The Capital Times editorial board has retained enough grip on reality to realize that Governor Doyle’s political future may hinge on the property tax bills mailed to homeowners (a.k.a. probable voters) this December.
All Eyes On December's Property Tax: The property tax bills homeowners receive this December could go a long way in determining Gov. Jim Doyle's fate next November. … After dismissing Republican efforts to limit property taxes as political gimmicks during his first two years in office, Doyle embraced what he called a "responsible" version of a freeze. He pledged to voters that property taxes on the average Wisconsin home won't go up this year and will drop $5 on next year's bills.The Governor is putting himself into a strategic position where he can take credit for the half of property tax bills that (presumably) will go down, and blame local municipal government for the increased taxes on the other half. Given the dismal state of State finances this may be the highest ground the Governor can hope to defend.
Doyle said no plan to limit property taxes can guarantee all homeowners their taxes will remain flat but his plan guarantees property taxes will stay flat statewide. "For every (bill) that goes up $5, one will go down $5," Doyle said.
In many ways the Democratic Party of Wisconsin reminds me of the driver in the following story: Suspected Drunken Driver Crashes Into Ambulance.
MADISON, Wis. -- A 40-year-old Chicago man faces several charges after crashing his car into an ambulance while allegedly trying to get away from police early Friday. Officers found him asleep in a parked 2005 Nissan Altima shortly before 5 a.m. on the ramp from the eastbound beltline to Schroeder Road and Whitney Way. When officers awakened him, he drove the car into a Madison Fire Department ambulance. The car was lodged against the ambulance, but Earls allegedly continued trying to accelerate, causing a tire on the car to explode, police said.Before I let myself become complacent and overconfident, I remind myself that the story is a long way from over and both the Democrats and the driver may yet have a happy ending. In the driver’s case, a Madison jury may find the police provoked the poor man by waking him up and, therefore, he is merely a victim of overzealous watchdogs.
When Earls' vehicle finally got past the ambulance, he drove into a parking lot, almost hitting two emergency workers and then jumped out of the car, which continued to drive in circles around the parking lot. A firefighter jumped into the vehicle and turned it off. Officers arrested Earls. The car was severely damaged.
