Doylie Lied. (Ho-Hum)

Uh-huh.

Todd Berry, president of the non-profit Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, says Gov. Jim Doyle's new estimate of a $5.4-bllion budget deficit between now and mid-2011 is "unreal" and based on "double counting."

In an interview, Berry said the $5.4-billion number assumes that state agencies will get an additional $2.8 billion in spending they requested for the next two years -- a "fictitious" assumption.

And, Berry said, Doyle's scenario also assumes that the so-called "structural balance" -- the long-term imbalance between spending commitments and tax collections - remains at $800 million per year for each of the next two years. That's about $1.6 billion of Doyle's $5.4-billion deficit. Berry said.

The FIRST question one asks is "cui bono?"--that is, who benefits?

Berry said Doyle's $5.4-billion deficit estimate is "really the opening pitch in a multi-inning budget game. It's in the interest of the executive ... to get people to pay attention."

Another way to put it: if Doylie can convice the people that the deficit is 2x what it actually is, he has a better chance of raising taxes a LOT.

The same deception-theory exists behind the "no bonus, no merit raise" story of today, and the "10% of State positions are vacant" story of yesterday.

"O, woe is the State! How CAN we overcome this pestilence of not-enough-tax-revenue??"

I argue that the real "pestilence" is right where Doylie put it in his first campaign: about 10,000 extra State employees (hired by 'stick-it-to-'em Tommy').