Credit where credit is due

Scott Walker complains in his recent newsletter that Gov. Jim Doyle is getting credit in TV commercials for ending state taxes on Social Security benefits. It's part of the budget bill Doyle signed.

Walker claims it's a Republican idea, and says that besides thanking the GOP legislators who put it into the budget bill, the WEAC-sponsored ads "should also be thanking Scott Walker. Back on April 14th Scott Walker proposed the exemption of Social Security from state taxation..."

Gee, way back in April. Walker's really a visionary, eh?

If we're going to go by date of authorship, State Sen Dave Hansen, a Green Bay Democrat, has a good claim. He introduced a bill on Jan. 7, 2004 to end the tax on Social Security. Trouble is, even though it had some GOP co-sponsors, the Republican majority in the Senate sent it off to a committee to die, and it never even got a public hearing.

Thanks, Sen. Hansen.