? The community has to get together and pony up even more money to make the community work for all. The citizens of Beloit just agreed to a $70 million dollar school referendum to make sure their children are well educated and prepared for the future. Kudos to the citizens of Beloit, WI and shame on Diane Hendricks!!! Maybe if she spent less time trying to "divide and conquer" our state and more to actually paying for her services we would not have such a big structural deficit!