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6/26/2009
Rep. Montgomery: A sordid tale with an unhappy ending
Tonight, the Wisconsin State Assembly took final action on the state’s next two-year budget. I joined with a bipartisan majority of my colleagues in voting against this reckless and irresponsible budget, however, the Assembly Democrat majority had the votes necessary to send it on to Governor Doyle. He is expected to sign the budget bill into law perhaps as early as Monday.
The sordid tale of the legislature’s consideration of the state budget began in late February when Governor Doyle presented to us his recommendations for the state’s 2009-2011 budget. While six public hearings where held by the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee on the Governor’s original budget proposal, the four substantial revisions to the budget bill were negotiated behind closed doors. Participation in these secret meetings was limited and there was no public input.
For many years, legislators from Northeast Wisconsin, Republicans and Democrats, were influential players in the state budget debate. That ended this year. Our two local leaders, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dave Hansen (Green Bay) and Assembly Majority Leader Tom Nelson (D-Kaukauna) took a back seat to the Democrat leaders from Madison and Milwaukee.
When deals were finally reached among legislative Democrats in the State Senate and Assembly, those deals were ratified late in the evening or very early in the morning. The process used by the Democrat-controlled Legislature to conduct the budget debate was simply abusive and it’s the general public who will suffer the consequences.
Speaking of consequences, there are too many to list, but I will try to give you the “lowlights.” Let’s start with what I will call the “Budget Mess” count. They are
- Increase in spending $3.9 billion
- Increase in taxes and fees $2.1 billion
- Increase in property taxes on a statewide basis $1.5 billion
- Increase in borrowing $3.3 billion
- Ongoing deficit two years from now $2.2 billion
Grand Total: $13.0 billion.
To put this $13 billion number into perspective, the share of this “budget mess” for the average Northeast Wisconsin family of four is nearly $9,500.
The dollars and cents numbers alone are troubling, but believe me the closed-door negotiations produced a budget filled with special interest favors and pork-barreling spending. By my count, there are more than 110 separate earmarks in the budget approved by the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Among them, a new liquor license for the owners of Thornberry Golf Course in the Village of Hobart and new recycling bins for homeowners in the Town of Wrightstown. I mention both of these because the local residents of these communities were not even notified of these changes before hand.
Finally, the budget includes dozens of non-fiscal policy items. Again, to put this in perspective, a total of six non-fiscal policy provisions were approved through the budget process in the last six years. In the budget that is now before Governor Doyle, they are easily more than 50 separate non-fiscal policy items. While these provisions are deemed non-fiscal because they have no impact on the state’s balance sheet, they will have a real world impact on local residents. Among them, a new series of motor vehicle insurance mandates that will increase monthly premiums up to 43%.
All together, the budget mess, the special interest favors and the pork-barreling projects produced a budget that garnered enough votes to pass the Democrat-controlled Legislature, but that’s it. Since the beginning of the year, we have talked about the importance of growing the economy and creating jobs. That appears to nothing more than empty rhetoric on the part of legislative Democrats. Earlier today, I got a call from a Green Bay business owner. The company provides good-paying jobs to approximately 300 local workers. A budget amendment snuck in at the last minute could put many of those jobs in jeopardy.
While I hope Governor Doyle will drain some ink out of his veto pen to remove this job-proposal, the special interest favors, the pork-barrel projects, reduce the spending, pare back the borrowing as well as the job-killing tax increases, I don’t think that’s likely. Stay tuned for further updates.
Phil Montgomery is a Republican and represents the residents of the 4th Assembly District in Green Bay.
COMMENTS
Does this surprise anyone? It appears JD has decided to give away all he can and that is recognition of his eminence as last term. In the two years I have lived outside Dane County, I recognize it lives for itself. Period.
Belleville (Tue Jun 30 11:05:33 2009)
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