Yes Sir, May I have Another

From JSOnline. With a paddle in Diamond Jim's hands, bend over and ask for more.

"WEDNESDAY, Oct. 15, 2008, 3:37 p.m.
By Steven Walters
Doyle warns of possible $3 billion deficit

Madison - Gov. Jim Doyle warned today of a potential gap of $3 billion or more between tax collections and state spending in the two-year budget cycle that begins July 1." JS Online: NewsWatch

The deep slump in the nation's economy has translated into a looming major budget crisis for state government, the Democrat said, so he has ordered state agencies to submit 2009-'11 budgets with 10% cuts in spending over that period.

That contingency plan could include layoffs and will force "deep cuts" in some state spending programs, he said. It is also too soon to know whether the current budget will have to be fixed when the next Legislature returns to the Capitol in January, Doyle said.

"We don't know what the scope of this will be," Doyle said. "There's no doubt it's going to be very, very severe here in this state... This will be very difficult for everybody."

Doyle said he plans to submit a 2009-'11 budget that does not raise income or sales taxes but, he added, "You can't say anything is off-limits."

I like the "You can't say anything is off-limits.", way to go Diamond Jim, leave your self an out.

The actual deficit figure could reach $3 billion but won't be known until Nov. 20, when budget aides to the governor must prepare formal estimates of future tax collections.

Since when do use actual numbers? Because it wasn't important before!

Doyle said that it is a bad sign that sales tax collections in August fell 10%, since the sales tax is expected to bring in $4.29 billion this year - or about one-third of all general-fund tax collections.

Taxes and fees were raised by about $750 million in the budget the governor signed in October 2007, and the budget-repair bill passed this spring, according to the nonprofit Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.

Jim, you raise taxes and expect revenues to increase?

Doyle's comments about the 2009-'11 budget he is scheduled to propose early next year raised these two questions:

# How will state government afford any new programs and new employees to run them - for example, 103 more workers the state Department of Corrections says it needs to manage sex offenders, including those being tracked by GPS units? Hiring those 103 workers would cost $10.2 million over the next two years, the agency says in budget documents.

How will the state get the money? Bend over, raise taxes!

# Can state government continue to be a generous partner in paying for public schools and local government programs and subsidizing property taxes on homes? If state government lowers its support for those programs, property taxes on homes would go up.

Generous partner with who, the teachers union?

In a report released today, state Administration Secretary Michael Morgan said 55.8% of all general-fund tax collections went directly back to public schools and local governments last year.

Overall, Morgan's report says 80% of all general-fund taxes were spent on just six programs: subsidizing public schools, 39.5%; health care, 12.7%; prisons and other correctional programs, 8%; University of Wisconsin System subsidy, 7.9%; shared-revenue payments to local governments, 7%; and credits that lower property tax bills, 4.4%.

Ok, first they will raid the transportation fund, two, get rid of the property tax credit, raise gasoline taxes, raise tobacco taxes, raise vehicle registration fees again, on and on and on and on.

The democrats have been the majority party and look what it has given us. I will say blame has to go to some RINO'S also. Keep voting for the liberal left and don't worry, when they have all your money, they will take more!.

Thank you Diamond Jim, the lefty democrats and the RINO's in Madison!

Bend over and give yourself another one!