What Rep. Mark Green says we can afford

After new ideas were offered in Governor Doyle's State of the State address this week, Rep. Mark Green sounded the standard line about any Democratic initiatives: we can't afford them.

Here is what he said:

Green: Nothing Affordable About Jim Doyle's Agenda

Funny, the federal deficit didn't stop him from putting a few earmarks in the federal budget this year. He trumpets his work to get money for dredging here. He pats himself on the back for getting money for a bridge here. And lets everyone know he got money for the Wisconsin Forest Legacy Project here. All while the federal deficit is climbing up to over $400 billion dollars this year.

Am I saying that these projects don't deserve funding? No. But Rep. Mark Green says there is nothing affordable about Governor Doyle's agenda and says if he is elected governor, he will put the breaks on runaway spending. Based on his record spending money in Congress, why should folks believe him that he will cut spending? Republicans at the federal level should not get away with telling folks they are going to cut spending and be fiscally responsible anymore since they have piled up more debt than we could have imagined.

And please spare me the 'we are at war' bit. What is going on in Iraq has nothing to do with dredging harbors in Wisconsin.

That 'unaffordable' agenda Doyle is proposing would cost about $14.7 million in the current budget cycle and would increase to about $63.3 million in the next two-year budget cycle according to the Wisconsin State Journal. So a little over $30 million a year to help send more kids to college, help people pay for health insurance, make sure heating bills don't force people to cut back on food, and retain and increase manufacturing and high-tech jobs. Sounds like a bargain to me and in line with the values of our state.

If Rep. Mark Green can't figure out how to accommodate only $30 million for these worthy goals in a budget that spends billions, he shouldn't even run for governor. It's pretty much the whole job.