Doyle to unveil budget Tuesday, warns of cuts

Talk about it

Two years ago, Gov. Jim Doyle spent weeks highlighting new programs before he gave his proposed budget to the Legislature.

But this time, he has done none of that, as he gets ready to deliver his 2009-11 package to lawmakers Tuesday night. The governor did say he’d bring down the deficit by $2 billion with federal stimulus money.

But the shortfall is still $3.7 billion and Doyle has warned even his best allies in education they won’t see additional money or new program.

He’s said more than once that “staying even is the new increase.”

Last week, he joked to the state’s largest business group “You better like me today because you won’t like me on Wednesday.” That’s when we’ll hear for sure what the Democratic governor intends to do.

He has already said he would endorse targeted tax increases like ending business tax loopholes for subsidiaries and charging sales taxes for Internet purchases, music downloads, and specialized business software.

Doyle has also promised deep cuts in state spending and he has warned people they might have to drive longer and stand in bigger lines for state services as he tries to deliver more of them on the Internet.

For now, Doyle says he will not propose state employee layoffs or days off without pay but he won’t rule them out for later.

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