Rep. Stone pigs out on taxpayer funds

Yesterday, Xoff outed Rep. Jeff' Stone's addiction to spending and pork for his district with this post. That makes the Republican from Greendale last in a long line of Republicans living in a fantasy world that the Bride of TABOR will not harm their districts.

Stone is actively lobbying for a $42.5 million project that will put Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District over the 6% allowed under the Bride of TABOR. But this isn't the first time he has looked to taxpayers for economic help for his area. From the Wisconsin State Journal in 2004:

Lawmakers are pressing for direct taxpayer aid to two air carriers with hubs in Wisconsin while the state appeals a court order striking own tax exemptions for the airlines. The "incentive payments," which would apply only to Midwest Express and Air Wisconsin and their subsidiaries, would be based on the number of passengers each carrier serves and could total more than $6 million a year by 2006, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. They would only go into effect if the state loses its appeal of the tax exemption and the two airlines are required to pay property taxes, said Rep. Jeff stone, R-Greendale, the bill's chief sponsor in the Assembly.

Working to keep Wisconsin airlines here and expanding is a worthy project. But just how does Stone think state or local government is going to be able to do things like this in the future with their hands tied behind their backs from the Bride of TABOR?