By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
People around Wisconsin don't want partisan bickering and sideshow legislation in Madison, they want the state to address the issues of jobs, education and health care, Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday during a town hall meeting in Stevens Point.
Stevens Point was the first stop Wednesday in a series of town hall meetings Doyle is holding to prepare for his first "State of the State" address on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Conference rooms 1 and 2 at the Portage County Courthouse Annex were filled to capacity for his hour-long session.
On the issue of job creation, Doyle said he wants "Wisconsin to compete at the high end."
"If we're going to compete with China for low-wage jobs, we're going to lose and drive the economy down along with it," Doyle said.
A University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student, Amanda Crowe, asked Doyle what jobs will be created under the Job Creation Act.
Doyle said the Job Creation Act, which was described by a Republican leader in the Senate as a "Christmas tree that everyone got to hang three things on," won't create any new jobs by itself.
The Job Creation Act addresses regulatory reform, especially Department of Natural Resources permits, Doyle said.
The governor said he is committed to improving the regulatory process, without lowering environmental standards, by establishing clear time limits for the permit approval process.
Right now, if a paper company wants to invest in a new paper machine, it will probably invest in another state, like Georgia, where the permitting process is quicker, he said.
Doyle also called for more early seed-stage investment. Wisconsin ranks in the top 10 for the number of patents created, but only in the bottom 10 for the amount of money spent to get those newly patented items to market.
"We're not seeing the economic benefit that comes from that research," Doyle said.
Doyle also said he is committed to training people for the kinds of jobs that are available. He has a proposal where the state would train for free, any new employees companies add because of capital investments in the state.
Kris Scott, a member of the Stevens Point Area Public School Board, told the governor she was very concerned about school funding. With enrollment in the district declining, schools are losing state funds based upon the funding formula, Scott said.
Doyle said making sure education is strong should be the No. 1 issue for Democrats. For Wisconsin to compete at the high end, it needs a well-educated and well-trained workforce, he said. While the economy may be tough now, it was worst in the midst of the Great Depression when his parents attended public schools in the state. Their parents and grandparents saw to it then that schools were adequately funded.
If more money becomes available as the economy improves, education should be the first to receive additional funding, he said. Even if more money isn't available, the funding formula should be changed. The formula currently hurts schools in rural areas and urban Milwaukee, while benefiting schools in the suburban ring around Milwaukee.
On the issue of health care, Doyle said he would like to see lower prescription drug prices through helping people to buy less expensive prescription medication from Canada and having state employees all use one prescription insurance plan.
"We've got to find a way to keep prescription drug prices in line," Doyle said.
Other town hall meetings will be held during the next two weeks in Chippewa Falls, Green Bay, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Monona and Superior.
Doyle will deliver his "State of the State" address to a joint session of the Wisconsin Legislature on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. in the Assembly Chambers of the State Capitol.