SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM
Taming the budget beast
Sunday, February 23, 2003
They talk about cutting, but proposed spending will grow
Want a real surprise about the state budget debate? With all of the rhetoric about spending cuts and job slashing, one would expect that our state budget is actually being reduced for a change.
It seems that only Madison can get away with stating that it is making $3.2 billion in budget cuts, and state spending is actually being increased to $11.9 billion in 2005 from the current $11.2 billion.
When I am running my business, spending cuts mean that I am actually spending less money than before, not more. What officials really should be saying is that they are spending $3.2 billion less than they really want to. Imagine that. Madison wanted to spend $14.4 billion, or 28% more than today. Instead, lawmakers somehow decide to call this $700 million spending increase "budget cuts."
All Madison has done is cut some key areas, such as shared revenue, transportation and the University of Wisconsin, to pay for the dramatic inflation of other areas.
No wonder so many people don't trust government -- officials twist the words around to best suit them. But what else would we expect from Madison?
Anthony Boldin Milwaukee
Cuts in higher education will have only one outcome
The governor's budget proposal has made one thing clear: Higher education is not a priority. Once again, the University of Wisconsin System is asked to bear a larger portion of the cuts than any other part of the state budget.
In the previous round of cuts, the UW System absorbed 27% of the cuts, even though it represents only 9% of the general purpose revenue budget. In this newest proposal, the system will lose nearly 25% of state funding over two years, while other sections of the budget will either continue to grow -- corrections -- or suffer significantly smaller cuts -- shared revenue, etc. Granted, the governor wants to let the system make up the difference through tuition, but should students have to suffer because of the poor decisions made in Madison?
These cuts can only result in one outcome -- our best and brightest students leaving the state to attend properly funded universities. When this happens, the legislators who voted to cut the UW System will wring their hands over "brain drain" and stagnating economic growth and then try to act as if they had nothing to do with it.
I hope the public will not let them escape the blame for such shortsighted decisions.
Geoff Peterson Eau Claire
Hunters already spending a lot for the privilege
I was about to write a letter to complain about the governor proposing to raise the fee for hunting licenses, but I changed my mind.
Thank you, Gov. Jim Doyle, for proving once and for all to hunters our value. Hunters may not have had fee increases in years, but nothing is ever mentioned about all the other fees we must pay for our hunting privileges -- state and federal duck stamps; turkey and bear permits, for which there is a non-refundable fee but one is not guaranteed a hunt; pheasant stamps; extra doe permits; trout stamps; bow hunting licenses. I could go on and on.
It's great to know that if I don't hunt or fish, the state can't balance its budget.
Ted Koman Milwaukee
The money for highways has to come from somewhere
With all the whining going on by Wisconsin Tavern League members about lowering the legal blood-alcohol limit, are they prepared to make up the difference in federal funding for highways? When was the last time that new taxes were imposed on alcohol?
Sandy Steward Abbotsford
Public defender layoffs a reasonable part of cuts
It is not true, as a state public defender claimed in a Feb. 18 article about Capitol protests of budget cuts including state employee layoffs, that layoffs of public defender staff attorneys would cost the state more money per case because that would require more cases be appointed to the private bar ("Doyle may ask to cut 2,000 jobs").
This financial argument was legitimate 20 years ago when private attorneys were paid $50 per hour -- incredibly, the rate is now $40 per hour -- and staff attorneys in the public defender's office were paid typically modest defender salaries. That was then.
Since that time, 20 years of annual staff attorney raises, a swelling benefits package and a 400% increase in the management bureaucracy have produced an average cost per case in most counties equal to or more than the rate paid private attorneys.
Layoffs are never good news, but it is finally time for the public defender staff to incur some of the hardship that has been systematically passed on to private attorneys who represent the same indigent defendants but who incur the full burden of any cost cuts imposed on the state public defender.
James Rebholz Deputy state public defender, 1980-'83 Milwaukee
Expanded gambling -- what'll they think of next?
Congratulations to the governor of Wisconsin for his expedient action in expanding the hours and types of gambling available to our citizens.
Now we can expect a healthier state budget, albeit at the expense of quite a few personal budgets. What can we expect the next time the state has a shortfall, the approval of brothels?
Allen J. Wick Westfield
Tuition increases for UW will hit students hard
As a high school senior who will be a freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the fall, I was upset by the proposed tuition increases in Gov. Jim Doyle's budget ("UW System faces tough cuts, jump in tuition," Feb. 19).
Many college students can barely afford to pay the tuition now, even working full time. How are they supposed to be able to pay it if the cost is raised $700 a year? And not only is tuition going to be increased, but some funding will be cut. That means fewer classes, fewer teachers and fewer students.
So students are expected to pay more money and get less? What happened to education being a priority?
Cheryl Bowen New Berlin
State should negotiate for greater casino share
Once again, our state government came up short against the casinos in Wisconsin. Gov. Jim Doyle had the right idea to extend the gaming compacts. It was also in the best interest of Doyle to allow the tribes to operate 24/7 and add craps and roulette.
These changes will surely make our already very profitable casinos wealthier yet. In return for letting the casinos do what they have been asking for from Day One, the state will get a larger yearly payment from the tribes involved.
It sounds like a win-win situation until you think about how much money is paid in taxes by other businesses and individuals in this state. Everyone else in Wisconsin pays a percentage of his or her gross to the state. We can't just tell the state that we are going to pay a certain amount every year no matter how high our profits are going to be.
Doyle should figure out how much of a percentage the tribes would pay with the new payment structure based on how much the tribes are bringing in today and make them pay that percentage from this day forward.
Wisconsin would make a lot more that way than from a set fee.
Steve Bonaparte Menomonee Falls
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