THE STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS. “GOVERNOR DOYLE WILL HAVE HIS USUAL, THE BELT BUSTING SPENDING BUFFET. JUST GIVE US TAXPAYERS THE CHECK.”
by Andrew Zuelke
2007

As Governor James Doyle offered us his State of the State address, I listened for three same things: more spending for education, health care and the poor, with no explanation given as to how to pay for it all, and finally the usual credit taking for the economy, job creation and whatever else.
In other words, same old, same old. For the sake of this essay, the governor’s words will be italics and quotes, and my responses in usual text as you read here.

The governor said, “Three months ago, we were entrusted with a sacred responsibility by the people of Wisconsin. On November 7th, they issued a mandate not for any party, but a mandate for action. They want us to end the divisiveness and partisan fighting, and focus instead on making progress for middle class families. Democrats, Republicans ... let us pledge tonight: we will come together ... to get things done.”

Typical platitudes to the voters, “The people have spoken.” “We need to work together; no more partisanship.” “The voters demanded change.” Whenever I hear one party call for ending the partisanship, I think they usually mean the other party and not theirs. In other words, ending the partisanship to Democrats and Republicans means, “When we’re in the majority, you give us what we want and stop fighting our agenda, even if you think we’re wrong. We’re not wrong, you always are.”

Doyle pressed on. “In the past year, we've added tens of thousands of new jobs, made new breakthroughs in medical research, and expanded our manufacturing base while other states faced a decline. We changed the minimum wage to give working families a raise, we changed laws to keep sex predators away from our kids, and we changed lives by protecting and investing in our schools.”

You’ve added tens of thousands of new jobs, Governor? The private sector creates jobs, sir. If a company anywhere in Wisconsin said they are going to lay off people or even close their doors, the politicians would have to stand by helplessly and watch while the layoffs happen. And if a company hires people, it isn’t due to any governor’s leadership or grand vision; it’s a business decision, pure and simple.

As to the minimum wage, if you really want to “give working families a raise”, abolish the state income tax as the CPoW would. Our party says how can anyone ever get ahead when the more money they earn, the more taxes they pay?

Doyle also delved into his two bread and butter vote-getter issues: “The opportunity to make health care affordable for every Wisconsin family...The opportunity to fulfill a promise to the next generation - to make college affordable and available to every kid willing to do the work and make the grade.”

Notice there is absolutely no detail as to how we’ll provide state funded health care to “every Wisconsin family.” We’re a population of only 5 ½ million, but that’s still a lot of people and our state doesn’t have oil wells to tax. Everyone in the CPoW knows how open-ended government programs often are. Whatever they tell us the health care will cost, it will add up to far more. Talk about irresponsible, Governor.

As to making college affordable, the CpoW says it is wrong to take money from one citizen through force of taxation to hand it over to another, even if it is a loan to be repaid. Going to college is a choice, not a mandate or requirement. One does not have to go to college.

“Two weeks from tonight, I'll present a budget designed to do just that, while putting our fiscal house in order. It will cut waste and yes, cut taxes for hardworking Wisconsin families.”

How will you provide affordable health care for all Wisconsin families, college funding for all, “get our fiscal house in order” and cut our taxes, sir? If we restricted government to funding only those things state government is responsible for–building/maintaining state highways, paying state employees, maintaining state owned buildings, state prisons, etc–and left the rest up to individual people, we wouldn’t have a fiscal house in disorder.

The truth is already emerging. Doyle wants a license fee renewal increase from $55 to $75, the real estate transfer fee when property gets sold also doubles, taxing hospitals 1% of their gross revenues, raising driver’s license fees from $24 to $34 dollars, and of course a tax on cigarettes. While our party has no use for or love of tobacco products, it’s another tax increase.

Even if they’re “fees” and not taxes, they’re still increasing. Also, the governor is going after fees for now. To fund all of Governor Doyle’s extra spending ($57.7 billion over two years or a 9% increase from the current budget), I don’t see how raises in general income and other taxes won’t factor in at some point.

Then Doyle gave us this little gem, “The simple truth is, the time has come for the wealthiest nation in the world to provide access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance for its citizens - and Wisconsin can lead the way.”
Whether it bankrupts us or not, right?

The rest of the governor’s state-of-the-state is just more token talk about BadgerCare, purchasing pools to help businesses, $60 million from the federal government (read: taxpayers). Suffice it to say that it’s more government intervention and interference driving up health care costs for all of us and a lack of faith in the private sector to bring down costs itself. No, government must inject itself, according to the Democrats.

On education, there is the Wisconsin Covenant, “....a promise to every high school student that if you work hard and make the grade, we'll make sure you have a place in higher education, and a financial package to pay for it.”
Might I add that there are only x-amount of college slots to fill. The demand exceeds the supply. Every student?
Then there was talk of “tripling the state’s support for school breakfasts.” Why not quadruple the spending while you’re at it, Governor? We have a budget crunch, but why should that matter?

Brace yourselves, fellow conservatives. The governor won’t get everything he wanted, but he will get enough of it that our taxes are going up somewhere, promises of tax cuts to the contrary.