The next election can't come fast enough! People remember this when you go out and vote! Don't vote the same abusers back in like our city council was! WISE UP!!!!!!!

my bad it is associated press

Hey , just saying , this glorius rag of a paper claims to be "unbiased"

STOP BUILDING NEW ROADS/SUBDIVISIONS. ADD TOLLS TO WI INTERSTATES/EXPRESSWAYS.

Take care of existing streets and roads(which are in terrible shape and only getting worse). Interstate getting crowded? Too bad -- facilitate alternate transportation. No one would ever take a bus or train if all we do is keep adding lanes and by-passes (another contribution to sprawl). Encourage people to utilize available land and build up/closer by not allowing government to take over responsibility for every developer's private project of twisted, usually minimally built roads. Look around Janesville to see multiple examples, Hendrick's latest "karmic catastrophe" off County E a prime example of one of the worst wastes of land and excess road development on record in our area, second only to that empty wasteland Grand Videre (or however the silly dentist-developer wanted to spell his ego-project).

Finally, create a toll system where users do pay for the roads. We've been paying IL enough when we drive through -- let the Illiniods who come up and drive on our free roads pay their fair share. Give WI residents who purchase a transponder a big break on the cost of open-road tolls.

What do you people want. During the Republican administration the road builders had an automatic gas tax system built into the law. Each year the tax was automatically increased without any vote by the legislature. This was taken out of the statutes a couple of years ago because people said it wasn't so much that there was an increase, they just wanted the legislature to vote on them. Drivers want more and better roads, these are paid for by the gas tax. If you don't want to use the roads, park your car. No driving, no gas purchased, no tax increase for you.

All these complaints and not a single alternative solution to the problem of funding new road construction or repairing existing roads. Why shouldn't those USING our roads also help PAY to fix those roads. Would a toll be a better solution? Or setting vehicle registration fees based on the value of the vehicle? Or allow Legislators to tap the funds reserved for other services and apply them to transportation? The same people that piss and moan about spending a dime on any form of public transportation now whine about having to pay for fixing and building roads. Then, to top it off, blame Democrats for the problem. All the Republicans do is criticize instead of working to solve the problem on their own. Why haven't they offered a viable solution? Its easier to whine than to think. Offer a solution or stop driving and ride your bike. Then you won't be paying the tax!

Wow! I thought Bush was the one in bed with the oil companies. Guess George was not the problem.

Speaking of the state budget...look at this news from the AP that even made the USA Today...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new $47 million nursing school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison would not be funded in the state budget if Assembly Democrats get their way.
Democrats voted to remove funding for the project from the budget during a closed door meeting Wednesday night. The full Assembly is to take up the budget on Thursday followed by the Senate next week.

The proposed nursing school was not requested by the UW or included in Gov. Jim Doyle's original budget.

Sen. Judy Robson, a former nurse from Beloit, got it put in the budget around midnight on the last day of meetings of the committee that came up with the spending plan.

A Madison Democrat, Rep. Spencer Black, sponsored the motion adopted by Assembly members on Wednesday to remove the item.

**** Wow Rock County and Whitewater! You've really got an effective senator working for you in Madison.

*** When she was in the minority Nurse Robson was always fond of saying that "people need their rest and good legislative decisions are not made in the middle of the night."
Now she slips this into the budget around midnight?!?!?!?

What a joke.

I wonder when the morons are going to stop voting these morons into office. <-- answer not soon enough

I'm just curious what those people who voted for Doyle will do the next election time. I hope you all have seen the light. I was quite shocked when he got in again last time. Doyle is an idiot that is completely screwing the people of Wisconsin. Wake up folks and make a change in your voting habits. Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, it doesn't matter. He is horrible at being a Governor.

Well said Booch and 916WI.

The headline is fine. The original proposal was to impose a tax on oil companies and somehow ban the companies from passing it along to the consumer -- which many believed would ultimately be found unconstitutional. So instead, the Assembly Democrats (in all of their 11th hour budget-wrangling wisdom) have just decided to call a spade a spade and "allow" the tax hike.
So don't blame the Gazette when IT IS the Democrats who are allowing this to happen.

sluggo:
the headline is 100% accurate and is not opinion.
jjmmy d clearly stated that he would tax "big oil" and wrote the tax to disallow the oil companies to in turn, pass the tax on to us.
when democrats realized this procedure was unconstitutional, and realized they would have to defend this nonsense in court, at great expense, they rewrote the bill.
dems will try to pass this off as another "big oil" slap in the face to consumers, but as i said before, tax increases always trickle down to the consumer.
when this budget passes the new taxes on hospitals, you'll see that increase too.
stupid big hospitals!

sluggo.....relax, the article simply outlines a factual account of what had happened. I realize that our democrat friends truly believe that every news story should praise democrats and treat them like the second coming of Christ, but unfortunately the news does need to mirror reality at some point. Typical tax and spend democratic policies in action--nothing more, nothing less.......

I wonder when the morons are going to stop voting these morons into office.

I am so glad that I don't vote democrat!
Sooner or later you people that voted for these morons are going to see that a liberal democrat has never seen a tax they don't embrace.And they know how to spend YOUR money better than you do. WAKE UP WISCONIN!!!! democrats will be the ruin of Wisconsin and the nation.

Nice unbiased headline Gazzette! werpknarly why is right.

Last person to leave Wisconsin please turn off the lights.

Isn't Kwik Trip based out of La Crosse?

Easy solution.... stop voting for these idiots and they will go away. Keep voting for them, then quit your b*tching!

What no comment from the Rock County Democratic party on how good this is? Mr. Wendt must be hiding again.

WHAT A JOKE. No, we didn't raise taxes on the residents of this state, we raised them on the big mean oil companies. Its not our fault that we forgot that we couldn't keep them from passing these along to the consumer. Someone forgot to tell us about some document called the constitution. We intend to look in to his document and once we find out what it is do everything in our power to find ways around it. In the mean time, enjoy paying more each time you fill your car, its just the start of all the positive things we have in store for you. Hey, it won't be long till you see companies lined up to move to Wisconsin. Trust us. THIS MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR DEMOCRATIC CONTROLLED STATE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE ALONG WITH YOUR GOVENOR.

demand is at record lows. the speculators are driving the price up. they bet ten cents on the dollar on the market which means they have little to lose in the final analysis.change that to have them put up fifty percent minimum of their own money and maybe supply and demand will rule as it should be.

I should have phrased it..."where does it get us in the end?" And I would have answered my own question....

That's a fact rooster...but where does it get us in the long run?

"democrates allow gas price hike"... nice missleading headline, not till the end do we find out its against the law if they dont! my professor would give this a 'D', unless is in the op-ed page. that where bias opionions belong

calling a politician a phoney is like calling the pope a catholic. it goes with the title.

All whining aside... its basic economics AND basic law. The oil companies can charge what ever they want, Its up to consumers to use less or find alteratives. (thats why world prices dropped last fall, demand tanked) The goverment can not pass a law to control prices. (we dont live in china) Its incorrect to blame doyle for not doing something he cant do. DUH!

How can we blame this on G.W. Bush? There has to be some type of spin we can muster....after all, he and his family controlled the gas prices.

These so called hum-ans are laughing at everyone of us,all the way to the bank,bet on it! I would like to know about "EVERY" penny these guys make,& where it comes from. Their agendas are NOT in the best interest of us,but then again it has always been us against them. I will never understand how their are more of us,and they are SUPPOSE to be working for our best interests,but i don't see it. Any solutions out there,besides tar & feathers???

Stupid !!!!!!! I work in the petroleum business ,,,Politicians and Wall Street are killing All the little guys ...thats Me and you

It isn't a tax on the people, it's a tax on unfair oil profits, and yes, you may pass it directly onto the consumer.

the oil companies are simply being given permission to do what every other company or industry does when their taxes are raised -- they pass it on to the consumer.
i don't know the specifics of the tax that has been imposed onto the oil companies by the state of WI -- but know that they are being charged more to do business in this state.
this budget is a mess.
if it passes, and remember, democrats rule so this budget is about to become law, it won't take long before the good people of wisconsin start to feel the pain.
higher taxes on rental cars to pay for light rail
huge increases in minimum insurance coverage (responsible citizens will see this immediately -- insurance companies will love it initially)
illegal immigrants can get legal driver's licenses and in-state tuition rates,
taxes on cell phones and every land line
75 cents more a pack for smokes
new hospital fees
reduction in tax breaks for families
with kids and other dependents
new taxes on livestock (this means higher meat prices)
this is just SOME of the higher taxes we will face in this budget.
yet, the press will present this budget as good for working people while hitting the wealthy the hardest.
it's all nonsense.
With this budget, struggling Wisconsinites will pay another whopping $2.1 billion in taxes and fees – only months after a February $1.2 billion tax hike.
jim doyle is a liar.

And if you really are concerned about your "constituents" why haven't you contacted me by e-mail? based on my comments on this blog?

Ya good idea . Add more to the already high gas prices.Once again they are going up for no good reason.Why not add a few more cents.
A HOLES

And yes, YOU MIKE SHERIDAN are the phoniest of them all.

ARE YOU KIDDING? ALL YOU PHONY BASTARDS SHOULD BE RUN OUT OF TOWN ON A RAIL.

Don't worry Doyle will still run on a "I never raised taxes platform." I wonder how much the oil companies are "donating" to him to pass this on to us.