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2/17/2009
Ellis says public loses out - again
A proposal to allow just two legislators to have the primary review and approval power over how to spend federal stimulus dollars is a slap in the face to state taxpayers and completely disregards Wisconsin’s proud tradition of open, transparent government, state senator Michael G. Ellis said today.
“Once again, transparency is losing out to expediency,” Ellis said. He was referring to a provision in a budget-repair bill to be voted on by legislators this week that would authorize the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance to approve expenditure of federal funds without any other oversight by the full committee, much less the entire legislature.
“Last fall, President Bush warned Congress that we had to pass the TARP program immediately or the banks would all fail tomorrow. Then it was the bailout of the automakers that had to be passed immediately,” Ellis said.
“Last week, we saw President Obama declare that we have to pass his economic stimulus plan immediately – even though hardly anyone in Congress had read the bill – or the nation would be plunged into a depression, the likes of which we’ve never seen.
“Now, Governor Doyle is using the same expediency-over-transparency argument to empower two individuals with complete oversight over the expenditure of the more than $2 billion Wisconsin is expected to receive,” Ellis said.
“That $2 billion is only a one-time source of revenue,” Ellis warned. “If it is used to plug holes in the state budget, to pay for ongoing programs, we will be creating a huge structural deficit in the next budget.
“The expenditure of the federal funds has enormous implications for the state’s taxpayers and yet Governor Doyle wants to bypass the peoples’ representatives in the state legislature,” Ellis said.
“This is nothing more than a naked power grab and an insult to Wisconsin taxpayers.”
Mike Ellis is a Republican and represents the voters of the 19th Senate District.
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