With over four decades of business, I’ve come to rely more on what a person or organization does and a whole lot lesson what they say. A business who’s phone is answered with the all too familiar; “In order to provide better customer service, please listen to our 42 page list of items before we actually bother to have a human being talk with you”, (or at least that’s the way I hear it) is leaving me with a whole lot more insight into the actual depth of their commitment to quality customer service.

The same can be true in political leaders; what they say and what they actually do aren’t necessarily mutually inclusive. For Governor Tony Evers, in spite of his soft delivery and amiable demeanor it is now apparent his lack of concern, or maybe profound ignorance for the fundamentals of our state are becoming increasingly more dangerous, damaging and
destructive.

His very first action? Remove the “Wisconsin Open For Business” signs and replace them with, what? His own name. Initially I thought it merely immature and petty yet his prerogative, not actually foretelling. I was wrong. Strike two. While seeking input on comprehensive tax policy I asked who will be heading up the tax policy issues that I
as Ways and Means chair should be networking with. I was told, “I haven’t assigned anyone yet.” Wisconsin spends 100 million dollars every single day. Each department is a multi-billion dollar entity. Tax policy is the driver of all services, jobs and economy. A chief gubernatorial tax advisor is not some staffer one assigns, it’s a complex position that one
actively recruits to. Again, what they do speaks volumes over what they say, and this, like the recorded customer service line, tells me sound tax policy is an afterthought in the Evers administration.

Strike three. This week, the democratic substitute “Middle Class tax cut bill” supported by Governor Evers was not a tax reduction bill at all, it was a spending bill. Total taxes didn’t go down a penny. In spite of hundreds of millions in excess taxes collected from hard working Wisconsin families, taxes that should be returned to those who paid it, the
democratic proposal was a shell game designed to actually keep the excess money and spend it. The very people democrats say they want to help on one hand, on the other hand would have seen taxes on their jobs go up by over 240 million!! Plus part of their “tax cut” was going to go to expand a welfare program, not reduce the burden of the middle
class tax payer at all.

Strike four, transportation. This is not a new problem, nor is it limited to Wisconsin. We have made profound progress in the area. We still have a way to go but now fully 70% of state roads are listed as fair or better. So what are we to learn from the Governor Evers tea leaves? Well for starters his choice to head the Department of Transportation is the
state’s number one road contractor lobbyist. And what have they come up with? The forward looking constructive ideas he says he wanted? Nope, raise taxes…again.

Oh, and what about those 23 old “Wisconsin Open for Business” signs? The Evers administration is literally sawing them in half and making 46 “Detour” signs. Ironically that is exactly the result his policies may produce.

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