"I don't smoke, but when I am around you I am then forced to spend more money on laundry, using more soap, water and electricity, all of which are taxed, so I have been covering your 'lost' tax revenue for years--even before there was this so-called lost revenue from increased tobacco taxes." - Seriously??? LOL.

The ice arena is a perfect example of why Janesville is in its current position and similarly the entire state. Invest millions in a arena that will seasonally employ a handful of minimum wage jobs. In good times maybe, in bad times, bad idea.

Hey! Wisconsin is 24th on the list of happy states. http://www.livescience.com/culture/09111...
Look at the positive side, we are not West Virginia. God speed West Virginia.

An example of waste.....for those people on FOOD STAMPS they should not be allowed to buy junk food such as soda and candy..I saw an overweight woman with 12 packs of sugary soda and peanut butter cups and use her food stamp Quest card to pay for it... tell me what family needs all that soda? By the way, I am overweight myself and was on food stamps as a single mom and I actually bought food for my child, NEVER soda and candy. My tax dollars going for that junk!!!!!! And Badger Care to pay all her doctor bills...oh but wait when I pointed out a less sugary soday, she did say she didn't have diabetes so she could drink the sugary stuff...egads!!!

Rx: A Doyle-ectomy, cut the welfare and stop the invasion of Illinoids (go to "w-o-r-k" or stay in your own state), let's call an illegal alien what it is (i.e. apply for a visa and start paying taxes if you want to be here), and top it off with a royal (courtesy) flush of the Janesville city council. Repeat as needed.

Sorry Hanna, me bad.

Hey Hanna & Bob, I'm 58 too!! Isn't it great, to live in a blue state, when your 58!

Well commenters, I owe everyone an apology. The link I intended to list is

http://www.jsonline.com/business/6969560... "Employment will rebound in 2011, State says."

No good excuse, but I was working on a Veterans' Day posting.

Bob Keith
- humble and obedient citizen -

SarraB1: That is just what the collective controllers and apologists want - for you to surrender.

And now for something completely different; the Wisconsin Department of Revenue says, "No worries panic stricken chicks and dudes." http://www3.jsonline.com/story/index.asp... "Employment will rebound in 2011, State says."
Can you say mixed messages?

It is my general impression from working 45 years in various train wreck economies that the controlers of this current train wreck economy will keep sucking our last personal resources out of us until we get a collective nose bleed. They are like a parrasite that kills its host and moves on. I wonder were they will head to when we are all living in card board boxes?

Oh, by the by, where is Janesvillean to tell us all this economic depression is just all in our collective heads? Reassure us oh wizard of the optimistic.

Bob Keith
- humble and obedient citizen -

Dear Mr. Diamond Jim Doyle. I knew several years ago that you would do this to the State of Wisconsin. Way to go! Congratulations also goes to those who voted him in multiple times.

...er, Janesville and surround vicinities, I mean.

By the way - did anyone see in today's public record that a $3 box of fruit snacks was stolen in Orfordville? And to think, I was starting to think less and less of Janesville...!!!

More money does not necessarily equal better education, by FAR.

A voice of reason amongst a sea of ignorance - Thank you PJ, for making my day!!

Bob1951:

"us that came before you" you said? I am a senior citizen. Not all anti-smokers are 28.

OMG. A few comments:
1) based on the writing in these comments, we CANNOT afford to continue cutting education.

2) kinsohn, you are so wrong about the dems controlling everything in Wisconsin for years. The reality is that it was the republicans that held power, and it was only in the last elections (a year ago) that the dems took both houses in state government.

3) The whining smokers that are complaining about being taxed too much. Shut up. I don't smoke, but when I am around you I am then forced to spend more money on laundry, using more soap, water and electricity, all of which are taxed, so I have been covering your 'lost' tax revenue for years--even before there was this so-called lost revenue from increased tobacco taxes.

4) And while I agree that a two sheet ice hockey arena is a questionable need, it is an investment in the community, something we must continue to do if we ever want Janesville to become what we all hope it can be--a nice place to live.

Come on people. Stop spewing Fox News rhetoric and start actually thinking about the issues.

Skyblue62:

Ditto to to what I told melstew57.

Melstew 47:

We non-smokers will soon have to pay for your hospital, then nursing home care, because you get cancer, are underinsured and out of work. So that's fair?

There are restaurants that still allow smoking that I refuse to patronize. Loss of revenue there.

Go blow your nose and quit crying about your nasty habit costing so much in taxes!

This cannot be so: the Democrats control all the levers of power in WI and have for years. Their plans to raise taxes and spending will pay off very soon - just you wait and see!

but lets get that ice arena going,an lets mess with the smokers some more,wait i got a better idea why dont the morons an the anti-smokers make up the loss,smokers pay a load of taxes,now we need to tax the non-smokers to make up the revenue.

I am about ready to surrender. I hope the governing bodies in this area are prepared to do the same. My job has been slashing worker hours to nearly zero in the past couple of weeks and things don't look much better after that. I hope the Janesville City Council, Rock County Board of Supervisors and Janesville School Board can see reality and cut all unnecessary spending. "Wants" do NOT equal "needs", folks. At this point, please stick to "needs" only.

first the two affor-mentioned entities need to get their collective heads out of the sand (for better than an unprintable version of where their heads really are). what are the possibilities of that since the economic problems have been around for a long time on a national level and local level. come tax time, how much revenue will be lost due to the folks laid off or otherwise out of work that will not be able to pay real estate taxes? for reasonable thinking people, this is a no brainer. question; is the school board and city council thinking reasonably?

The hiring of more government employees is merely a 'stimulus' to help prevent our state from a fiscal calamity. Wisconsin can 'buy' it's way out of this.

drop the anti-tobacco stance... and let the revenue come back at the LOWER taxes rate.
'
bunch of morons let them anti-smokers push this and now wisconsin faces over 1.5 billion less in taxes for 2009 from tobacco. prolly same about in 2008.
.
or better yet, make the anti-smokers generate this same lost tax amount before they're allowed to pass any other restrictive laws.
.

This should be a warning to the City Council and School Board. Are you planning now for potentially less state aid in the next year or two?