Glenn Grothman: wrong for raising fees by cutting taxes.

Hi folks,

Glenn's irritable about the recent increases in fees for vehicle registration, titling, and driver's license renewal and yet, it's his fault.

JS Online: "State drivers must dig deeper"
Increase in fees will fund transportation projects
By PATRICK MARLEY
pmarley@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 1, 2008

Madison - Driving a vehicle just got a lot more expensive.

Registering a car will now cost $20 more, titling it will cost $24.50 more and getting or renewing a driver's license will cost $10 more. The new fees kicked in Tuesday under provisions in the state budget passed in October.

Together, the increases will generate $217.3 million over the next 18 months, most of which will be used for road work. Another $56.9 million will be raised from a 30% boost in registration fees for heavy trucks.

The state Department of Transportation will spend more than $2.5 billion, including federal aid, this fiscal year.

Lawmakers were nearly four months late in passing the state budget because of partisan differences, but Republicans and Democrats agreed from the outset to hefty transportation increases. They argued that the fees were needed because road projects are essential to the state's economy.

'To fund the transportation system, we're going to need that additional cash plus more down the road,' said Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston). 'The cost of maintaining highways and building new highways continues to go up because, mainly, the cost of gasoline prices and oil that's used in asphalt continues to go up very fast."

The higher fees came with some dissent, however.

"I don't think these fee increases would be necessary if we would just use transportation funds for transportation projects, stop building outstate projects of questionable necessity and not spend so much on underutilized mass transit," said state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), who voted against the budget."

We wouldn't have to pay for things with fees -- a hidden and regressive kind of taxation -- if Glenn didn't keep cutting the taxes that would pay for all of this fairly and progressively.

Why shouldn't middle class people in Wisconsin expect the state to bring us services we can't afford on our own? You know, like education, safe water -- and sanitation! -- and decent highways? Why shouldn't we expect the cost for services like that to be spread out fairly among all the residents who use them?

Shoot, that's just civilization.

But every time Glenn cuts taxes to satisfy his ideological crack-addiction, fees have to go up -- just like tuition has at the UW universities and, now, like the registration fees.

I know I keep asking this, but why would middle class voters keep electing someone who continually and proudly votes against their economic interests?



hiho
Mpeterson