10/10/2026
👏🏻
Wisconsin… can we talk about something?
We have a state law that requires gas stations to mark up the price of gasoline. Depending on the calculation, that markup can amount to around 30¢ per gallon.
Meanwhile, Wisconsin has approximately $2 BILLION sitting in its account.
And in 2023, our state government approved a sales tax exemption for qualifying data centers. That exemption is now projected to cost Wisconsin more than $2 BILLION in tax revenue.
Let that sink in.
• We’re requiring a minimum markup on something people need to get to work.
• We’re holding billions in state reserves.
• And we’re giving massive tax exemptions to companies building data centers.
I can understand the importance of having a rainy-day fund. I understand that economic development can bring jobs and investment to Wisconsin.
But I also understand what it’s like to stand at a gas pump, watching the numbers climb, knowing that money has to come from somewhere else in the family budget.
At what point do we start looking at affordability from the perspective of the people paying the bills?
And here’s the part that really frustrates me… These decisions didn’t happen overnight.
Our elected representatives have had opportunities to address Wisconsin’s minimum markup law. And the data-center tax exemption was approved by the very people we’ve entrusted to represent our interests.
Meanwhile, families are struggling to afford the basics.
At what point do we start asking why the people elected to advocate for us aren’t doing more to make life affordable?
This isn’t about Republicans or Democrats… It’s about accountability. Because regardless of which party someone belongs to, their responsibility is to the people they represent.
