To his credit, Gov. Jim Doyle's State of the State"" address made no attempt to sugarcoat Wisconsin's current plight. Rather than waltz around the $5.4 billion elephant in the room, Doyle looked it head on and delivered a tough message in his opening lines: The economy has put us in crisis mode, and even with federal stimulus aid, we're in it up to our necks.
With 71,000 jobs lost nationally on Monday alone and a state unemployment rate soaring to 5.8 percent, Doyle wisely approached the grave state of our state with candor and admitted that even some of our top priorities could face cuts.
""What isn't needed will be cut. And unfortunately, some of what is needed will be cut, too,"" Doyle said.
We laud Doyle's honesty and share concern for the priorities he outlines - education, health care and basic protection for communities - but unfortunately his priorities sound better in general than they do specifically.
The stimulus-plan wish list Doyle proposed to Washington Dec. 10 included requests for $630 million in transportation projects, $236.8 million in health-care projects and over $1 billion for education.
Some of Doyle's proposed expenditures raise eyebrows, including $474 million in school building, remodeling and expansion projects that local taxpayers turned down (an additional $280 million approved by voters is included). Additionally, Doyle's transportation proposal includes $298 million in highway projects, a questionable disbursement given his three main priorities.
Education matters, but don't blindly throw money at education hoping students learn in nicer buildings that taxpayers didn't think were necessary. Similarly, transportation matters as well, but don't admit tough sacrifices will be made and spend excessively on highways - focus more transportation funds on mass transit and commuter rail systems that benefit low-income citizens, create jobs and aid the environment.
Doyle's job is arduous, but prudent spending directed toward the priorities he claims are paramount is an absolute necessity from Wisconsin's top leader.
