Recognizing that the economic crisis is a problem bigger than any state, Governor Doyle is working with President Obama, along with fellow governors and Congress to be strong partners in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Governor Doyle thanked the state’s Congressional delegation and Congressman Dave Obey for their work on the act. Last week, the Governor created the Office of Recovery and Reinvestment to lead state efforts to ensure an effective and responsible partnership with the federal government. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and his wife served as Peace Corps Volunteers in Tunisia in the 1960's.
Governor Doyle Tells Wisconsin How to Meet the Challenges Ahead
Governor Doyle Tells Wisconsin How to Meet the Challenges Ahead
Calls on All to Protect Basic Needs, Fight for Jobs and Lay a Foundation for Growth
MADISON – In his seventh State of the State Address, Governor Jim Doyle said he could count on Wisconsin to be tougher than the country’s tough times and laid out his priorities to protect schools and health care, get people to work and lay a foundation for economic growth despite the national economic crisis.
“ A Wall Street meltdown as a result of eight years of bad economic policy and too many risky schemes has led to a national economic crisis we haven’t seen in decades,” Governor Doyle said. “As difficult as the realities are before us, I know we can work together, meet any challenge and come through stronger than ever.”
Governor Doyle has faced this type of challenge before. When the Governor came into office, he inherited a $3.2 billion budget deficit and he committed to Wisconsin ’s working families, taking on the budget deficit without raising taxes, damaging schools, or eliminating critical medical care. Governor Doyle called on the Legislature to again demonstrate the spirit of Wisconsin cooperation as they address the current crisis.
Impact of National Economy on Wisconsin
Though Wisconsin planned conservatively for a sluggish economy to continue, in the fall the national economic collapse dealt unprecedented challenges to the state.
The country’s economic crisis means that consumer confidence is at an all-time low. Unemployment nationally is up to 7.1 percent nationally and 5.8 percent in Wisconsin . These factors have led to severe budget deficits in 45 states, Wisconsin included. The state budget deficit was last estimated at $5.4 billion, or 17 percent of the biennial budget.
“Because of the collapse that began in September – which many fear is going to continue to get worse before it gets better – Wisconsin is facing a budget gap that had been estimated at $5.4 billion, or 17 percent of our biennial budget,” Governor Doyle said. “That figure, unfortunately, is going to grow with the latest data. States everywhere are looking at similar pictures, and the responses are dramatic. The deficits are threatening the most essential functions of state government. Across the nation, we see major cuts proposed to education, to health care and to local government services.”
Addressing the Crisis across Parties and Borders Governor Doyle pledged to make difficult cuts and pointed to the steps he has taken as the crisis unfolded in the fall. State government spending will be cut $500 million this year, including $270 million that Governor Doyle ordered last spring in the budget repair bill.
When the magnitude of the budget deficit became clear, Governor Doyle ordered state government to find savings wherever it could. He halted employee bonuses, slowed distribution of grants and started auctioning 500 vehicles. Governor Doyle also announced earlier this month that he will work across state borders and political parties with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty to make government more efficient and effective.
Recognizing that the economic crisis is a problem bigger than any state, Governor Doyle is working with President Obama, along with fellow governors and Congress to be strong partners in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Governor Doyle thanked the state’s Congressional delegation and Congressman Dave Obey for their work on the act. Last week, the Governor created the Office of Recovery and Reinvestment to lead state efforts to ensure an effective and responsible partnership with the federal government.
“We are sure that our partnership with the federal government in moving this country forward will be effective and responsible,” Governor Doyle said. “We can repair our roads and bridges; we can raise the next buildings for groundbreaking research. We can fix crumbling schools, find new sources of energy and clean our water. We can improve our electrical grid, broaden our internet lines and build rail lines. We will become more competitive and efficient in the long run and put people to work today.”
But the Governor said that the stimulus package will not solve the state’s deficit. He said that the state should prepare to sacrifice and face gut-wrenching decisions.
Tough Choices, Innovative Solutions
In moving forward, Governor Doyle emphasized his priorities: providing good schools for the state’s children, keeping health care affordable and available, and providing excellent services like police and fire protection that communities need to thrive.
“A second grader is not going to be able to come back when the economy is better and pick up where she left off if we fail her today,” Governor Doyle said. “An older person cannot check out of a nursing home and come back in a few years. There are basic needs our state has always met, and just as our predecessors met them in the most difficult times, we have a responsibility to meet them today.”
The most serious consequence facing most Wisconsin people is not the budget gap the state is facing, rather it is that many of the state’s best workers, through no fault of their own, are unemployed. Governor Doyle pledged to focus on the real families behind the unemployment numbers and get the state’s incredible workforce back to work.
The Governor called on the spirit of innovation, creativity and hard work to lead the state economy forward.
Accomplishments
Over the last year, Wisconsin has seen many successes. BadgerCare Plus allowed 100,000 new people, two-thirds of them childen, to sign up for affordable health care. Wisconsin is second in the country in making health care coverage affordable and available. Governor Doyle, who is Chairman of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, also saw the Great Lakes Compact ratified this year. The Compact involved eight states, two Canadian provinces and the federal government. It ensures that our most valuable natural resource is protected from long-term diversions and has a legal framework for sustainable management. The Clean Energy Wisconsin plan in 2008 included many new efforts to spur innovation and free us from foreign oil. The state committed to conservation, to look at new sources of energy, and to make our existing utilities cleaner.
Immediate Steps
As Wisconsin takes on the challenges facing the state in the coming year, Governor Doyle pointed to important steps the state can take to save lives, improve our health, and make our world safer.
“First, we can make sure kids with autism get the treatment they need. Private insurers should cover autism; the treatment has been proven effective, and families deserve the right to see their children improve,” Governor Doyle said.
Governor Doyle called on the Legislature to make all our public places are smoke-free. “Twenty-four other states have done it; dozens of our communities have done it. It is time for Wisconsin to take a step that improves our health, saves lives and helps people to break the addiction to tobacco,” Governor Doyle said.
“We need to put kids first and make sure that their childcare is accountable and up to high standards. There are clear steps to improve childcare in our state, and we can take them now,” Governor Doyle said.
The Governor added Wisconsin should also work to allow law enforcement officers to set up controlled, reasonable sobriety checkpoints. The state should pass legislation that will take drunk drivers off the road by making the third offense a felony.
Who We Are
Governor Doyle pointed to the heroism demonstrated by members of the Wisconsin National Guard, the people who responded to and recovered from last summer’s floods, and pilot Jeffrey Skiles, the co-pilot who helped land U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River without out any loss of life among the 155 crew and passengers aboard.
“Wisconsin, I know who we are. We’re Badgers,” Governor Doyle concluded. “We don’t shy away – we stand up. We don’t withdraw, feeling sorry for ourselves – we get up and fight. We work even harder. We don’t point fingers and fall into small minded bickering – we pull together, share the sacrifice and move forward. We don’t forget those who have been hardest hit – we look out for our brothers and sisters who need help the most. We are Badgers.”
