Doyle hits on issues Associated Press News-Chronicle Some issues Gov. Jim Doyle touched upon in his State of the State address: --- TAXES: Doyle promised repeatedly not to raise taxes to fix the state's projected $3.2 billion budget deficit. Lawmakers instead must make extreme spending cuts, he said. "Going forward, my mind will be open to every solution, except one. We should not, we must not, and I will not, raise taxes," Doyle said. "Wisconsin's problem is not that we tax too little. It is that we spend too much." He got a standing ovation. Raising taxes to fix the deficit would mean the loss of 50,000 jobs, which in turn would cost the government revenue, the governor said. "Working families are already stretched to the limit," Doyle said. "It would be wrong to raise their taxes, too." Senate Majority Leader Mary Panzer, R-West Bend, said she liked what she heard. "No tax increases and getting the job done on time. To me that's a hopeful start," she said. Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, said Doyle must keep his word. "As long as he has the guts and the spine to do his job, we need to do the same thing in the Legislature," Gundrum said. --- EDUCATION Doyle said he wants to form a task force to reform how public schools are funded. The issue is too complex to solve in within a few months in the state budget, he said. "This is too important of an issue to squeeze it into a budget proposal or devise a new plan in just a few weeks," Doyle said. He said the process would be open to the public and views from taxpayers, parents, teachers and local leaders as well as perspectives from urban and rural school districts must be represented on the task force. He said Community Connections, a program inspired by Jessica Doyle's experiences as a learning coordinator at Cherokee Middle School in Madison, will help adolescents learn more civic responsibility and skills. The program focuses on involving community members, including senior citizens or career professionals in the schools. One out of every seven teachers left the profession last year because of low salaries and rising health costs, Doyle said. "If we want to keep them, we need to treat our teachers like what they are - professionals," Doyle said. He got a standing ovation. Doyle also said attention must focus on Milwaukee schools, where only a third of black eighth-graders graduate from high school. "It's unacceptable. And it must change," Doyle said. --- HEALTH CARE: The governor said he wants to create a health insurance purchasing pool to increase the buying power of small employers and farmers so they can get better rates. The move should help small businesses thrive and grow the economy, he said. Doyle also said wants to create a prescription drug purchasing pool with local governments and other Midwestern states to bring their combined buying power to bear on drug companies. "We have to stand by those who need our help the most because this isn't just about quality of life," Doyle said. "It's a matter of life and death." --- ECONOMY: State lawmakers must hold the line on taxes to help the economy grow, Doyle said. The governor said he wants state government, labor and business to develop a single strategy to grow the state's economy. "Our job is to unleash the innovative spirit of our people," Doyle said. The University of Wisconsin-Madison also can serve as an economic engine, he said. Biotechnology research at the university will provide millions of dollars in new investments and new jobs, Doyle said. --- INTEGRITY IN STATE GOVERNMENT Doyle called on the Legislature to pass campaign finance reform. He mentioned a bipartisan proposal in the Senate that would dedicate more taxpayer money to grants for candidates who agree to abide by spending limits. But he did not pledge his support for the bill. "I can't guarantee we'll agree on the details, but I promise I'll do everything I can to find common ground," he said. The governor also pledged his support for a bill that would provide full public funding for candidates running in state SupremeCourt races to remove the growing presence of money those elections.