Conservatively Speaking

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:

Tax Freedom Day has finally arrived.

Traffic deaths in Wisconsin are down 30 percent from this same time one year ago.

As of April 21, 2008, there have been 137 traffic fatalities in Wisconsin this year compared to 188 the same time in 2007, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT).

Why the big increase in safer roads?

The DOT chalks it up to two reasons:

1) We had a very bad winter, so people either slowed down, or didn’t drive as much.

2) Gas prices have been on a steady rise, so motorists have cut back on their driving.

Even so, the news is remarkable. During March of 2008, Wisconsin had 27 fatalities. The DOT reports you have to go back to the World War II era with gas rationing, slower speed limits, and a much smaller population to find such a small monthly fatality rate.

There were 743 traffic fatalities in Wisconsin during 2007. So far this year, the state has recorded 137 fatalities in the first 112 days of 2008. If Wisconsin continues its current safe pace, it would end 2008 with less than 500 traffic deaths (447).

Here are more details from WISN-TV. 

Drive carefully everyone.

No matter what economic study or report you look at, the conclusion is always dismal for Wisconsin when it comes to taxes.

The latest comes from the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council chief economist Raymond Keating has just completed the “Business Tax Index 2008” for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Using 16 different tax measures to compile one score, Keating ranks the states according to their Business Tax Index. Among the factors Keating studied were a state's top personal income tax rate, a state's top individual capital gains tax rate, a state's top corporate income tax rate,  property taxes, and gas taxes.

Wisconsin ranks number 32, near the bottom third of all the states.

Keating writes, “As Elvis Presley said: ‘A little less conversation, a little more action please.’ For example, more action is needed by elected officials in many states to make their state tax systems friendlier towards entrepreneurs and small businesses.”

I concur, having blogged extensively about Wisconsin’s unfreindly business climate that is severely hampering business growth and retention. Our high taxes coupled with one of the lowest per capita income rates in the country are forcing too many residents to leave the state.

Our state faces a revenue shortfall of $652.3 million, and yet some legislators in Madison want to increase taxing and spending even further.

Keating’s new study is yet another wake-up call to the Legislature and the governor to control excessive taxing and spending.

Read Keating’s entire piece.

Also, the nonpartisan Tax Foundation in Washington D.C. has more details on Wisconsin’s tax system and comparison to other states.