Is it any wonder we are in the financial mess we are in with the state budget? The Senate passed the budget fix yesterday, the Assembly may vote on it today. Contact your State Assembly Representative and let them know your opinion anyway. They could use your support. (Contacts are at end of post.)
My State Representative Leah Vukmir was on Vicki McKenna yesterday explaining the budget fiasco. Leah commented, something is wrong when the budget fix proposed was less conservative than what Doyle would do! She said Doyle criticized them for not making budget cuts. It is pretty bad when your only hope for a better budget is that you liberal governor might make some vetoes!
How did we get into this predicament? Leah explained that using the "rosy" March 2007 revenue estimates to base a future budget on was one problem! Seems state income was based on March 2007's better economy figures instead of the reality of the slower economy during the summer and fall of last year.
Leah expressed her disappointment in Speaker Huebsch and called the budget fix a shuffle game.
When you cook the books, you can't pay the bills, she said. People are feeling the pinch in their budgets--they expect us to do the same.
Plus, what are the Republicans getting out of this compromise? Vukmir mentioned at least an exchange, we vote for this fix and you give us a constitutional Voter ID amendment. But we are getting nothing--just delayed billing and a huge problem in July 2009.
Not only is School Aid delayed into the 2009 budget cycle, but County Aid is pushed into July too.
Rep. Vukmir concluded with, I don't know why we are rushing this.
Possible areas of cuts mentioned: State employee travel--$22mil, Senior Prescriptions, eliminate ethanol subsidies, 4K. I would add: eliminate Global Warming Task Force and West Allis Bike Path.
There were originally $250 mil in cuts, now less than 1/5th of 1%. McKenna cited a 2% across the board cut as a possible remedy.
It will only get worse. For one, Badger Care Plus is attracting far more enrollees than anticipated. That will add to July 2009's woes.
This is a straight up or down vote. No amendments are allowed because it went into Conference Committee.
Contact Assembly Representatives.
Links:
Brookfield7,
Fairly Conservative,
Betterbrookfield,
Vicki Mckenna
