Despite no evidence the party will do much new spending beyond better education and healthcare, and the Governor’s budget that doesn’t have much new spending, Representative Alexander is afferd of Democratic spending.
Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia and Republican leader on the House Appropriations Committee, issued this statement today following the release of Gov. Christine Gregoire’s proposed 2007-09 state operating budget:
I know there are like 7 house Republicans left, but could they at least pretend to be proactive or some shit. Instead of “Boo! Ooga Booga! Democrats!”
“I’m pleased the governor supports the idea of a constitutionally protected rainy-day fund, and is requesting money for local economic development, but I’m disappointed and concerned by what else I see – and don’t see – in her budget proposal.
He added, “It’s totally common sense and what the people showed they want in the last election, so naturally the Republicans are opposed.”
“There are no savings and reductions of any significance. No evidence of any efforts to hold down health care spending, despite the governor’s strong statements two years ago that something must be done to reduce the costs of care. It’s not apparent that the Priorities of Government or her own GMAP processes were used to prioritize resources to the most effective uses. None of the ‘surplus’ is returned to the people in the form of tax cuts. It would make sense to view this unanticipated revenue as one-time money and use a big piece of it to pay down the state’s unfunded pension liability, or for other one-shot expenditures that would produce real savings to taxpayers in future years. Instead, her budget is full of new and expanded programs that drive costs into the next biennium.
He continued, “Despite the fact that the governor won on healthcare for children and the fact that there is a large surplus, Gregoire wants to spend the surplus on healthcare for children. It’s crazy. What’s next fulfilling her promises on transit and education?”
“I’m probably most dismayed at the admission that the nearly $2 billion budget ‘surplus’ will be gone within four years, according to her own budget staff, to be replaced by a deficit. And that’s assuming we continue to see relatively stable revenue collections. How does knowingly spending the state into a hole get us off the budget rollercoaster? A few years down the road it’ll become necessary to tap the rainy-day fund just to maintain the expectations being created in this budget.
I’m no budget genius or anything, but isn’t that the point of the rainy day fund?
“This budget continues the Democrat trend of gimmicks that artificially inflate the state spending limit to permit double-digit percentage spending increases. And it’s disconcerting that this budget is structured in a way that makes it difficult to make common-sense comparisons, like calculating the increase in spending from one biennium to the next.
Dear Rep. Alexander,
It’s called the Democratic Party, and you sound like an asshole.
Kisses!
Carl
“Remember how the budget process has turned out the past two years. The governor’s budget proposal comes out first, and is outdone than the Senate Democrats’ budget proposal, which is then exceeded than the House Democrats’ budget proposal, which ends up being less than the so-called ‘compromise’ budget agreed to by all three sides It’s very likely that the significant spending increases seen in this plan will be outdone not once or twice but three times before a final budget is adopted in the spring.
Yes, and then the governor uses her line item veto and takes out some of the silly shit and everything is OK. And in the last biennium we had less uninsured children. But who cares about that shit when there is some complaining about how we only have a $2 Billion surplus?
“The state spending limit has become a sideshow, to the detriment of Washington taxpayers and families. The House Republican Truth in Budgeting plan is a way back to the fiscal discipline the families and employers of Washington deserve, and I hope the legislative budget writers consider it as we get into the session.”
The taxpayers and families just voted overwhelmingly for Democrats. So maybe they want more insured children, less kids per class, more transit options, and less of your whining.
But whining is all he’s got now!
[...] State GOP leaders, beaten like a bad dog in recent elections, resort to whining. You’d think they might accidentally learn something. [...]
In one sense I agree with Alexander: I’m bothered by what I don’t see in the budget: No big increase in the Washington health care program; no turn away from prison as “treatment” for drug addicts; and no proposal to reform our retrograde tax system.
But She’s done infinitely better than Dino would have!
Oh, apparently were not leaving yet….
I would say you are wrong in thinking christians have somehow a “greater amount of hate”. Im going to delete the pictures too….