Dems will need to buy budget votes in Assembly

Another home run hit out of the park from Foxpolitics.net. One word - unbelievable:

SOURCE: Foxpolitics.net
Still more evidence is surfacing of trouble in budget-land. Wednesday I pointed out possible areas of disagreement among Dems in control.
•Deep cuts in school aids
•Oil profits tax will become outright increase in the gas tax
•Drivers Card for illegal immigrants
•Prevailing Wage expansion
Kevin Binversie calls the prospect of Dems disagreeing on budget details an “amendment buy-off festival.” Jerry Bader counts “only about 35 [in the Assembly] committed votes at this point” – and different Dems having different objections to the budget. So, somebody’s going to need to “buy-off” another 15 bodies somewhere.

Buying off Republican votes?
A Bob Ziegelbauer (ok, ok, so Rep. Ziegelbauer is a very fiscally conservative Democrat) memo asks for amendment co-sponsors to:
•Delete Domestic Partner retirement and group insurance benefits
•Delete increases in auto insurance minimum coverage amounts
•Delete changes in joint and several liability • Delete new higher income tax bracket
•Delete increase in capital gains tax
Again, Rep. Ziegelbauer is not your typical Democrat. Getting these amendments passed would definitely “buy-off” a few Republican votes.

Getting to those Dem votes
The AP and WisPolitics reported yesterday afternoon on concerns of Assembly Democrats on hearing a budget review in caucus:
•New 75-cent phone fee
•Mandated collection of racial profiling data
•New mandate that schools provide transportation to pregnant students
•More ominous joint and several liability rules
•Cuts in school aids
•Furloughs of state employees
•Debt restructuring
•Provision on asbestos liability
•RTAs – why not allowed statewide?
•Autism mandate
The mystery budget comes full circle – even for Democrats. Stuff in the budget even they can’t defend. Rep. Marlin Schneider: “There are so many bad things in this budget.” And more yesterday from Schneider: “Where did it come from, what corporations are impacted and which lobbyist brought this in?”