Governor Doyle’s “State of the State” KO’s Republicans

Affordability Agenda

Governor Jim Doyle’s “State of the State” address and “Affordability Agenda” for Wisconsin’s future was so strong that Republican legislators found themselves apparently knocked out and unable to stand and applaud for much, including healthcare initiatives, college affordability and ethics reform.

It was good theater. Doyle’s vision for Wisconsin’s future was right on with strong progressive themes and strong delivery. Without repeating every proposal, let me stress a few highlights.

* Healthcare: Doyle included plans to cover every child in Wisconsin with health care coverage, expand family care to keep seniors in their homes rather than nursing homes, and reduce the cost of healthcare for small businesses and others by creating a catastrophic insurance pool.

* Education: He introduced the “Wisconsin Covenant” making college education extremely affordable to Wisconsin students who get good grades and stay out of trouble, and renewed his commitment to funding K-12 education.

* Taxes: Doyle proposed a refundable Living Wage Tax Credit, helping lift 9,000 Wisconsin families and 26,000 kids out of poverty.

* Energy Costs: Doyle asked for immediate action on an emergency heating assistance program, providing $6 million to families making under $40,000 per year to help pay for heating costs, and called for renewable energy requirements to be implemented to further save on energy costs.

* Stem Cell Research: The Governor said he wants the state to be a leader in stem cell research, capturing ten percent of the stem cell product market by 2015. He also committed at least $5 million of new resources to encourage businesses working with stem cells to come to Wisconsin.

* Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform: Doyle stood by his previous efforts for election and ethics reform, and called for passage of the original Erpenbach-Ellis campaign finance bill.

Talk about a strong agenda for Wisconsin’s working families!

Republican's Stunned

The best visual during the speech was the Republicans repeatedly not standing and applauding for positive initiative after initiative. Twenty-one times either no Republicans or only a small portion stood, while Democrats and those in attendance recognized the Governor’s proposals. It got so bad that when the Governor introduced his education muse, his wife Jessica, not all Republicans stood to applaud the first lady. Classless.

In fact, at one point when Governor Doyle mentioned Wal-Mart, a couple of Republicans applauded the retail giant, rather than applauding when the rest of us did at stopping their abuses of healthcare dumping in Wisconsin.

Strong Progressive Points

Doyle got high marks from legislative progressives with his new agenda. His themes of affordable and accessible healthcare and education, as well as his reforms for tax policy and ethics and campaign finance reform, were strong progressive themes.

Many of us knew these were the values of the Jim Doyle that took office. It’s just so hard to implement them when you start on day one with a $3.2 billion deficit.

GOP Criticism

The one universal Republican beef was the “cost” of the new programs. Well, the cost in this budget cycle is about $6 to $15 million out of a $54 billion budget, less than 1/3 of one percent.

Given that Governor Doyle has erased a $3.2 billion deficit, the reality is that $15 million is a piece of cake for the Governor to find in savings and other areas without raising taxes one dime.

And to the Republicans who whine about the costs, what about the good chunk of Republican bills you’ve passed that cost a bunch. To name a few (costs generally in this budget cycle only, with more costs in future): Education Tax Credit $9.3 million ($20.6 million per year thereafter), Research Tax Credit for Engines $1.1 million (more than twice that in future years), and Mandatory 25 Year Sentence for Child Sex Offenders $11.7 million in first two years (Up to $632 million by year 25!).

Just remember, people care a whole lot more about paying for heating costs, healthcare and education than they do getting a tax credit for engine research. Wait, they won't get that credit anyway, only your corporate masters will.

Final Advice

I hope the GOP continues their agenda of hidden guns, discriminatory amendments to the constitution, allowing pharmacists to refuse to give out prescriptions and all the other crap they’ve made their signature issues this session. I’ll take Doyle and the Democrats’ agenda any day. And my guess is so will the rest of Wisconsin.