This starts with the last JFC session I followed as held in Madison!
The Darling, Vos confusion is a bit down the page. At least this provides more than a soundbite!
4/4 JFC in progress - La Follette suppressed - DNR up
Thousands expected at Stevens Point budget ( JFC ) hearing - from Madison.com 4/6
Press all cover one story and poorly cover the JFC hearings! That's Show Biz!! 4/8 Upd Forward
JFC in Superior - 2nd Public Budget Hearing
JFC Budget Hearing - Superior Telegram - Friday - Local Impressions and MN
JFC Hearing - West Allis 4/11 About Half-Way Impressions
Few Heard at WI Budget "Hearing" in Milwaukee, but School Choice Advocate Denounces Walker's Subsidy for Rich
Arp - Chan. 3000 video JFC West Allis 4/11, et al
JFC Hearing -4/13 Neenah, Pickard Civic Auditorium ~1:15pm
From WisPolitics.com - click on Title! 4/14
Vos -“We traveled the state and heard from thousands of people,” said Representative Robin Vos (R-Rochester), the Assembly co-chair of the committee. “While the majority demanded higher taxes, the overwhelming majority who voted in November demanded a balanced budget without raising taxes with a commitment on job creation.”
Darling -“It’s great hearing from people and we will certainly take their ideas and opinions under consideration as we move forward,” said Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), the committee’s Senate co-chair. “Still, we must keep in mind the majority of people who don’t attend public hearings.”
I know that Vos was listening more than I did, frequently taking 30 seconds, telling people to stop applauding, but I did listen via WisEye.org to a lot of the testimony. The above description is just nothing like the "truth". The only way you could construe it to his soundbite would be to say that the majority of people, discussing the impacts of the proposed budget on PACE, CCAP, BadgerCare, SeniorCare, UWSystem, tobacco control, Medicaid, etc., took their two minutes
and then were implicitly asking for a tax increase! It did not happen! It is true that in Neenah more people did start to suggest they were willing to pay more taxes and that the legislature should look for solutions beyond cuts.
So Vos thinks there are two different majorities and Darling thinks the people who come to hearings do not count in the majority. There was nothing "overwhelming" about the November election. Maybe people who devote a day in order to get two minutes before the JFC should have brought petitions of their supporters - maybe next time!
Darling's Town Hall meetings attended by thousands of
silent people - when, where - anyone have video?
“Since the introduction of the budget, I’ve held a number of town hall meetings with my constituents,” said Darling. “While not a unanimous opinion, there is a large silent majority out there who supports balancing the budget by reducing the size of government and opposes raising taxes.”
How can she know if they are silent?
