Wisconsin governor says 2009 was hardest year in office

[undeterred]

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday the economic recession made 2009 his most challenging year in office, but Wisconsin responded well by helping the unemployed and positioning itself for recovery. In a year-end interview at the governor's residence, Doyle said the hardest part was watching people struggle after losing jobs through no fault of their own.

"There's just no doubt for ordinary people living in Wisconsin or in any state, 2009 was a very tough year," Doyle said. "But in very, very tough times, I'm proud of how Wisconsin responded. It wasn't just me as governor or the people in politics. It was business people ... it was local officials."

The recession sent unemployment levels skyrocketing in many Wisconsin communities and left a multibillion-dollar hole in the state budget. Doyle and lawmakers responded by raising taxes on some large corporations and the wealthy while furloughing state employees for 16 days over 2 years, among other difficult steps.

Doyle, a Democrat first elected in 2002, also made the decision to leave office in 2010 and not run for a third four-year term, a decision he said he regrets on many days. Doyle, 64, said Wisconsin stood up for the jobless by extending their unemployment benefits, expanding health care programs for the low-income, and enrolling a record number of students in the University of Wisconsin System.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gzQLcXQhtcEasktgPlEpjO-rXjVAD9CP6N880

[midnight]

1. Those reasons you have noted in your post are the reasons I have been

so proud of Governor Doyle. Thank you for helping the jobless in a time when the wealthy in this country are the biggest winners...

[undeterred]

2. Doyle: Small businesses need more loans, assistance

Sat, 12/26/2009 - Business Government (WI) Wisconsin

By Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio

MADISON (WPR) Governor Jim Doyle says one of the best ways government can help restore jobs in 2010 is to help small businesses get access to loans.

The Governor says he's been working at the national level to get Congress to expand small business loans as part of a federal jobs bill in January. Doyle says that one of the “major jam ups” in the system right now is that small businesses are having trouble getting loans for getting started. The Governor says he thinks Congress will move to improve access to capital, but if it doesn't, the state should step in.

Doyle says he also supports a plan by State Senators that would offer more tax breaks to angel investors and venture capitalists in Wisconsin.

http://www.fox21online.com/news/doyle-small-businesses-need-more-loans-assistance