I love how people criticize someone else but offer no solution of thier own. Please explain how we can continue to overspend and not cut back on anything?

Chris-

The comments made by Pasch are regarding general bravado behind Darling's comments. The general message of the GOP quickly transitioned from "we all need to tighten our belts for a little bit" to "oh MAN that's a good cut! ...what about health services? cool! cut that too!"

The fact that education and public health services are FIRST on the chopping block, and not last, speak volumes about the Wisconsin Republican agenda.

I believe that senility has set in for Darling. Maybe she can be hauled off to one of her nursing homes for the high quality care she is going to get as she drools in her oatmeal.

We clearly know what Alberta Darling's budget looks like. So my one question for Pasch is what would your budget look like? Would you raise taxes $3.5 billion to cover our deficit? Would you tax some and cut some? If so what would you cut? Instead of attacking Alberta, what would you propose?

As a business owner, and board member of various professional and non-profit organizations, I view budgets as a statement of values and priorities. The priorities of Walker and the republicans in power clearly point to aiding businesses & corporations, the wealthiest of our citizens, road builders, and donors.

These are difficult economic times, and (as we were told during the early months of this year), there needs to be shared sacrifice. This is a lopsided budget. They are proposing to cut health care funding for those who are not covered by employment-based plans; long-term care funding for frail elderly and adults & children with disabilities; unemployment compensation; and education. Please tell me where, in the current budget proposals, are the sacrifices by the wealthy? The corporations? The road builders?

The makeup of the current legislature means that there is no meaningful discussion of the issues and choices available to address our current challenges. As I have watched the JFC hearings, I have been struck by how disrespectful the process has been. Democrats have introduced amendments, and then have every single proposal defeated on a rigid party-line vote.

This is a terrifying time for our state, and I fear for our future.

And, before these comments draw the usual attacks by those who do not agree with me -- I am a former supporter of Sen Darling, and have respected her moderate positions on issues such as health care and education. But no more.

Rep. Pasch voted in 2009 for a budget with a 3+billion structural deficit. Scott Walker and legislators such as Alberta Darling are making the decisions Rep. Pasch avoided. Rep. Pasch should explain her vote in favor of the 2009-11 deficit budget. She of course has every right to run against Senator Darling, but she also has an obligation to explain her alternative.

Seem to remember a more balanced budgetary projection from that budget. Darling voted on that budget also, how has her stance changed?

Mr. Naatz,

Bad memory. Sen. Darling voted No. There was no "balanced budget projection."

Please remember, the State of Wisconsin cannot print money.

Rep. Pasch's supporters made fools of themselves in Madison yesterday.

I would like to ask Ms Pasch..so with all the money dumped into the hole we call a school system, how's that worked out so far? Who is succeding? Kids? or administrators and union heads?
At what point do we run out of other peoples money for entitlement programs? Instead of giving money every year how about we give them a job so yhey can sustain themselves? Who will hire them if no corporations want to come to this tax hell? Public sector can only suppot so many before we reach a tipping point. Want a start to healthcaere cost? How about a little tort reform?

Ms Pasch - what exactly are you ideas and plans. I've seen dems in action for too long and the results are not good.

Of course there are alternatives beyond ideologically mindless cuts -- http://tinyurl.com/3sge4uf. But that takes creativity, imagination and lack of shameless political hackery, something our Governor and robotic State Senator lacks. The unemployment numbers are proving that going back to GOP policies aren't working. Could have told you this would have happened.

BTW, anybody should be against tax payer support for religious schools, which should be unconstitutional. Past generations had the character to pay for their kids private school and not put it on the rest of us.

Glad to see Sandy resorting to Illinois democrats to make her seem as she has alot of support.
(heck she may need to stay at their house somday)
http://dpoe.org/theleft/2011/05/14/it-runs-family

More libitard rhetoric. Boo Hoo- this hurts the kids. How does it even affect them? The cut in spending is offset by the "horrible cuts" the teachers had to take.
If this is so terrible, please enlighten us on what you would do to improve it?

Still stuck in that tax and spend problem Pasch?

I stand corrected on voting record

However on the balanced budget under Doyle see----http://www.wisconsinreport.com/statenews/detail.php?id=177

The Rich are just looking for more handouts, why spend their own money when they can spend money taken from children.

Budget Forum. 6:30-8:00pm. Tuesday June 7 th. Whitefish Bay High School Auditorium.

Pasch, what kind of a budget would you like? A budget where the local governments can keep blaming the state and take no responsibility like the budgets we've had for the last 10 years.

You and Ruble are worst kind of disease for Wisconsin.

Now the GOP is going after craftbeer makers and microbrews to appease their donors. I thought republicans were against market and competition barriers. I guess it depends on who owns Walker/Darling...."Why would the WBDA and Miller-Coors be pushing this? To eliminate competition.
It is no secret that craft beer is gaining market share while Miller-Coors market share is declining. The WBDA can eliminate future serious competition by prohibiting craft brewers from getting together to open their own wholesalers" http://community.sportsbubbler.com/forums/p/97363/1197779.aspx

Lyle: Apparently you have not followed the School District of Menomonee Falls budget issues. You must drink the same flavor of Kool Aide as State Rep Pasch.

Pasch just wants to raise your taxes, what a new idea she is bringing to the table

Dave: She brings a very large glass of Kool Aide to the table- apparently to share with Lyle.
I think everyone can agree that quality of education has degraded over the past years and not 100% of the blame should be placed on the teachers. BUT, throwing more money after bad is not going to fix our problems. We have many years of history that shows this doesn't work. If it DID work, we would be having an entirely different debate because there is no money left of the money tree to p*ss away!

Ike: Test scores have degraded, and behavioral issues have continued to increase. I don't like to compare our schools with those in another region of the country, rather I like to look at the trends in test scores for the same school over a period of time. To compare our kids to those of areas where teeth are a luxury is not a fair comparison.
We have been throwing more money into the schools since the Thompson was Governor. All the while School taxes were going up- none of that additional funding actually went to anything that helped educate the kids. We now have multiple assistant principals and more administration than ever; yet we have had declining student populations for 20 years. We have Principals who's contracts were not renewed, a replacement was hired and the former is now a 'consultant' for the District. We have assistant principals doing attendance clerk's jobs, at 3 times the rate of pay for a clerk.
Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, continually pouring more money into a broken system has not worked- time to try a new approach.
Rather than the Pasch mentality of tax and spend, and spend even more...in fact, spend more than what you have coming in until there is no funds left to educate anyone..
We need to be diligent and responsible. If your car doesn't run, you don't get a new paint job just to make it look good, especially if you don't have the funds to fix it in the first place.

@Craig - Good point about comparing cross-country, funny too, but sad. Do you really believe what you wrote when you wrote, "School taxes were going up- none of that additional funding actually went to anything that helped educate the kids." Students have not benefited from the additional tax dollars for 20 years? You make it sound like school administrators are out-of-control. Can you imagine the power they'll have when their staff is no longer unionized? You must be as concerned as I am about the potential for them to abuse their power.

Regarding behavioral issues, we can't put that entirely on the schools and there's no way to know if those are worse, more common, both, or due to LACK of funding for school counselors. Most of that onus is on the parents.

Regarding test scores, I haven't seen the statistics, but there's a lot that goes into those. To say that schools are failing because test scores are worse is not a fair assumption. Our schools have been doing very well and I compared them earlier to other states because Wisconsin ranks very high (even compared to states where kids have teeth) in almost any category of performance assessment which tells me that our education system is not a broken one, yet.

I do think the increased funding from our taxes have been fruitless. Administrators are overabundant now, school counselors are also overabundant: When I went to MFHS- we only had three of them- now there are seven. (bear in mind there are only half the number of students)
I do agree the discipline issues start with parents and the school system can't be 100% to blame.
I also agree test scores only tell part of the story. But go to any kid running a cash register and if your bill is $17.51- hand them a 20. Then after they punch in the $20, give them another penny....
I am not opposed to spending money on programs that work, but I do question how it can cost nearly $15,000 per student to attend our public schools? The University of WI-Madison is $9,800 !

It would probably be too much to expect to have Sandy Pasch ask her supporters (both paid and unpaid) to stop protesting the Special Olympics. <sigh>

What will it take for Sandy Pasch to distance herself from the Capitol hooligans that back her campaign?

@ike...Joe Peterlin vacillates in his approach to his postings. Of all who regularly posts, he is quick to take it to another level. There are times when he is clear, concise and makes his points without rancor. Other times he rambles and rolls with suppositions and assumptions, leaving the reader mystified as to what is the main point. You have to admire Joe for his absolute commitment to everything conservative. From some others who know him, he has been a challenge to the Shorewood School Board for quite some time. I have to admit, I enjoy reading his posts along with those of Bob McBride IIs. Hang in there and try to stay to the higher path. When Joe levels his guns at me, I don't take it personally.