Gov. Jim Doyle has stood up for the University of Wisconsin System during his four years at the Capitol. Tuition has risen significantly since he has been in office, but that is due more to a Republican-controlled Legislature and a tight state budget than to action or inaction from the governor. In fact, Doyle used his powers of veto in 2005 to restore $43 million to the UW System Budget.
Our current governor is also a strong advocate for the stem cell research that was pioneered on this campus and that continues to make UW-Madison an international leader. He vetoed a state bill to ban human cloning that could have endangered UW research and has developed a specific plan to keep Wisconsin on the forefront of stem cell research.
When Doyle assumed office in 2003, he faced a budget deficit and has since balanced the budget without raising taxes or making cuts to education. He has made the state of Wisconsin one of the strongest economically in the Midwest.
Doyle is not perfect—his dealings with Adelman Travel and the state's casinos certainly raise ethical issues—but his stances on the issues important to students are in the right place.
Mark Green, on the other hand, does not appear to have the interests of students at heart. His opposition to using state tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research threatens the university's progress in this key field. Also, his opposition to a women's right to choose is out of line with the majority of students.
Green's plans for UW are shortsighted and impractical. He attacks the UW System for admitting out-of-state students but these students pay three times what in-state students pay and effectively subsidize Wiscon-
sinites.
The UW System needs the support of Wisconsin's governor and Jim Doyle has proven he will stand behind Wisconsin's higher education.
