Today marked the official takeover of Madison by Democrats.  Democrats continue to hold a 18-15 majority in the state Senate and now control the Assembly by a 52-46 margin.  New legislators barely had time to locate their new offices before Democratic leaders began outlining what the next two years are going to look like.

First, legislators began allocating the yet-to-be approved federal bailout package.  In fact, as the JS noted,  ”signs emerged of a strategy to quickly spend Wisconsin’s share of a federal economic stimulus package that Congress is expected to pass soon.”  The package has not even been finalized and legislators are spending the money.

Second, tax increases are already being contemplated.  Legislators “have embraced a tax on hospitals that will generate more federal aid for health care and they have said they will likely impose a tax on oil companies to pay for roads.” 

Moreover, if you believed Democratic promises regarding no income and sales tax increases, then I suggest you start paying closer attention to Wisconsin politics.  Legislators “have said they want to avoid increasing the sales and income taxes but have not ruled out doing so.”  In other words, there will be an increase in the income and sales tax.

What does this have to do with the Conservative Young Professionals of Milwaukee?  This past fall, while the entire state was mesmerized by the national election, Democrats quietly assembled a strong cast of Assembly and Senate candidates.  The strategy obviously paid off.  Conservatives throughout the state, especially here in SE Wisconsin, need to begin paying closer attention to local Assembly and Senate races.  What should serve as an even  greater wake-up call is that the situation could have been worse.  State Sen. Alberta Darling ran a tremendous campaign and narrowly survived.  Her campaign, especially her manager Andrew Davis, deserve much credit for helping maintain the narrow margin in the Senate.

2010 offers a real opportunity for conservatives throughout Wisconsin to refocus on local Assembly and Senate races.  As the JS article points out, the alternative is Democratically controlled government, one which immediately looks to bailouts and tax increases to address budges deficits.