The Wisconsin way may be better, but not best

The U.S. Congress was able to avoid yet another federal government shutdown late last week. Barely. Again. It seems that every few months Congress has to meet late into the night just to agree to fund the government. It is hardly efficient, or a long-term strategy. All these threats of shutting down are manufactured crises. Now one Wisconsin congressman says he has an idea for better funding the federal government, and it is the Wisconsin way. Congressman Brian Stiel thinks the federal government should model how Wisconsin deals with setting its state budget. Wisconsin operates under an automatic base funding rule, which says if the Governor and Legislature can’t agree on a spending plan, they just keep using the one they had. No government shutdown. Also, no new money to government agencies. But Washington shouldn’t follow Wisconsin’s model too closely. The way it has been working here is that the Governor crafts a budget, lawmakers tear it up, write much the opposite then he vetoes the parts he doesn’t like with his powerful veto pen. The Wisconsin way is hardly perfect. But Stiel is right. There has to be a better way.