Gov. Jim Doyle and challenger U.S. Rep. Mark Green, squared off in the first of two gubernatorial debates Friday night in Waukesha to argue their positions on taxes and the economy.
The opposing candidates painted very different pictures of the current state of Wisconsin's economy, as well as how Doyle has dealt with Wisconsin's budget deficit and the state's tax policy.
Doyle stressed having balanced Wisconsin's budget every year in office, while Green, the Republican representative from Green Bay, accused the governor of raiding money out of various funds to make the budget appear balanced on paper.
""We've balanced our budget and done it every single year that I've been governor, as opposed to a federal budget that has grown and grown and grown,"" Doyle said, drawing attention to an increasing federal deficit he says Green supported.
In contrast, Green referred to voting against a number of federal spending bills and pledged to continue this pattern of cutting spending in Wisconsin by rooting out bureaucratic waste.
Green continually stressed, ""all of our taxes are too high."" According to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington, D.C., Wisconsin had the sixth-highest state and local tax burden in the nation in 2005.
Green said high taxes and lower wages are forcing our state's young people, like UW-Madison graduates, to find jobs outside of the state.
""College grads [in Wisconsin] earn 10 percent less [than the national average] and pay 10 percent more in taxes,"" Green said. ""I want to keep our young people here at home ... I want you to earn more and I want you to keep more of what you earn. That is the key to bringing in entrepreneurs.""
Doyle agreed that property taxes are too high, but noted his record of cutting taxes while still maintaining funding to Wisconsin's schools.
""I have signed over $600 million in tax cuts,"" Doyle said, pointing out that next year's taxes on social security will be eliminated.
Doyle stressed that his priority is education. He said he would strive to balance the budget and cut taxes without eliminating funding to schools.
""The way you provide tax relief in Wisconsin is to slow the growth of government,"" Green said.
Another topic of discussion was the economic growth, specifically in Milwaukee. Doyle pointed to his efforts to provide incentives for employers to move to communities such as Milwaukee that have high rates of unemployment.
""We need an entirely new approach to economic development in this state ... I want to make Wisconsin great again,"" Green concluded. ""We just need leadership.""
