Budget Stalemate

Wisconsin is special.

It's the only state in the country right now without a budget.

Governor Jim Doyle declares the situation to be a "fiscal nightmare."

But it's a nightmare of Doyle and his hacks' making.

Should legislators subject Wisconsinites to the nightmare or condemn them to living in a raging tax hell?

MADISON -- Now that the latest attempt at breaking the nation's longest budget impasse failed, Wisconsin lawmakers are still searching for a compromise that can pass the Legislature.

No new talks were scheduled after the Republican-led Assembly voted Monday night to reject a budget bill that passed the Democratic-controlled Senate earlier in the day.

The state is in a "fiscal nightmare" and nearing an emergency because the Legislature has failed by not passing a budget, Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement after the Assembly rejected his latest offer.

Essential services to protect the health and safety of Wisconsin residents will not be able to be paid for, Doyle said, because expenses are rising faster than the state can pay for them under current funding.

Republicans called Doyle's warnings "Chicken Little" politics meant to scare people into passing his tax increases.

The budget must clear both chambers and be signed by Doyle to become law. Current tax and funding levels continue while the Legislature tries to reach a deal.

The bill passed the Senate with all 18 Democrats in favor and 14 Republicans against with one absent. At least three Republicans were needed to switch sides in order for the budget to clear the Assembly. But all but one of the 52 Republicans voted against it and they were joined by two Democrats.

Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, said it was no surprise that people were calling it a do-nothing Legislature.

"We should be embarrassed we're here today like this," Kreuser said during Assembly debate. "Your side should be ashamed to not be able to compromise and work together."

Kreuser is assigning blame, castigating Republicans. For shame, evil Republicans! For shame!

There's reason for embarrassment. The Democrats should be embarrassed for trying to push through a budget that includes over $1 billion in new taxes and $1.4 billion in increased spending.

It's embarrassing (not to mention illegal) that Doyle has tried to bribe Republicans with promises to fund projects in their districts in exchange for their budget votes.

I wouldn't call this a do-nothing Legislature.

It's more of a doing-the-wrong-thing Legislature.

Lawmakers couldn't agree on the first budget Doyle introduced in February, so after months of talks the governor proposed another one that includes many of the major ideas he put forth eight months ago.

Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, said Doyle knew that because of roughly $1 billion in tax increases in his budget it "didn't have a chance in hell of passing."

"This budget was set up to fail," Kaufert said.

The bill includes a $1.25 per-pack cigarette tax increase even though the latest offer from Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, was for a 75-cent cigarette tax hike. He had earlier supported the full increase.

Republicans also have refused to accept a 0.8 percent tax on hospitals designed to generate $285 million more a year in federal money to help pay for treating Medicaid patients. That's even though the Wisconsin Hospital Association has reversed course and come out in favor of it.

Also in Doyle's proposal is a $175 million transfer from a fund used to pay medical malpractice claims, a move the Wisconsin Medical Society said would put the fund at dangerously low levels and could trigger a lawsuit to block it.

Republicans said it was impossible to know everything that was in the 1,625-page document since it wasn't printed until late Monday morning, just hours before the votes.

And Dems say Republicans are to blame for the impasse?

Yeah, right.

Riiiiiight.

Democrats accused Republicans who signed a pledge not to raise taxes of having painted themselves into a corner, unable to accept any increases that are part of Doyle's latest proposal. They also accuse Republicans of not wanting to get a budget done before an anti-tax rally set for Wednesday at the Capitol.

Huebsch said Republicans want to get a budget deal and aren't purposefully delaying progress.

That is so lame.

Are we to believe that Republicans have purposely delayed a budget for months because of an anti-tax rally scheduled for tomorrow?

Huebsch argued "for a spending plan that was not living within the desires of government but within the means of taxpayers."

Sen. Neal Kedzie (R-Elkhorn) noted that state spending continues at pre-July 1 levels until a budget is passed. Each day without the new budget saves taxpayers about $3 million, he said.

...Sen. Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) said Doyle's budget "sticks it to the middle class" by raising tuition on UW campuses, boosting a tax on nursing home beds and increasing the annual vehicle registration fee from $55 to $75.

Republicans can't be cast as the bad guys here.

They aren't the irresponsible ones.

What was that promise that Doyle made to the people of Wisconsin back in 2003?

Doyle said, "Going forward, my mind will be open to every solution -- except one. We should not -- we must not -- and I will not -- raise taxes."

Did he intentionally set out to deceive the people about taxes?

Was Doyle lying through his teeth?