As the budget dance continues with the legislative leaders trying to work through various issues, it would appear that there is one big question for this year’s budget…  Will it be balanced?  Will it spend no more than projected revenue?  That ultimately is the core mission of Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman and Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines.
 
We can have a discussion another day about what an ideal budget would look like, the kind we will never see as long as the partisan gerrymander of California ensures a liberal majority in both legislative houses.
 
But the discussion for this year is deficit spending.  There is no reason why budgeted expenditures for California government cannot fall within its income, will room to spare for a prudent reserve. 
 
Not only is this is a reasonable ‘non-negotiable’ line in the sand, but it is hard for me to figure out how this year, ANY legislator can vote for a budget that contains a budget deficit when revenues to the state are at an all time high.  It becomes even more difficult to imagine how a Republican legislator could justify such a vote, since to a person, the members of our GOP caucuses all have expressed a commitment to fiscal discipline in Sacramento.
 
I know that during this time of year, pressure starts to build to get a budget passed — as it should.  There is a budget deadline for a reason, and a responsible legislature should have passed one by now.  But let us remember that it is more important to pass a fiscally prudent budget later, than to leave taxpayers in the lurch by rushing into a budget that spends more than projected income.
 
So I would encourage all FR readers to contact their State Legislators, especially Republicans, and let them know that you stand in solidarity with them on the one line in the sand that must not be crossed…
 
There must be no GOP stamp of approval on a premeditated, preplanned budget deficit. 

Thanks to the 2/3 vote requirement to pass a budget, if Republicans hold firm, there will be no deficit spending in the 2007-2008 budget.  And remember, this can be achieved without any cuts to programs, only cuts to proposed funding levels.

I will end this with a final thought — in future years, the budget deficits are projected to be even higher.  If we can’t hold the line now, what does that say for future years?

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 19th, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.