Worst state governor

I'm not sure if there is an official competition for the title of Worst State Governor, but it seems like Jim Doyle governor of Wisconsin must be worried that some of the new governors may be after his title. The new governors in New York, Ohio and Massachusetts (Spitzer, Strickland and Deval) all have strong socialist leanings and impeccable anti-business credentials. Doyle responded to the challenge by proposing not one, not two, but three tax increases.

Gov. Jim Doyle will unveil a tax on oil companies on Tuesday but will bar the firms from passing it on to consumers. (ed. Good luck on that one as all costs are eventually passed on to consumers.)

Doyle also wants to raise the driver's licenses fee by $10 or so to help cover the state's cost of complying with a new federal law requiring more secure identification. A $10 increase would bring the cost of a three-year license to $28 and an eight-year renewal to $34.

Doyle has also said he wants to more than double the cigarette tax to $2.02 a pack, and he is expected to propose a hospital tax.