Minor Thoughts from me to you

Last night, the State Assembly voted on Governor Doyle's new "compromise" budget. (The Democrat controlled Senate had passed it earlier in the day.) Thankfully, it went down in flames.

The path ahead for the stalled state budget was left in the dark Monday night as two Democrats and all but one Republican in the state Assembly voted to reject a compromise proposal by Gov. Jim Doyle, defeating the plan on a 53-44 vote.

A third Democrat who did not vote formally signaled he also opposed the proposal.

And in the wake of the defeat of the plan -- which earlier Monday was approved on a straight party line vote in the Democrat-led Senate -- neither side in the budget stalemate said they had any immediate new offer to put forward to end the impasse.

I bet you're wondering who that Republican quisling was. I was disappointed to learn that it was no other than my own representative, Brett Davis.

I've learned that when you're working on a nearly $58 billion budget bill with 132 other elected officials with strong opinions, you are not always going to get your way. It doesn't mean you have to give in, but there is a place for true compromise and it's time. Not just by the leadership of both political parties, but by every legislator that has a vote. This action must happen soon or state residents will soon see the dramatic impact of not having a budget. To me, no state budget is an unacceptable answer. I'm calling on my fellow legislators to join me. We must move the state forward.

Here's my response.

Dear Representative Davis,

I was disappointed to read of your vote in favor of Governor Doyle's budget, on Monday evening. I moved into your district in August of last year. Throughout the past 14 months, I've been watching your actions in the Assembly with great interest. I happily voted for your reelection last November and was pleased to see that you won reelection, in spite of a close race and a big effort from the Democrats. I looked forward to your continuing efforts on behalf of your constituents.

Today, I feel that you've let us all down. Governor Doyle's "compromise" budget was nothing of the sort. It still included an 8.3% hike in state spending -- at a time when the state still faces structural deficits. The budget also included unacceptable new taxes, for a state that's already one of the highest taxed in the nation.

Like many of your constituents, I believe that education and health care are important. However, I think we are smart enough to recognize that we must spend money in a responsible manner. Supporting Governor Doyle's goofy raise hospital taxes to lower hospital costs proposal is not responsible. Nor is supporting a $1.25 per pack increase in the cigarette tax.

You will be up for reelection in just 13 short months. If you had voted for a fiscally responsible budget, I'd have been willing to help explain to my fellow voters why your vote was the right one. If you had voted for a fiscally responsible budget, I'd have been willing to explain how the Democrats played politics with the budget in an effort to force Republicans into voting for an irresponsible budget. But, you voted for an irresponsible budget.

Fortunately, the budget failed. You have another chance. I'll be watching your upcoming votes. Are you willing to do the right thing? I hope so.

Sincerely,

Joseph A. Martin