Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Senate Democrats’ government health care plan has huge taxing authority
By Mary Lazich
Friday, Aug 17 2007, 02:34 PM
This is very scary.
The Senate Democrats’ government health care plan, Healthy Wisconsin, includes sweeping new taxing authority. The plan calls for the creation of a 16-member board.
Dale Knapp, an analyst with the non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance has been examining the Senate Democrats’ proposal. Knapp told the Wisconsin Radio Network:
"The Healthy Wisconsin Board will be unelected, and would have a taxing authority that will be over $15 billion a year, in the first year, which is actually more than the Legislature levies in taxes in an entire year.”
Knapp has the same concerns I have about un-elected boards having vast authority to levy taxes.
"Where does the taxpayer turn? How is there any accountability? I think that's the big problem here. What is it going to mean for health care costs? What is it going to mean for taxes? Those are big issues,” Knapp told the Wisconsin Radio Network.
The inclusion by Senate Democrats of an un-elected 16-member board with sweeping taxing power and absent accountability appears to have been lost in the debate over this government health care plan. I do not support this costly boondoggle, especially with Madison-appointed bureaucrats having unchecked taxing authority and deciding who gets care, what kind of care, and at what cost.
