What can anyone tell me about the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance

[goddess40]

http://www.wistax.org/

I know our local branch is not only dominated by right wingers I don't believe they have any members who aren't right wingers?

[ewagner]

1. Goddess...my experience

Our city administrator is very fond of sponsoring their dippy resolutions on the council floor. Their literature and newsletters are almost indistinguishable from WMC.

on edit: If I am not mistaken, that "anti-prevailing wage" resolution that went around the state was one of their brain children.

[RonKindDemocrat]

2. WisTax is Non-Partisan

the local groups i can't speak to, but I would say that the parent group/newsletters are largely non-partisan. Almost everything from the newsletter is directly from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. I wouldn't say that the WiTaxAlliance is good at proposing solutions (that isn't their purpose), but they are good at providing factual financial information

[thedukeabides]

3. No way is WISTAX non-partisan

They might claim to be, but there is no way WISTAX should be considered non-partisan. Their board of directors is LOADED with GOP activists, right-wing donors and corporate titans.

Here's an interesting press release from One Wisconsin Now a while back that shows the board of directors of WISTAX gives in overwhelming numbers to republicans and conservatives -- in total the WISTAX board has given almost $300,000 to GOPers and about 25,000 to dems. hardly non-partisan!

http://www.onewisconsinnow.org/press/178/288000-in-wi-taxpayer-alliance-board-member-contributions-show-overwhelming-conservative-preference-1122009

The chair of the board right now is Carol Ward Knox, her husband, Randall Knox currently serves on the board of directors of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) -- and those chumps are as partisan as they come...less taxes for corporations, tax breaks for the rich etc. All told, those 2 have given over 150,000 in contributions in their life, all to repuglicans, none to democrats.

And Todd Berry is the guy from WISTAX who's always in the media. he used to be the chair of the Jefferson County republican party and his wife served in teh state legislature as a republican.

If you just look at their publication, WISTAX always wants less taxes for corporations and the rich, and they've been really hard in calling for less funding for public schools. WISTAX flat out sucks and everything you hear from them should be considered from the mouth of a Republican.

Just my two cents, haha.

[bobthedrummer]

7. Welcome to DU, thedukeabides!

:hi:

[Sabien]

4. non-partisan - yah right!

so is Bill O'Reilly

puh-leeze.

[Viking12]

5. "Non-partisan" is Orwellian Double-Speak for

"Not technically affiliated with the Republican Party but supports them in every way"

[CatholicEdHead]

6. Sounds similar to the MN Taxpayers League

Though WI's website is not as rabid as MN's.
http://www.taxpayersleague.org/