Jim Doyle in Unintimidated, by Scott Walker

On Budget & Economy: OpEd: $2.1B deficit from borrowing while expanding programs

During Governor Jim Doyle's 8-year tenure, he borrowed vast sums of money and avoided making tough budget decisions while expanding government programs. In the 3 biennial budgets since he took office, new state bonding had exceeded new tax-revenue collections by $2.1 billion. Doyle had been borrowing money to underwrite expansions of health care, education, and environmental programs.

Doyle had raided $1.3 billion from the state's transportation fund. He had also raided $200 million from the Patients Compensation Fund, a state fund set up for victims of medical malpractice. But the WI supreme court had rules that the raid was unlawful and ordered the state to repay the money immediately, along with interest that was accumulating daily.

Source: Unintimidated, by Scott Walker, p. 27-8 Nov 18, 2013

On Gun Control: Vetoed concealed carry of firearms

We enhanced public safety and the Second Amendment rights of our citizens. My predecessor, Jim Doyle, had repeatedly vetoed legislation to allow the carry of concealed firearms. I signed it into law, transforming Wisconsin from one of the more restrictive to one of the freest states in the union when it comes to the right to bear arms. Source: Unintimidated, by Scott Walker, p.216 Nov 18, 2013

On Technology: Gave up on high-speed rail line because successor opposed it

I had campaigned for governor on a promise to cancel a stimulus-funded program to build an expensive high-speed rail line between Madison and Milwaukee. While the Obama administration was promising $810 million in federal funds for the project, we estimated that the project was going to cost Wisconsin taxpayers $110 million. We were broke and just could not afford it.

After my election, Governor Doyle canceled the project. "I could play brinksmanship with this issue and I could just plow forward and put people out at job sites," Doyle said. "We could spend or obligate hundreds of millions of dollars between now and the time I leave office. And while obviously part of me says, 'Just do that,' I really have to actually consider what the practical consequence of this are. I don't think that's in anybody's best interest."

Source: Unintimidated, by Scott Walker, p. 35-6 Nov 18, 2013

The above quotations are from Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge by Scott Walker and Marc Thiessen. Click here for other excerpts from Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge by Scott Walker and Marc Thiessen. Click here for other excerpts by Jim Doyle. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Feb 26, 2019