8/31/2007
Repair the fiscal mess - however long it takes
Governor Doyle is as good as they get. Well, I’m sure there are better, smoother, more disingenuous politicians – lots of them. But he’s pretty good - and keeps a straight face through it all.
He’s got school superintendents whining for him. He’s got college presidents whining for him. He’s got his cabinet secretaries preparing Medicaid emergency plans. Geez. After being AWOL last weekend at a schmoozy high-on-the-hog Democratic Governor’s Association meeting in Aspen, Doyle just has not been able to stop whining.
How old were you when you learned whining didn’t get you anywhere?
Senator Scott Fitzgerald has said it just right, calling on Doyle to: ...stop touring the state launching partisan attacks on Republicans and instead focus his efforts on working with legislative leaders to break the stalemate on the state budget. It's time for the games to stop, for the governor to show some leadership, and for all of us to do our job and get this budget done. In recent weeks, the governor has held several press conferences around the state, joining various special interest groups in attacking legislative Republicans. Ironically, he's also been calling on Republicans to work collaboratively with Democrats to reach agreements on the state budget. A friend – a well-informed friend at that – said the other day he was embarrassed at Wisconsin being the only state without a budget. What he – and all of us should be embarrassed about is the multi-billion dollar hole this state has dug itself into, and as a result, the near-bottom credit rating we’ve earned . Now, that’s embarrassing.
These folks in Madison – all of ‘em – and we out here in the hinterlands – have got to take the lead on government absolutely not being everything to everybody. It’s hard work. Hard work. And it won’t happen tomorrow and it won’t happen with Doyle running around the state telling all of us hard working stiffs that the Assembly Republicans want to take away this and take away that and if they don’t settle soon, the sky will start falling.
Senator Mike Ellis and Representative Dean Kaufert, in a letter to the conference committee leaders, asked that school funding be passed out of the budget separately. And they recommended a specific settlement. Not one I’d agree with necessarily, but a recommendation nevertheless. Just as importantly, they debunk the governor’s “sky is falling” rhetoric.
The fact is, if no budget is passed, school revenue controls will still be adjusted for inflation in each year. ….
Yes, there is immediacy to the issue of funding schools, but the governor ought not to resort to scare tactics and misinformation to make that point. School districts need to know by mid-October what their general aid amount will be so that their boards will know where they can set their property tax levies under the revenue controls. Ok, let’s all agree that this health care plan business has got to come out of the budget and be discussed separately. Call your representative. Can we agree too, to have the folks parse out school spending per Ellis’ recommendation? Call your representative. Medicaid is fully funded until at least March, 2009 (thanks Rep. Lasee, for calling that to our attention). So, call your representative. Now, the rest. Make these folks work for you. Ask them to stay in Madison until they can do some major repair on our state fiscal situation. I don’t care how long it takes. Send energy bars. A cot. A sleeping bag. A responsible budget is worth fighting for. Call your representative.
COMMENTS
"He’s got college presidents whining for him."
When my wife and I began as freshman at The University of Wisconsin (as it was called then) in 1967, the state covered more than half of the cost of running the Madison campus. Today the state's share is less than twenty cents on the dollar. This decrease has occurred regardless of which party controlled the legislature or the East Wing and it's a disgrace.
We have a world-class university and these dumb bells are doing their best to turn it into the University of Mississippi.
The Chancellor spends much of his time sweet-talking wealthy donors to make up for some of what the state has saved but there is a limit to what can be raised in this fashion. It's time for the state to step back up to the plate.
Edgar (Fri Aug 31 14:58:33 2007)
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