Doyle to Sign Budget Tomorrow

You know what’s annoying?  You write a column about the budget to publish on Tuesday that you don’t think will be signed until Wednesday and then you find out it will be signed on Monday.

Grrr....

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Gov. Jim Doyle will sign Wisconsin’s 2-year budget on Monday, two days before the new fiscal year begins.

Lawmakers gave final approval to the spending plan early Friday evening. Doyle can use his expansive partial veto power to rewrite large portions of the $62 billion budget. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Doyle planned to make any vetoes before signing the measure at the executive residence late Monday morning.

The budget closes a record $6.6 billion shortfall that was brought on because state agencies’ spending requests outpace projected revenue.

Doyle’s office says it will be the first time a budget has been completed on time since 1977.

Couple thoughts… 

First, it’s a remarkable feat of bad governance for the legislature to craft a budget behind closed doors, pass it late Friday afternoon, and have the governor sign it on Monday.  Nobody - I mean NOBODY - really knows what’s in this budget.  We’ll be finding Easter Eggs for months. 

Second, I am bemused by the bragging about passing the budget “on time.”  That’s easy when there’s not real contention except HOW MUCH will we increase spending, borrowing, and taxes.  Unfortunately for all of us, a piece of crap passed through government’s bowels on time is still a piece of crap.