Milwaukee Biz Blog

Do you share my deep concern that Wisconsin's business climate is in desperate need of dramatic improvement?

Republicans in the state Legislature have formed the Wisconsin Jobs Now Task Force that is touring the state holding listening sessions soliciting input from the business community. I invite you and your members to attend the next meeting of the task force scheduled Monday, March 23, 2009, in the Milwaukee area to discuss your concerns about Wisconsin business policies and suggestions to strengthen our business climate.

Your input will be incorporated into a report of recommendations to the Legislature to create jobs and truly stimulate our economy. The task force was developed by legislative Republicans after the Wisconsin budget adjustment bill was approved and signed into law in a span of 48 hours without adequate scrutiny from the public or news media. The bill made significant changes to the state's business tax structure with the enactment of combined reporting, a streamlined sales tax, a sales tax on business software and several other tax increases. Other business proposals in the Legislature include a minimum wage increase and changes in the wage lien law that were approved by Democrats controlling the state Senate and are currently in the State Assembly.

A very successful and productive task force meeting was conducted Tuesday, March 10, in Howard, Wisconsin near Green Bay. Mr. Cap Wulf of the Wulf Brothers heating and cooling company in Sturgeon Bay made an excellent statement summarizing the general business consensus: "We in the business community who make it possible for government to exist need to come together and unite. People in power now represent government, unions and trial lawyers. I don't know where business falls in their thinking. I feel more like an indentured servant."

I strongly encourage you to share your much-needed expertise at the next task force meeting: Monday, March 23, at BioResearch Inc., 9275 N. 49th St., Suite 150, Brown Deer, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Please RSVP your attendance to me at (608) 266-5400. If you wish to testify and are unable to attend, please send your testimony to me at Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov, and I will make sure it is included with live testimony.

I also invite you to read my ongoing business entries on the BizTimes Biz Blog at www.biztimes.com/blogs/milwaukee-biz-blog/authors/senator-mary-lazich.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th District.

The budget repair bill/stimulus package that was rammed through the state Legislature and quickly signed into law was ideally supposed to create jobs. Instead, state lawmakers opted to take the gigantic pot from Washington and use it to account for existing spending by offsetting the current budget crisis.

It is hard to imagine the package approved will actually "stimulate" the state economy and bring new jobs when the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates the majority of Wisconsin's "stimulus" share, about $2 billion, is going toward education and medical assistance.

If we can't use the stimulus money in ways that would actually stimulate the economy, then it should be used on infrastructure. The stimulus money should be used on one-time projects or on projects with a life long enough that they're almost one-time. Here's an example: Waste water runoff problems on Lake Michigan.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) prepares a report card that assesses 15 separate categories of the country's infrastructure. The 2009 Report Card reports, "In 2009, all signs point to an infrastructure that is poorly maintained, unable to meet current and future demands, and in some cases, unsafe. Since the last Report Card in 2005, the grades have not improved. ASCE estimates the nation still stands at a D average. Deteriorating conditions and inflation have added hundreds of billions to the total cost of repairs and needed upgrades." The categories of drinking water and wastewater receive a grade of D-.

The ASCE says the nation's drinking water systems have aging facilities in need of replacement to adhere to federal water regulations. Demand for drinking water will increase over the next 20 years. Meeting the demand will be difficult because the ASCE estimates 7 billion gallons of clean drinking water are lost every day due to leaky pipes.

The same holds true for wastewater. The ASCE says every year, old systems are dumping billions of gallons of untreated wastewater into America's surface waters.

Out of all the categories examined by the ASCE, Wisconsin ranked the worst in roads, drinking water and wastewater. We need to invest in what we are failing the worst at and that is concretely fixable with a return in health, efficiency, and effectiveness for all the residents of Wisconsin.

We in Wisconsin are all too familiar with water problems. Our water in various areas of the state is questionably unsafe. Uncontrollable contamination of Lake Michigan is profoundly reckless. 

On Oct. 7, 2004, Water & Wastes Digest reported a stunning discovery about the quality of drinking water in La Crosse: "Prior to its chlorination, viruses from human sources occur in the La Crosse, Wis., groundwater used for the municipal drinking water supply, a new report revealed. Although the city's treated water meets or exceeds state and federal standards for drinking water, researchers and public health officials agree that more study is needed to pinpoint the exact sources of the viruses and to determine if some viruses are surviving the chlorination process. The study found interoviruses, rotavirus, hepatitis A virus and noroviruses. La Crosse's source of water is an aquifer consisting of a deposit of glacial outwash sand and gravel approximately 170 feet deep, bounded on the east by the bluffs and on the west by the Mississippi River. Sand and gravel aquifers are among the most vulnerable to fecal contamination."

The 2003 ASCE Report Card on Infrastructure commended Wisconsin for how it handles municipal wastewater. However, the ASCE added this conclusion: "Yet much remains to be done to maintain or enhance this position as a leader in the United States. Significant investments in this infrastructure will be required to maintain this position and to address pending and likely future regulations and requirements."

The same 2003 ASCE Report Card reported this about Wisconsin's municipal wastewater treatment plants: "In year 2000, 19 plants, about 2.8%, were rated as requiring improvements and 131 plants, about 19.5 percent, were rated as requiring some action. Estimated future needs through 2020 exceed $3.35 billion, while actual project funding has been less than $100 million per year."

That brings us back to the state stimulus package that was approved in just a matter of days. Note the ASCE pinpointed the cost of addressing future wastewater needs at $3.35 billion. The state of Wisconsin expects to receive just under $4 billion in stimulus money from Washington. A better use of that money would be to invest in what we are failing at the worst and that is concretely fixable. The benefit is a return in health, efficiency, and effectiveness for all the residents of Wisconsin.

The damage being done in Milwaukee does not only affect Milwaukee, but the entire state of Wisconsin.  When compared to all other states, we are failing the citizens of Wisconsin in providing access to clean safe drinking water and a safe waste disposal system more than any other infrastructure/education/health care category.

The federal stimulus package is an opportunity for us to create jobs, give every state access to safe drinking water and build a future in our most valuable resources by fixing our water and sewage system. Think about it. We can fix our water safety, preserve a coveted resource, reduce unemployment and repair our infrastructure. That is how we should be investing our stimulus package: in our water and sewage system.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th District.

Mary Zeltzer of Largo, Florida left her assisted-living complex to pick up some groceries.  When the 86-year old failed to return, her daughter became worried. A week later, Mary Zeltzer's daughter learned her mother had been found in her own car, a drowning victim.

That was February 2008, eight months before the state of Florida enacted a Silver Alert program. Silver Alert is an Amber Alert-type system for elderly Alzheimer's or dementia patients that stray or wander off.

Charlie Brownlee had a better fate than Mary Zeltzer. Like Zeltzer, 76-year old Charlie Brownlee wandered away.  Brownlee had been staying at his sister's home in Miami.  He left barefoot, got into a car, and attempted to drive to his home in Alabama. 

Charlie Brownlee's family notified authorities. That was during November 2008, one month after Florida began its Silver Alert program.  A Silver Alert was issued and Brownlee was found by a police officer parked in a ditch about 30 miles away, alive and unharmed.

I will soon introduce legislation to create a Silver Alert system in Wisconsin. My legislation is modeled after Wisconsin's highly successful Amber Alert program. The Silver Alert would utilize the Amber Alert system to alert the public about an elderly person wandering or becoming lost.

When an Amber Alert is activated, Wisconsin radio and television stations cut into programming to broadcast information about an abducted child using the Emergency Alert System.  Highway message board signs also convey information about confirmed child abduction. The Silver Alert would use that same system that is already in place to alert the public about an elderly missing person.

Getting information out quickly and employing the aid of the public may prevent the tragic death of a senior citizen. That is why I consider this is life-saving legislation, one of the most important bills the Legislature will consider this session. Because the Silver Alert utilizes a system that piggybacks off a system that is already up and running, the cost of Silver Alert would be minimal, if anything.

The Alzheimer's Association reports that at least 5.2 million Americans suffer from dementia. Research shows that six out of 10 of those will wander. Only four percent of those leaving home alone are able to find their way back without help. Seniors and others with dementia wander away, on foot or driving. If they are not found within 24 hours, at least half will suffer serious injury or die. An aging baby boomer population means those figures will surely grow.

Twelve states have Silver Alert and the program has been successful. A majority of those reported missing have returned safely.  While the protocol for activating a Silver Alert varies from state to state, most of the states that have the program require local law enforcement to confirm that the missing person is a danger to himself or others and that the individual suffers from some sort of dementia before issuing the alert. 

The beauty of Silver Alert is that within hours, thousands of eyes are looking for the car and the license plate or that missing elderly person. Broadcasters and others already know how to use the Amber Alert system. They should be able to implement Silver Alert quickly, efficiently, and effectively. Silver Alert has put many families at ease providing comfort to them should they have a family member who has dementia. 

The Silver Alert legislation has the support of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Association, the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups Inc., and the Wisconsin Health Care Association. This legislation is nonpartisan and a positive step for the health and welfare of precious elderly.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th District.

Nov. 4, 2008, is shaping up to be the most mistake-riddled Election Day in American history.

Dr. Robert Pastor saw it coming. Pastor, the director of the Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University in Washington, D.C., predicted earlier this year that states would not be prepared to effectively handle 2008 elections.

In a column on Stateline.org posted during January 2008, Pastor said the majority of states have failed to adopt or even embrace reforms that would restore confidence and trust in America's flawed election system. As a result, Pastor said problems with this year's elections are inevitable.

The biggest problem according to Pastor will be voter registration lists. There has not been a thorough review to determine the quality of the lists. So a number of problems are still likely to occur in this year's general elections. Pastor also points out "about one third of the states have bottom-up databases that rely on counties and municipalities to retain their own registration lists and submit information to the state rather than the other way around. In contrast, top-down lists typically deliver information in real time."

There are problems with new computerized systems that have replaced archaic punch card and lever voting. A paper trail is necessary in the event of recounts, but Congress has failed to fund and provide voter-verified paper-audit trails. Some states are so concerned that they were thinking about dumping their electronic voting systems in favor of a paper system prior to the November election.

Pastor says, "Poll workers are overworked and underpaid. They put in a 14- to 16-hour workday, face complex job requirements after little training and generally receive scant compensation."

Pastor's gloomy summary is that, "Voters are likely to face hassles with registration lists and voting machines. Poll workers will remain under-trained and overworked. Election management remains under the thumb of partisan officials, and voter identification is likely to remain problematic. 2008 is unlikely to be an improvement over 2006."

The Washington Post concurred during September 2008 when it reported, "Election officials across the country are bracing for long lines, equipment failures and confusion over polling procedures that could cost thousands the chance to cast a ballot."

This month, the Post reported that thousands of eligible voters must reestablish their eligibility because of mix-ups in new state registration systems.

The Post writes, "Tens of thousands of voters could be affected in Wisconsin. Officials there admit that their database is wrong one out of five times when it flags voters, sometimes for data discrepancies as small as a middle initial or a typo in a birth date. When the six members of the state elections board - all retired judges - ran their registrations through the system, four were incorrectly rejected because of mismatches."

Pastor's employer, the Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University released a study during January 2008 providing more evidence that photo ID's are not obstacles to voting.

A random sample of registered voters in Indiana, Mississippi and Maryland found that only 1.2 percent of registered voters lack a government-issued photo ID.

More than two-thirds of all registered voters in the three states believe the electoral system would be trusted more if people had to show an ID to vote.

The study also demonstrates that a very small percentage of registered voters will be adversely affected by a photo ID requirement.

Nearly a quarter of the registered voters in the three states lack confidence that their votes will be counted accurately, and an even greater number perceive that fraud is more widespread than experts believe.
Nearly all, 96 percent of voters in this study said showing a photo ID would not make them less likely to vote.

Opposition to voter IDs has come largely from those who fear that this requirement will disenfranchise voters who do not have IDs or would find it difficult to acquire them. But they were unable to locate a single individual in Indiana who was prevented from casting a ballot because they lacked an ID.

The tragedy is that Wisconsin does not require photo ID's to vote. Gov. Jim Doyle and state Senate Democrats killed any chance of a photo ID requirement being in place for the critical November elections when the governor vetoed photo ID legislation three times, and Senate Democrats refused to allow a vote on a photo ID constitutional amendment. A common sense photo ID requirement would not be an obstacle to voting or hamper the process. Such a law would be a great step in cleaning up an election system in disrepair. It appears that as predicted, there are going to be many problems on Election Day, here and across the country.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th District.

Cranberries are big business in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Rapids now boasts having the largest cranberry producing plant in the world.

Our cranberry business is going to get even bigger now that the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and cranberry growers have reached an agreement to expedite the permitting process to transform as many as 5,000 acres into cranberry bogs.

An economic study prepared this year by University of Wisconsin economists has concluded that adding 5,000 new acres to Wisconsin's cranberry industry will create 1,115 new jobs and add an annual income increase of $75 million to the state's economy.

The CEOs of Ocean Spray Cranberries and Cliffstar Corp., two large and significant buyers of Wisconsin cranberries, have been discussing speeding up the process with Gov. Jim Doyle and the DNR so that cranberry expansion can take place in Wisconsin. Failure to come up with an agreement would have sent the cranberry companies seeking land in Canada, taking all the jobs and income that go along with the expanded fruit production.

The new permitting process allows for one common permit application to be submitted to both the DNR and the Army Corps of Engineers instead of two separate applications. A pre-application meeting will be held between cranberry growers and regulators to review expansion projects that the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association believes will efficiently result in more complete and realistic permit applications. Compensation for impacts on all wetlands will still be required.

Some portions of the land that will be included in the Wisconsin expansion contain wetlands. Environmental groups are worried the wetlands will be destroyed. The CEOs of Ocean Spray and Cliffstar insist they will replace any wetlands converted into cranberry bogs.

A greater global demand for cranberries has necessitated the call for more bogs. The United States is exporting 30 percent of its crop to places like the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, China and South Korea.

Wisconsin is an ideal place to grow and harvest cranberries and expand production. The state understands the business and already has plants in operation unlike Canada that has plenty of land to convert into bogs, but lacks Wisconsin's knowledge of the industry and processing plants.

Cultivating cranberries is time-consuming. The time it takes from beginning work on the land to the actual harvest is usually about three years. Cranberry companies rightfully were concerned about the two-year permitting process in Wisconsin that was far too long to satisfy global demand.

There is not a state in the entire country that produces more cranberries than Wisconsin. The Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association reports the cranberry is the state's No. 1 fruit in both value and acreage, providing an annual $350 million boost to the state economy and 7,200 jobs in Wisconsin.

In 2007, Wisconsin's cranberry industry accounted for more than 80 percent of all fruit grown in Wisconsin in terms of revenue. Cranberries are Wisconsin's largest fruit crop in terms of acreage with approximately 18,000 acres of cranberries across 19 Wisconsin counties, and Wisconsin provides nearly 60 percent of the nation's cranberry supply. 

Wisconsin's 2008 cranberry crop is projected to be four percent larger than the state's 2007 crop. The 2008 harvest is currently under way on marshes across central and northern Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is now on a path to expand one of our most successful industries, create jobs and benefit the state economy. I commend the involved parties for coming to a mutual agreement that will benefit Wisconsin's lucrative cranberry industry.

This summer, I blogged that the Wisconsin blueberry is a superfood. The Wisconsin cranberry is also a superfood with many health benefits.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th District.

The state of Wisconsin seems to be on a roundabout binge. The philosophy of the state Department of Transportation (DOT) is that whenever major intersection improvements on state roads or four-way stops are planned, the installation of roundabouts must be considered.

Statewide, there are 58 roundabouts open on state and local roads, seven to 10 more are scheduled to open by the end of the construction season and 140 or more are in various planning stages.

Before the state proceeds with its plan to blanket roadways with roundabouts, it should slow down, and I have made that request to the DOT. I have also asked the DOT to rethink the roundabout at Racine Avenue and Interstate 43 in Muskego because of concerns with the roundabout at I-43 and Moorland Road in New Berlin.

The design at the New Berlin roundabout left much to be desired with poor signage and lane markings. There have been a number of accidents at the roundabout, not to mention a high level of anxiety and frustration. There are also complaints about the roundabout on Drexel Avenue in Franklin near Highway 100 and the new Shoppes at Wyndham Village.

Some of my constituents that have corresponded with me about roundabouts have been receptive to the roundabout concept. They agree with the DOT that roundabouts improve safety and reduce crashes. The DOT contends, "Roundabouts move traffic safely through an intersection because of slower speeds, fewer conflict points and decision-making. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that roundabouts provide a 90 percent reduction in fatal crashes, 76 percent reduction in injury crashes, 30-40 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes, and a 10 percent reduction in bicycle crashes."

However, constituents I have heard from angrily oppose roundabouts. I am very concerned about the danger posed by roundabouts resulting in accidents. There are other concerns including poor signage and lane markings that I have already indicated. What about semi-trailer trucks? The configuration of roundabouts makes it extremely difficult for semi-trailers, long trucks, campers and cars with boats to successfully negotiate the turns.

Proponents at the DOT suggest frustrated motorists, in time, and with more education, will learn to accept roundabouts. How does the DOT adequately train the masses, the vast number of motorists on our roadways? Most of them will never get their hands on a DOT brochure or see a roundabout video on the DOT website.

That is why I suggest the state put the brakes on roundabouts until the kinks can be worked out. The idea is to improve all aspects of roundabouts: design, safety, ease of use.

The DOT should bring together special study groups of designers, engineers, and importantly motorists to determine the best model for roundabouts. I have asked the DOT to conduct simulations with a cross-section of Wisconsin drivers and cross-section of vehicles before proceeding further with roundabouts.
Until then, the state should put away the plans to build more and more because the current roundabout design at I-43 and Moorland Road is not ready for prime time.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents the 28th District.

Residents of southeast Wisconsin are quite familiar with the federal agency, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA has determined the quality of air in our area is hampered by auto emissions. According to the Wisconsin Vehicle Inspection Program (WVIP) Annual Report for 2005-2006, "The U.S. EPA implemented a more stringent ozone standard, the so-called 8-hour ozone standard. In April 2004, several southeastern and eastern Wisconsin counties were designated non-attainment areas under this standard. The WVIP will play an important, ongoing role in the state’s efforts to comply with the standard."

That means the auto emission program continues in southeast Wisconsin, although there was a change implemented in the program this summer. As of July 1, 2008, cars and trucks built before 1996 are exempt from undergoing emissions testing.

This seems odd given that the conventional wisdom is older cars produce dirtier emissions and that newer, cleaner running automobiles that have replaced older cars are cleaner and stay cleaner much longer than their predecessors. If any vehicles should be exempt, it should be the newer and not the older models.

Motorists in southeast Wisconsin are also required to pump and use reformulated gas (RFG) that during the summertime costs much more than gasoline in counties outside our region. How effective is RFG in improving the quality of our air? The EPA had to admit that it didn’t know.

During May of this year, I signed a letter with other lawmakers asking the EPA to eliminate the RFG requirement. The EPA says it's preparing a response. Remember, southeast Wisconsin consumers have complained mightily about the effect of RFG, wreaking havoc on automobiles and small engines.

That leads to the latest EPA folly. The EPA on Sept. 4, 2008, implemented a rule that allows the agency to regulate the emissions of your lawnmower.

Beginning in 2011, a 35 percent reduction in emissions will be required for new lawn and garden equipment. Emission reductions of 70 percent will also be enforced for speedboats and other recreational boats starting in 2010. The executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, Bill Becker, told The Associated Press the new EPA rules will be the equivalent of taking one out of every five cars and trucks off the road.

Not surprisingly, the new rules carry a big cost. According to the EPA, it will cost $236 million a year to attain the required reductions in emissions so that the government can regulate your lawnmowers and boats. I will bet you can figure out rather quickly what will happen to those increased costs. You, the consumer, will pay higher prices when you purchase that next piece of lawn or gardening equipment. The California Air Resources Board calculates walk-behind lawnmowers will cost 18 percent more. The cost of commercial turf care mowers will go up about 3 percent.

The EPA says that, "To meet the new exhaust emission standards, manufacturers will likely employ catalytic converters for the first time in many small watercraft and lawn and garden equipment." The agency claims the strategy of requiring catalytic converters is "feasible and safe," despite the objections of some members of Congress that installing the devices in small engines creates a fire hazard.

Your car, your gasoline, your boat, your lawnmower, your weed trimmer ... I shake my head in amazement and wonder what could possibly be next.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th Senate District.

Wisconsin is about to enter summer, the most important period of the state's tourism industry. With gas prices at an all-time high, the summer tourism forecast is uncertain. Will people stay home, or will they opt to spend their leisure time close to home here in Wisconsin?

What is clear is that Wisconsin's year-round tourism business translates into big bucks for the state economy. The Department of Tourism estimates tourism, the state's third largest industry, added more than $12.8 billion to the state economy during 2007. From 1994 through 2007, travel expenditures increased in Wisconsin 122 percent.

Calculating the impact of state tourism is based on a formula that includes about 2,000 face-to-face interviews with travelers to Wisconsin in all seasons at various events, 3,000 telephone interviews with lodging properties, and over 1,000 telephone interviews with Wisconsin households that hosted travelers or other guests.

Summer, the period June through August, is Wisconsin's busiest and most productive tourism season, raking in $4.9 billion during 2007. Fall, September through November comes next with $3.1 billion, followed by spring, March-May with $2.6 billion, and winter, December 2007 through February 2008 with $2.2 billion.

Where are most of the tourism dollars spent? Milwaukee County leads the pack with $1.678 billion. Next is Dane County with $1.184 billion. During 2007, Sauk County, home of Wisconsin Dells became the third Wisconsin county to surpass the billion-dollar mark in tourism spending at $1.047 billion.
Rounding out the state's top ten counties in traveler spending were Waukesha, Brown, Walworth, Door, Outagamie, Sheboygan and Vilas counties.

The contribution to Wisconsin businesses by travelers is significant. Wisconsin travelers spend $3.94 billion on shopping, $3.41 billion on food, $2.84 billion on recreation and $1.61 billion on lodging.
The vast majority of travelers are here for leisure, 70 percent. The leisure category includes sporting events, casino trips group tours, festivals, and visit to families and friends. Another 19 percent were here during 2007 on business, and 11 percent attended meetings or conventions.

Over half, 53 percent of travel expenditures during 2007, $6.7 billion was spent on overnight stays in hotels, motels, resorts, and Bed and Breakfasts (B & B's).

Another 37 percent did not spend on lodging. Instead, they fell into the category of day trippers, or they visited families and friends. Even so, they still spent $4.71 billion, a sizeable figure for travelers just passing through. The rest of the travelers were campers or stayed in cabins, cottages or condos.
Businesses prosper. So does state employment. Wisconsin's tourism industry during 2007 supported the full-time equivalent of 200-thousand jobs and $3.6 billion in wages and salaries, covering a wide variety of positions from entry level and part-time to management and executive slots. The Tourism Department estimates that if jobs indirectly related to tourism are factored in, the industry supports 302,000 jobs and $7.09 billion in wages and salaries.

The contribution in taxes and fees is also substantial, $1.422 billion to the state and $638 million to local governments, totaling $2.06 billion.

The Department of Tourism is banking on the state's new branding initiative to help grow Wisconsin's tourism industry. According to the Department, "The new brand platform pays tribute to Wisconsin as a place where the people are fiercely proud, passionate and loyal, and where the culture fuels creativity and embraces originality. It puts the spotlight on the Wisconsin style of hospitality and the friendly people who deliver it, giving visitors a genuine sense of belonging. This hospitality and culture of originality allow visitors to fully 'be themselves,' in other words, to relax and pursue their passions."

The brand promise reads: "Because of the passionate nature of the state's people to create fun, express themselves in original ways and feel more comfortable doing it here than anywhere else, in Wisconsin originality rules."

A new theme line, advertising concepts and marketing materials will be developed based on the brand promise.

If your summer vacation plans include Wisconsin, know that you are contributing to the state economy and one of the state's largest and most successful industries.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th Senate District.

Wisconsin’s Do Not Call List is phenomenally popular. During 2007, more than 1 million Wisconsin residential phone lines were covered by the list that is operated by the Wisconsin by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).

Unfortunately, fewer telemarketers at dinner time mean more salespeople knocking on your door.
DATCP is warning residents to be aware of door-to-door salespeople who are popping up more frequently in Wisconsin neighborhoods selling home improvements, lawn care, the traditional vacuum cleaners, meat, and even investments. The department is offering tips on proceeding with caution whenever you get an unexpected knock on your door.

Avoid being pressured to sign any contract on the spot.

Call DATCP’s hotline at 1-800-422-7128 for information about complaints.

Rather than being compelled to make a quick, impulsive purchase, do some comparison shopping.
Be sure you are aware of the exact total you must pay, not just the monthly payment.

There is also the notorious fine print to worry about. DATCP reports one alarm company had in its contract fine print that it could increase monthly fees when it so desired and could demand payment of monthly fees in full if the purchaser ever canceled the contract. If you are being pressured to pay more than the original contract indicates, you are advised to call local law enforcement.

Since August 1, 1999, Wisconsin has had a direct marketing rule providing consumer protection that applies to telephone, e-mail, fax, mail, and door-to-door transactions. These include purchases made in places away from the seller's place of business.

All direct marketers, including door-to-door salespeople must, after a short greeting, tell who they are, who they are working on behalf of and what they are selling.

Before finishing the sale and taking any credit card information or cash, direct markets must tell consumers the cost, quantity, conditions, refund policy and the name and address of the principal company.

A direct marketer must obtain verifiable authorization before a credit card is billed and must keep transaction records for at least two years.

According to DATCP, the direct marketing rule also prohibits:

• Threatening, intimidating or harassing consumers.
• Failing to leave a consumer's premises upon request.
• Calling consumers who previously said they do not wish to receive telephone solicitations from that seller.
• Calling consumers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. without their prior consent.
• Requesting or receiving payment for loan finder services before the consumer actually receives the promised loan. This is aimed at companies that promise loans, charge a fee, and disappear without producing the loan.
• Requesting payment for helping consumers recover money lost in a prior home solicitation transaction until at least seven days after the consumer recovers the money. This is aimed at so called "recovery room" schemes, which prey on previously victimized consumers.

Wisconsin law also enforces a three-day cooling-off period. A consumer has three business days to consider and cancel a direct marketing sale of $25 or more that occurs away from the seller's regular place of business. The three-day right to cancel begins after the seller has provided the purchaser a written notice of the right to cancel.

Consumers exercising the right to cancel are advised to send notice by certified mail. Money must be returned within 10 days. If the seller does not pick-up the product in 20 days, the purchaser may keep it.
Direct marketers who violate the rule may receive a civil forfeiture of up to $10,000 or a fine of up to $5,000 and be imprisoned for up to a year. For more information, contact the Division of Consumer Protection at 800-422-7128.

If you have comments on this or any other issue, please contact me at Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov,

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th Senate District.

You have completed, signed and sent in your income tax returns and you may be pondering this question: How does the government spend my tax dollars? Where does most of the money go? Does the bulk of my taxes go to pay for schools? Roads? The war in Iraq?

Those are daunting questions, considering all levels of government, federal, state, and local spent $4.1 trillion during 2007. Approximately two-thirds of your taxes go to the federal government, with the remaining third going to state and local governments.

Using data from the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis, MSNBC.com crunched the numbers to calculate how your taxes are spent.

The largest chunk of tax dollars, 22 percent, goes toward income security that includes Social Security, welfare, disability payments and unemployment insurance. The next-largest expenditure, 20 percent, goes for health care that includes Medicaid and Medicare. A significant 42 percent of American tax dollars is spent on entitlement programs.

Public safety, including national defense and local police, fire, prison and court costs make up another 20 percent of taxes.

Then comes education. About 74 percent of taxes spent on education goes toward elementary and secondary schools, with most of the rest paying for colleges, and the remainder for public libraries. Overall, education accounts for 16 percent of your tax dollar.

Since government doesn't pay taxes, someone has to pay for the cost of government and that, of course, is you. When government spends more than it generates in revenue (sound familiar, Wisconsinites?) and resorts to credit card budgeting by borrowing money, there is interest that must be paid. The cost of managing all levels of government takes up another 14 percent of tax dollars, with the largest portion (63 percent) being the interest paid on borrowing. Other government costs include salaries, expenses and the cost of actually collecting taxes.

That leaves 8 percent of taxes that goes to pay for roads, agriculture, airports, air and water quality, the space program and recreation.

Let's review how American tax dollars are spent according to the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis:

• Income security: 22 percent
• Health care: 20 percent
• National defense/public safety: 20 percent
• Education: 16 percent
• Cost of running government: 14 percent
• Miscellaneous: 8 percent

Finally, who pays what in taxes in America?

A 2007 report by the non-partisan Tax Foundation in Washington D.C. reported: “In general, households that earn the most income pay the most dollars of taxes. This is no surprise, since income and payroll taxes make up a very large portion of the nation's tax bill. Overall, the most tax dollars were paid by households in the top income group. They paid an average of $81,933 in taxes - $57,512 to the federal government in Washington in 2004 and $24,421 to state and local governments at home. Households in the middle income group - which some refer to as the 'middle class' - paid an average of $21,194 in taxes, or $13,028 in federal taxes and $8,166 in state and local taxes. America's lowest-earning households - those earning less than $23,700 in cash money income in 2004 - face the nation's lowest tax burden. Households in the bottom income group paid an average of $4,325 in taxes in 2004, or $1,684 to the federal government and $2,642 to state and local governments."

Taxes at all levels of government remain too high, severely impairing income growth, job creation and retention.

The best way to get a handle on taxes is to curtail runaway spending.

State Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents Wisconsin's 28th Senate District.