Milwaukee Record: 'Milwaukee’s new 2% sales tax is how the city lives to fight another day'

The city gets to shed some of its baggage now.

The Recombobulation Area is a ten-time Milwaukee Press Club award-winning weekly opinion column and online publication written, edited and published by veteran Milwaukee journalist Dan Shafer. Learn more about it here.

This week, the Milwaukee Common Council held one of its most consequential votes in recent history, the vote to raise the sales tax by 2%.

In literal terms, the vote was on the city raising its sales tax by 2%, but really, this was a vote about the future of the city of Milwaukee. Whether Milwaukee would have a future as a city, really. Because if the city did not vote in favor of raising the sales tax, a truly catastrophic outcome would await. 

The vote passed, 12-3. The existential threat to the city’s future has been dealt with. Now, while challenges lie ahead, we get to start shedding some of our baggage.

Let’s recombobulate.

Read the column here.

This column was published in partnership with Milwaukee Record.

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ICYMI: The Recombobulation Area, on the airwaves:

Tuesday: On “As Goes Wisconsin” (every week at 10:30 a.m.!)

Wednesday: On “Town Call” with Luke Mathers, discussing the sales tax with state Rep. Ryan Clancy.

Thursday: Every week on WCPT 820 on “Driving it Home” with Patti Vasquez, at 5:15 p.m.

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PLUS: Join The Recombobulation Area and Milwaukee Record NEXT WEEK at The Cooperage to rewatch GAME SIX!

The Cooperage / The Coop

The Cooperage / The Coop on Instagram: “Join @milwaukeerecord and @therecombobulationarea at The Cooperage on Friday, July 21 as we celebrate the two-year anniversary—plus one day!—of the most amazing game in Milwaukee sports history with a Game 6 Rewatch Party. The FREE fun will begin at 6:30 p.m., as Recombobulation Area founder Dan Shafer emcees the affair and Milwaukee Record co-founder Tyler Maas plays records to suit the citywide sports celebration. @systemseltzers will be on-site to pour samples of some of its fine products (which will be available at the bar for $1 off all night long). The ever-present @tacomotomke food truck will also be open for business outside The Coop. We’ll start streaming the game on The Cooperage’s massive projector screen starting at 7:30 p.m. Again, this is a free event. Recombobulation Area and Milwaukee Record have a few other things in store, such as raffles for basketball-related goodies and more TBA! That’s about all you need to know! If it was a blur the first time around or if you just want to see it happen all over again, please come watch Game 6 with us at The Cooperage on July 21. Bucks In Six.”

July 12, 2023

#BucksInSix Forever: The Recombobulation Area and Milwaukee Record are hosting a 2021 NBA Finals rewatch party at The Cooperage!

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Dan Shafer is a journalist from Milwaukee who writes and publishes The Recombobulation Area. He’s also written for The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Heartland Signal, Belt Magazine, WisPolitics, and Milwaukee Record. He previously worked at Seattle Magazine, Seattle Business Magazine, the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee Magazine, and BizTimes Milwaukee. He’s won 17 Milwaukee Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. He’s on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

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Follow Dan Shafer on Twitter at @DanRShafer.

#BucksInSix