During an interview with reporters on June 22, Governor Doyle said this about the state budget process:
"Everything is totally transparent. Everybody knows what the bills were that were passed by the two houses and they know what the issues of debate are, the differences between the two houses. So there aren't any secrets here."
I would dearly love to know the dictionary the governor is using. The truth is deliberations about the 2009-11 biennial budget have been anything but transparent.
The Wisconsin Associated Press has reported, "Most of the real work of coming up with a two-year, $62.2 billion spending plan happened in secret, outside of public view. And many of the parts that were public, like voting on changes that had been worked out by (Joint Finance) committee members in secret, were done late at night far after the time publicly stated for when the action was supposed to happen. It didn't get any better when the plan passed out of committee and went to Democrats in control of the Senate and Assembly. Some of the biggest changes to the budget Gov. Jim Doyle introduced in February were added with no notice after secret discussions."
"Totally transparent," Governor?
I am not surprised that the overwhelming majority of the state budget was crafted in secret, behind closed doors, outside the view of the public and the news media. Too many tax increases. Too many fee increases. Too much spending. Too much pork. Too much policy. I wouldn't want anybody to see all the damage that was being inflicted upon taxpayers, either.
Watchdogs in the news media took notice. Here is a sampling of editorial opinions from around the state.
The Appleton Post-Crescent found lots of fault with the budget approved by the Joint Finance Committee:
"It's hard to know where to start. Is it with the hours spent last week behind closed doors, making decisions that should be made out in the open, so the public at least knows who to blame? Is it with the fact that, when the committee finally convened openly Thursday, it started at 5:30 p.m. and voted through the night until 5:30 a.m. Friday, again making a mockery of open government?"
The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram:
"There are the all-night sessions in the Capitol that would make the hardest partying student on the nearby UW-Madison campus envious: The Joint Finance Committee passed its version of the budget at 5:30 a.m. May 30; the Assembly passed its budget at 5:19 a.m. June 13. Senate Democrats also passed their version of the budget in one evening. They were even speedier than their Assembly counterparts, taking only about 3 1/2 hours to pass a 182-page amendment to a 1,903-page budget."
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"There are earmarks and other provisions that were inserted without public discussion, whose authors are unknown and whose effects on public policy could be significant. Meetings take place into the dead of night; deals are made and decisions are reached in secret and in the wee hours of the morning when - our guess - legislators often are too fatigued to think straight."
The Wisconsin State Journal:
"Lawmakers huddle in secret with their partisan pals to plot strategy, count votes and cut deals. Then, after hashing out the messy details in the dark, they emerge with agreements the public is supposed to swallow."
The Sheboygan Press:
"Secret planning sessions and holding late-night and early-morning legislative sessions are shameful tactics. Is it any wonder why taxpayers have little confidence in their elected leaders?"
The Janesville Gazette:
"No matter the final budget, Wisconsinites will have to swallow much higher taxes and fees. If legislative leaders meet in secrecy, state residents will have every right to think the worst of the process."
The budget product is a mess. How can we justify a state budget to taxpayers making sacrifices in their homes, a budget that during a recession increases spending? This is the worst time to raise taxes and fees by billions of dollars. This is the worst time to increase spending. How are taxpayers who have been getting pink slips or cuts in salary going to afford this pork and policy laden budget?
However, just as important as the budget product is the budget process.
The public and the news media understand the true meaning of an open, transparent procedure. Sadly, Governor Doyle does not.
- Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, can be reached at Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov or 1-800-334-1442.
"Everything is totally transparent. Everybody knows what the bills were that were passed by the two houses and they know what the issues of debate are, the differences between the two houses. So there aren't any secrets here."
I would dearly love to know the dictionary the governor is using. The truth is deliberations about the 2009-11 biennial budget have been anything but transparent.
The Wisconsin Associated Press has reported, "Most of the real work of coming up with a two-year, $62.2 billion spending plan happened in secret, outside of public view. And many of the parts that were public, like voting on changes that had been worked out by (Joint Finance) committee members in secret, were done late at night far after the time publicly stated for when the action was supposed to happen. It didn't get any better when the plan passed out of committee and went to Democrats in control of the Senate and Assembly. Some of the biggest changes to the budget Gov. Jim Doyle introduced in February were added with no notice after secret discussions."
"Totally transparent," Governor?
I am not surprised that the overwhelming majority of the state budget was crafted in secret, behind closed doors, outside the view of the public and the news media. Too many tax increases. Too many fee increases. Too much spending. Too much pork. Too much policy. I wouldn't want anybody to see all the damage that was being inflicted upon taxpayers, either.
Watchdogs in the news media took notice. Here is a sampling of editorial opinions from around the state.
The Appleton Post-Crescent found lots of fault with the budget approved by the Joint Finance Committee:
"It's hard to know where to start. Is it with the hours spent last week behind closed doors, making decisions that should be made out in the open, so the public at least knows who to blame? Is it with the fact that, when the committee finally convened openly Thursday, it started at 5:30 p.m. and voted through the night until 5:30 a.m. Friday, again making a mockery of open government?"
The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram:
"There are the all-night sessions in the Capitol that would make the hardest partying student on the nearby UW-Madison campus envious: The Joint Finance Committee passed its version of the budget at 5:30 a.m. May 30; the Assembly passed its budget at 5:19 a.m. June 13. Senate Democrats also passed their version of the budget in one evening. They were even speedier than their Assembly counterparts, taking only about 3 1/2 hours to pass a 182-page amendment to a 1,903-page budget."
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
"There are earmarks and other provisions that were inserted without public discussion, whose authors are unknown and whose effects on public policy could be significant. Meetings take place into the dead of night; deals are made and decisions are reached in secret and in the wee hours of the morning when - our guess - legislators often are too fatigued to think straight."
The Wisconsin State Journal:
"Lawmakers huddle in secret with their partisan pals to plot strategy, count votes and cut deals. Then, after hashing out the messy details in the dark, they emerge with agreements the public is supposed to swallow."
The Sheboygan Press:
"Secret planning sessions and holding late-night and early-morning legislative sessions are shameful tactics. Is it any wonder why taxpayers have little confidence in their elected leaders?"
The Janesville Gazette:
"No matter the final budget, Wisconsinites will have to swallow much higher taxes and fees. If legislative leaders meet in secrecy, state residents will have every right to think the worst of the process."
The budget product is a mess. How can we justify a state budget to taxpayers making sacrifices in their homes, a budget that during a recession increases spending? This is the worst time to raise taxes and fees by billions of dollars. This is the worst time to increase spending. How are taxpayers who have been getting pink slips or cuts in salary going to afford this pork and policy laden budget?
However, just as important as the budget product is the budget process.
The public and the news media understand the true meaning of an open, transparent procedure. Sadly, Governor Doyle does not.
- Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, can be reached at Sen.Lazich@legis.wisconsin.gov or 1-800-334-1442.
