Budget Lines Drawn

Backroom Blog is providing a one-two punch.

First, Senator Kedzie hits the Democrats.

Bolstered by their recent victory in the November elections, the Democrats -– in the Senate, Assembly, and most prominently the governor’s office -– are using this relatively brief window of opportunity to show the people of Wisconsin who they truly are and what they truly believe. For years, state government has mismanaged the people’s money on a number of well-intended, yet poorly administered programs – anything from Medicaid funding shortages to failed information technology projects. The state has bungled various multi-million dollar projects, throwing good money after bad, and then eventually scrapping such projects altogether.

Cost overruns, unanticipated funding shortfalls, raids of state accounts that were once considered protected from such raids, crafty budget gimmicks, line-item vetoes by the governor to create new spending never authorized by the Legislature, and in the end, a $60 billion budget to run the state of Wisconsin for two years. In the time it has taken me to write this Web log entry (roughly 5 minutes) state government would spend about $285,000 under the Democrats proposed state budget.

And what is the Democrats’ reply? We need to spend more!

Then Rep. Vukmir delivers a vicious uppercut to the Republicans.

The Lake Geneva convention may prove to be the event that brought Republicans together. Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem), said, “every movement has a moment… let this be ours… when we look back and talk about the Republican revolution in Wisconsin that happens in 2008, let us remember Mother’s Day weekend in May in 2007, when the Republican Party was reborn.”

Doyle’s tax increases will not be passed unless three Assembly Republicans vote for them in the final budget package. Mike Huebsch, told the delegates assembled at the convention, “we will stand in the way of Jim Doyle and his tax increases, you can count on that.”

Gov. Doyle and the Democrats have given Wisconsin Republicans a real “Opportunity Budget”. Republicans must seize that opportunity.

The GOP leadership in the Assembly has drawn the line.  Now they must deliver or settle into the minority.