So much for the party of ‘affordability’
Years ago, making the workday commute, this scribe drove by a billboard that posed this question: “Why Do the Heathens Rage?” Now we know. Property tax bills were hitting mailboxes.
Our neighbors here in Madison WI are raging mad, shocked that gambling is occurring in Casablanca. Typical is John in Midvale Heights:
How can anyone afford to live in Madison? Have you checked your 2025 tax bill? Mine went up 13%. Madison school bill went up 25%. Come on Mayor. We aren’t made of money!
Gerry in the Carpenter-Ridgeway neighborhood topped that: “Mine went up 16.8%, schools 29.4%. How does this city expect seniors on fixed incomes to be able to stay in their homes?”
“Same here,” affirmed Crystal in Sunset Village. “Never had kids but believe in good education system but MMSD leadership now producing kids who can’t read or write, not to mention the logo fiasco.”
Sue tried to warn her neighbors in Midvale Heights:
I was desperately trying to get people to realize what approving that [referendum] was going to do and nobody listened and here we are. My husband and I have always voted for increases that benefit to the schools, but this one was too much.
Or take the rapid bus system! Bill in Midvale Heights: “Over budget by $5.7 million due to “unforeseen operating expenses” and “lower than anticipated revenue.” Aka poor planning. Don’t forget the brand new homeless shelter, Judy on Swanton Road reminds. “Guess who’s paying for it!” (Only two alders voted against city spending referendum.)
“How Progressive!” Darren over in Elvehjem exclaims, with more than a pinch of asperity.
Nasty letter to follow
At Northland Manor, Diane is a ragin’ cajun:
What I like to do to release my fury triggered by these tax increases is to write very nasty letters to those responsible, including the mayor … Try it. It might … reduce the desire to punch these folks in the face and kick ’em in the butt.
A better idea, suggests Bonnie in Midvale Heights, “would be to run for office yourself. … All even-numbered districts have an alder election this spring.”
In the interests of truth in advertising, Blaska warns would-be tax protest candidates there will be zero institutional support for you. This scribe tried to cobble together a local political party emphasizing safe streets, lower taxes, and no more social re-engineering. And failed. (“We thought it was a good idea“)
Big spenders like Alder Yanette Figueroa Cole, on the other hand, enjoy the institutional support of at least 15 established organizations, led by the local Democrat(ic) party which partners with Progressive Dane, the teachers union, the government employees union (AFSCME), and so many more.
Moderates get no help
A certain former mayor, now lost to history, lamented Madison’s UniParty:
Those of us who think of ourselves as center-left (me) through right-center (Blaska) make up maybe as much as a third of Madison’s and probably more like 40% or 45% of Dane County’s potential voters. Yet we’re all but invisible. I pretty much never have somebody to vote for who reflects my views. …
Despite awful test scores, discipline problems, high absentee rates, a widening racial achievement gap, and bad fiscal management, the last several incumbent Madison school board members have run unopposed. …
There is little to no infrastructure to support a moderate, much less a conservative, candidate for school boards, the county board, or city councils, village boards or town boards. … which brings me back to Blaska’s idea for a new party, which he would have called Sensible Dane. — Madison Isthmus
Blaska’s Bottom Line: The former mayor concludes: “Blaska was the wrong guy with the right idea. But I give him credit for trying and I hope somebody else picks up the cause.” If Blaska is the wrong guy …
Who is the right guy?
(and when will we find him?)
21 responses to “The wrong guys open their property tax bills”
Mitch Henck long ago was harping about why do people keep voting for property tax increases.
Nowadays, just blame the orange bad man for everything and they’ll keep voting for more!
Blaska was the right guy. Madison is the WRONG town.
Madison appears to be at the cutting edge of the decline and fall of American education, for one thing, so succinctly summarized here by Dave Cieslewicz as “awful test scores, discipline problems, high absentee rates, a widening racial achievement gap, and bad fiscal management.” This is the case in many places across the land. Madison’s smug liberal-left citizens who blithely vote for this probably think their kids are learning the joys of tolerance, diversity, and multicultural enrichment. They should instead go on social media and see what mindless drivel, political posturing, self-centered rage and increasingly antisemitic ignorance is being fostered in part by schools that have abandoned intellectual rigor and the instilling of a love for the American republic’s core principles. I remember WAY back in the 1980s or ’90s, yes that far back, when Madison brought one early race hustler paid in the thousands to do workshops to close the racial achievement gap that they all assumed was due to whitey and racism, not poor schooling. And here we are in utterly woke Madison today with a lavishly funded school system and that gap widening still. Pathetic.
very well said, sir.
Thank you, Jonathan, for calling me “The Right Guy.” It is a psychic burden walking through this vale of tears being labeled “The Wrong Guy.”
Similar here – highway robbery without masks. Infuriating!
I can’t hardly wait to see how much my property taxes have gone up in the Village of Oregon.
Just looked mine up, my overall tax bill increased 9.3%. My total assessed property value went up 22.9%, which seems to have put it in the current market value range. I don’t know how much the school increased their percentage yet until I get the paper bill.
My school taxes increased 9.5%.
I wonder how many Madisonians are thinking “I didn’t vote for this”? If you voted YES on the referendums you absolutely voted for this. When your rent goes up remember it’s not evil landlords, it’s stupid people that voted for this.
But look on the bright side kids will be getting a shitty education in brand new shiny buildings! Pretty good huh?
In a void of common sense the only way out is to have a charismatic leader of the opposition. Forgive me but you’re no Trump. Personally I think Madison is entirely void of charisma. Therefore the only way out is through. Let’s all do our part to make Madison as shitty as possible.
Good points One Eye!
FYI; I did post a comment on my “Silenced Again” comment thread regarding your “pingback” comment on Cieslewicz’s blog.
As President Obama said “Elections Have Consequences”. The blame game is sure to follow. The State (republicans) don’t give us enough money. The Feds. (republicans and orange man) don’t give us enough money. Dane County is going to raise the “wheel tax” and other fees to try and fix their budget. MMSD is already talking about the next referendum. Madison Metro is ordering hybrid busses to replace old ones. I thought electric busses were the future? I’m waiting for the democrats to take over the State Government and we will be back in the Governor Jim Doyle days. With any luck Wisconsin can become number 1 as the highest tax state in the nation.
LOL…So it is YOUR fault!!
Biden did it.
They are buying to many pencils according to Dementia Don.
Folks on Nextdoor are complaining about their recent property tax bill. I wonder how many of them voted for all the referendums?
Is my memory playing tricks on me; or am I correct in remembering a Dane County with 3 political parties a long, long time ago ( 30 to 40 years )?
Republican, Democratic, and Progressive?
“We have met the enemy and he is us”
Winnie The Pooh
Wrong. That quote is from Pogo Possum…..
I DID run for office (county board) with the express goal of fiscal sanity and not raising taxes. Lost badly. Too many government employees live in Dane co. And renters don’t realize they pay property taxes indirectly.
[…] Blaska’s Bottom Line: The Capital Times, Democrats, Progressive Dane, the socialists, etc. will continue to endorse high-tax, social re-engineering police defunders like Ald. Figueroa Cole and her allies until someone brave and foolish challenges them in the Spring election. Just so long as it’s not The Wrong Guy. […]
10% property tax hike for me, almost all from the school referendums that I and everyone with any effing common sense rejected. The worse part is that this county has a pattern of quickly forgetting how the education hustlers bend them over a pole every election cycle and give them a failing product in return. I know ex-school board members from other communities who say this is madness.