The coming biennium will be trying for everyone. College students will probably be forced to eat more Ramen, and Cubs fans will have to suffer through not one but two seasons of high expectations and low results. Most of all, however, it seems these next two years will be hardest on our state. Closing the massive $5.9 billion state budget deficit will be difficult regardless, but the fact that our governor couldn’t even pin down the correct figure (Gov. Jim Doyle said $5.7 billion) does not bode well for Wisconsin.

In the end, a $200 million oopsie at the budget address will not sink Doyle’s proposal. The state understands these will be lean times, and every item will have to suffer some sort of funding reduction — in fact, Doyle’s budget includes a 1 percent cut across the board. The public expects the Legislature to work with the governor on this, and the Legislature seems prepared to do so. However, Doyle seems to either take this goodwill for granted, or deem it useless.

There is no explanation other than ignorance or arrogance for Doyle’s bizarre inclusion of a civil union registry and statewide smoking ban in his budget proposal.

By including two very controversial measures in his budget plan, Doyle is crippling any chance of its success before the bill can even be debated. It’s true that many counties and cities in the state have passed public smoking bans, but they are decidedly in the minority. Three of the five largest cities in Wisconsin are not subject to any form of smoking ban at all, and a similar statewide measure failed in the Legislature a little less than a year ago. Tying this obviously unpopular measure to what is sure to be a controversial budget is like loading an already leaky boat with dumbbells.

Perhaps Doyle did not deem the smoking ban measure controversial enough, and so he decided to address civil unions. No matter your personal persuasion on the issue, the budget is not the place for civil unions to be debated. Although Doyle’s efforts to chip away at the injustices of the constitutional amendment passed in 2006 are admirable, the fact remains that the amendment passed by nearly 20 percent in this state. There has been no watershed moment in the last two years to indicate an effort to repeal or even undermine the measure would have an even modest chance of success at the state level. At best, the inclusion of this idea is a well-intentioned but na?ve attempt to right a dreadful wrong, and at worst it is a piece of cheap political posturing that will come at the expense of the entire state. If Doyle wants to tackle this issue, he should have the intelligence not to tie such a hot button topic to his budget and the courage to grant it the attention it deserves by giving it its own bill.

Had the budget itself been egregiously ill-conceived, all this may have been easier to swallow. But it wasn’t. The biggest shame here is that what is a pretty good proposal could get dragged down by a few controversial measures that really don’t belong there in the first place.

The governor balances a mix of spending cuts and tax increases that would, in unadulterated form, seem quite reasonable. Though the university system will be faced with cuts — and almost certainly an increase in tuition — there are also measures in the budget meant to soften the blow on low-income families. By providing for increased financial aid in the face of higher tuition, Doyle lays the framework to maintain the accessibility and prominence of our university system.

Unfortunately, he may not be able to defend an increase in financial aid or more taxes on oil companies if he is spending his time advocating for a statewide smoking ban. What is clear to most seems to escape our governor: The budget should be the first priority.

In the end, it could turn out that this is all much ado about nothing. The Legislature may just pass the budget without a word. Doyle could end up having his cake and eating it too. But if that turns out to be the case, the governor would not just be getting his dessert.

Joey Labuz ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering.