Beloit Township playground among pet projects in state budget
MADISON — An Oshkosh opera house, a playground in the Town of Beloit and a stone barn in northeastern Wisconsin are among the beneficiaries of spending items quietly inserted into the state budget.
Democrats who control the Legislature's budget committee approved millions of dollars of spending in lawmakers' home districts on construction and road projects early Friday despite the state's $6.6 billion budget shortfall.
There's $500,000 for a climate change center in a park between Madison and Monona, $46,000 for recycling bins in Wrightstown, $50,000 for a shooting range in Eau Claire County, and much, much more. The earmarks need approval from the full Legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle to become law.
Critics attacked the items, many of which were introduced hours before they were approved early Friday, as wasteful pork-barrel spending. The Republican Party of Wisconsin mocked funding for the opera house and the climate change center, among others.
"Their priorities should be protecting the middle class, yet they continue to stick it to the taxpayers," executive director Mark Jefferson said in a statement.
But Democrats and those receiving the money defended the projects as necessary and helpful to local communities.
Jun 1, 2009 at 8:04 a.m.
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No doubt this park in the Town of Beloit will be on future campaign pieces from Robson and Hixson. How can they justify such a thing when the state is so broke?
May 31, 2009 at 5:36 p.m.
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Sen Judy Robson (Dem from Beloit) also slipped in a $47 million dollar building for the University which they didn't ask for. The state will need to borrow $28 million to pay for the project.
http://www.madison.com/wsj/topstories/45...
May 31, 2009 at 5:32 p.m.
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$46,000 for recycling bins in Wrightstown.
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As of the census of 2000, there were 1,934 people, 701 households, and 525 families residing in the village.
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About $60.00 a bin? Seems a bit steep.
May 31, 2009 at 5:22 p.m.
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Some want opera houses, others wants ice rinks. All want us taxpayers to foot the bills.
May 31, 2009 at 5 p.m.
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Funny, we raise every tax we can think of, and create a few new ones to boot, yet we can afford to spend millions of dollars on projects like this. Nice to know there are some people that don't have to live within their means.
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