Where are the fiscal conservatives? Monday, Oct 27 2008
How nice to be cautious.
The reason for the caution is because there may not be a surplus at the end of the current fiscal year. Also looming (or so we are told) is a $1.3 BILLION revenue shortfall for the next fiscal year which begins on July 1, 2009.
No fiscal conservatives
Virtually, everyone who runs for public office in Louisiana claims while campaigning that he/she is a “fiscal conservative.” None, that I know of runs on a platform of increasing your taxes.
Yet the leges’ current contemplations about the state’s fiscal future are focused entirely on where to spend. Not one lege is talking about how to reduce the current budget so as to prepare for the shortfall in advance of the 2009-10 fiscal year budget.
That’s because we don’t have a single fiscal conservative in the lege.
When we mullets know we will not make as much money next year as we are making this year, we don’t contemplate how to spend all the money we have in the bank. We try to figure out how to reduce our current expenditures so when our income is reduced, we will still be able to make ends meet.
If the leges were contemplating their personal incomes and budgets under similar circumstances they wouldn’t be considering spending their savings either. Of course, this isn’t their money. It’s OURS!
Unlike our leges, we mullets don’t have the option of reducing existing tax breaks, increasing tax rates and fees to make ends meet. All of those options are on the table for them in the 2009 Regular Session.
Additionally, the leges can simply borrow more money and continue to defer paying down the Unfunded Accrued Liability (“UAL”) of the state retirement systems. That puts the fiscal burden on the next generation of mullets.
If it is true (It’s hard to trust the politicians when they tell us the “sky is falling.”) there is a looming $1.3 BILLION shortfall, be prepared to hear a lot of scare tactics about a reduction if government services unless we mullets cough up more of the money we don’t have.
Options
If you don’t want your taxes increased next year, start telling your lege now to stop talking about more spending and start talking about less spending.
The first place to look for reductions is in state revenues that are given to local governments and NGOs.
Another place to look for savings is by not passing a “stand-still” budget for 2009-10. What, you say.
A “stands-still” budget in LA government vernacular is one in which each agency of government is given the same amount as it was given the current year, plus an “inflation factor.”
The “inflation factor” includes things such as the auto-magic annual Civil Service pay raises plus increased utility, gasoline, health care, insurance costs, etc. You know those expenses that we mullets face that the leges haven’t done a damn thing about.
That “inflation factor,” because of the huge growth in state government, could be as high as the $1.3 BILLION that is projected as a “shortfall.”
Why wait?
Why wait until we have a fiscal crisis. START CUTTING NOW!
If your lege says it’s too early to cut, ask him/her if the looming “shortfall” is a lie. They can’t have it both ways.
It’s all just common sense, which is not very common when it comes to OUR money and our elected officials.
C.B.
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