It was the second debate between the two major gubernatorial candidates. Incumbant Democrat Jim Doyle accused his Republican challanger Mark Green of being part of a failed Congress. Green countered by accusing Doyle of not leading our state during his four-year term. The debate centered around our tax burdon, the environment, health care, the death penalty and other hot issues.
Regarding the recent school shootings and a Wisconsin lawmaker's proposal to have adults in schools carry weapons, both candidates agree that teachers should not be armed. Doyle says there's no easy answer when it comes to school violence, but he's completely against the idea of teachers with hidden heat. “There is no just easy answer that takes care of this, but certainly one of the worst ideas that's come down the road is for teachers and principals to carry guns. My wife is a teacher and I don't think her schools would have been any safer if she was carrying a gun.”
Green agrees that the solution to gun violence in schools is not to have more guns, instead we need more people like Matt Atkinson. He's the high school boy who might have thwarted a Columbine-style massacre because he reported the plot of two other teens to perhaps blow up their school in Green Bay. “The answer is to teach our young people that coming forward to the authorities is a good idea, that violence is not an acceptable response to the problems that they might face on a daily basis. We want more Matt Atkinsons in our schools, not more guns in our schools.”
Both candidates also agree that UW lecturer Kevin Barrett should not be teaching his 9-11 conspiracy theories at our university.
Green and Doyle expressed their differences on the issues of embryonic stem cell research and abortion. The two meet again for their third debate on October 20th. That debate will focus on quality of life issues.