5% not too much to ask from state agencies

Apparently, Wisconsin state government is as good a steward of our tax dollars as it can possibly be. At least if you believe the various agencies which make up our state government. For the first time, agencies such as the Department of Corrections, the UW System, even Veterans Affairs, were asked to submit two budget proposal. One, their usual request, the other proposal calling for a five percent funding cut. Not an outlandish request. In fact, it must be possible that we can find enough fat in any state agency to trim just five percent. But when asked what would happen with a modest five percent budget cut, the agencies painted a gloom and doom scenario. They are protesting the very idea of a budget cut, so they warn that state emergency management would stop stockpiling sandbags for communities to fend off flooding. Probably not a very popular idea around here right now. The Corrections department would make counties pay more to supervise parolees. That may save the state money, but not taxpayers. The fact is the Wisconsin state budget has grown from $26 billion in spending in 1991 to $73 billion today. Surely state agencies can find a way to make government more efficient by just five percent.