A GOLDEN AGE?; DOYLE SAYS TECHNOLOGY GROWTH PUT STATE ON RIGHT TRACK; DOYLE: STATE IS IN POSITION TO LEAD
BYLINE: By David Callender The Capital Times
As Gov. Jim Doyle sees it, Wisconsin stands on the verge of a golden age in which legions of well-educated, tech-savvy workers will find high-paying jobs in the emerging fields of health care, high-tech manufacturing, biotechnology and alternative energy.
Doyle says his mission -- as he begins his second term as governor today -- is to steer the state in that direction, preserving what he describes as a vibrant heritage of hard work and respect for longstanding values while keeping an eye toward future growth.
"I believe that if we're a state that doesn't run away from manufacturing but really works to build it up, and if we make an all-out commitment to education, and if we find practical solutions to rising health care costs, and move in the directions where the economy is really growing, then there are some very good days ahead for Wisconsin," Doyle said during a wide-ranging interview at the governor's mansion last month.
The scion of one of the state's premier political families, Doyle, 61, has always been keenly aware of history.
His father, James E. Doyle Sr., was one of the founders of the modern Wisconsin Democratic party along with former senators Gaylord Nelson and William Proxmire; his mother, Ruth Bachhuber Doyle, was a state lawmaker and longtime member of the Madison School Board who died last year.
Doyle's re-election has already assured him of a place in history as the first Democrat in 32 years to win a second term.
But Doyle likens the opportunities before him -- and the state as a whole -- to those of his father's generation in the years just after World War II that set Wisconsin on a path to prosperity.
That previous generation, he notes, invested in education and worker training and built up a skilled workforce that was the backbone of a manufacturing and agricultural colossus.
Doyle contends that the state needs to make a similar commitment to education at all levels -- K-12, the University of Wisconsin, and the state technical college system -- to meet the challenges of the new economy.
"I think a lot about what kinds of jobs are people going to do," he said. "People are not all going to be money managers and investors. Most people are still going to make things or provide services."
Doyle ticks off major changes in medical care -- ranging from the use of nanotechnology to advances in individualized patient care -- as one of the areas where Wisconsin is poised to lead the nation.
"Ten or 15 years from now, you'll see tens of thousands of people employed in businesses related to medical research, but even more so, in actual medical care," he said.
"And those aren't just double Ph.D. scientists -- which we will want a lot of -- but people who can get a two-year degree at a technical college and know how to work in a clean lab, how to handle biological materials, and who will be able to get a good-paying job as a result."
Doyle said the state's economic transformation has already begun to take shape.
"We're the one state in the upper Midwest who has seen a growth in our population since 2000. We've added nearly a quarter of a million people. That goes against all the long-term trends of cold-weather states," which reflects the growth of new industries in the state, he said.
Doyle said that if Democrats champion education and economic growth -- as well as other bread-and-butter issues such as ensuring access to health care -- they stand to benefit politically as well.
"I think this is a matter of really re-strengthening the Democratic party in this state, and making sure it is the party that is addressing the needs of middle-class people in Wisconsin," he said.
Doyle said he wants to make sure the party builds on the gains it made last year -- holding the governor's office, picking up control of the state Senate and gaining Assembly seats for the first time since 1990-- "so that we set the stage for more Democratic governors and majorities in both houses."
To do so, he said, "it's important that the Democratic Party be the party of hard-working people who are not necessarily going to be fabulously rich, but who work hard every day at a job that probably will require a good deal of education and training."
Democrats also need to overcome their image as free-spenders, something Doyle has sought to do since he ran for governor in 2002 when he pledged to fill the state's budget deficit without raising state taxes.
For ages, he said, Republicans have been seen as the party that is fiscally conservative but unresponsive on social needs, while Democrats were seen as more socially responsive but financially irresponsible.
"People didn't like Republicans because they didn't think they cared about them, about whether their kids were getting an education or whether there was health care for people," he said. "The reverse was true for Democrats. People liked Democrats because they thought they cared about them, but they were concerned that Democrats might tax them too much."
All that has changed in the Bush era, he contends, where Republicans have mounted record deficits without meeting any of the nation's social needs, such as health care or education.
That leaves Democrats with an opening to show that "we're a party that is careful with taxpayers' money and we can really address the basic concerns of people in this state and in this country."
Doyle acknowledged that he will face the same challenges when he introduces his new state budget next month.
Requests for new spending came in nearly $1.6 billion over projected state revenues for the next two years.
He declined to offer any specifics about the budget, but again sought to play down expectations.
"People have to understand that everybody is not going to get everything they want by any means. This continues to be a tight budget," he said.
"That's the tough part of this job. When I make a decision that we really want to move forward in one area, that almost always carries with it a corresponding decision that we're going to back off in some other area," he said.
E-mail: dcallender@madison.com