Any specific programs we should cut? Please be specific. There's no election, Jeff, so could just cut the scare crap and tell us what you think we should do, specifically what programs we should cut?<br>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Jan 2, 2011 at 10:15 PM, Jeff Harkins <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:jeffh@moscow.com" target="_blank">jeffh@moscow.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
Paying for the music!<br>
<br>
After years of deficit financing for state and local government
(dems and repubs), it is time to begin to pay for the music.<br>
<br>
Here is a teaser intro to get folks to focus on the problems we are
now facing. Before you gnash your teeth and wring your hands in
despair, be sure to link to the full article - then let the gnashing
begin. <br>
<br>
We, as a nation and a republic of states are in serious fiscal
condition. Our present situation is NOT SUSTAINABLE. Each U.S.
citizen is going to sacrifice - over the next several decades.<br>
<br>
<p><b>State and local government budgets</b> faced challenges as the
nationwide economic downturn that began in 2008 continued to cause
<a title="Government budgets">budget</a> problems in the economy.
One of the greatest challenges that budget makers faced was
lower-than-expected revenues from taxes. In Fiscal Year 2009,
budget makers were overwhelmed by lower-than-expected revenues
from taxes. Additionally, public spending at the state and local
level is 10 times what it was in the 1950's, while private
spending is only 5 times what it was during the '50s.<sup><a>[1]</a></sup> A recent
report by the Government Accountability Office reported the state
local gap at $9.9 trillion.<sup><a>[2]</a></sup>
</p>
<ul>
<li><i>See also: <a title="State budget issues, 2010-2011">State
budget issues, 2010-2011</a></i> </li>
</ul>
<p><br>
As a report produced by the National Center of State Legislatures
concluded, </p>
<blockquote>Lawmakers in virtually every state scrambled to keep
their FY 2009 budgets balanced while at the same time struggling
to enact new ones for FY 2010. Hemorrhaging revenues drove the
massive difficulties they faced. No matter how pessimistic revenue
forecasts were, actual collections seemed to come in lower. This
happened over and over and over again. Ultimately, states were not
just faced with lower revenue growth rates, they confronted
year-over-year declines in actual collections<sup><a>[3]</a></sup>.
</blockquote>
<p>The Government Accountability Office has said, </p>
<table style="border-style: none; background-color: transparent; margin: auto; border-collapse: collapse;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="text-align: left; padding: 10px; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: rgb(178, 183, 242); font-size: 35px; font-weight: bold;" valign="top" width="20">“
</td>
<td style="padding: 4px 10px;" valign="top">… closing the
fiscal gap over the next 50 years would require action to be
taken today and maintained for each and every year going
forward equivalent to a 12.3 percent reduction in state and
local government current expenditures. Closing the fiscal
gap through revenue increases would require action of a
similar magnitude ….<sup><a>[4]</a></sup>
</td>
<td style="text-align: right; padding: 10px; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; color: rgb(178, 183, 242); font-size: 36px; font-weight: bold;" valign="bottom" width="20">” </td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>A subsequent report by the National Governors Association and
National Association of State Budget Officers found that FY2010
presented the most difficult challenge for states’ financial
management since the Great Depression.<sup><a>[5]</a></sup> </p>
<p>In total, states faced a budget shortfall of $113.2 billion in FY
2009. As substantial as that is, it is far less than the deficit
some have forecast for FY 2010. According to one such projection,
states could face a total shortfall of $142.6 billion this year.<sup><a>[3]</a></sup>
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has said that state and
local government could be facing a $10 trillion gap over the next
several years.<sup><a>[6]</a></sup>
</p>
<p>Federal “stimulus” funds, authorized under the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act, helped some states avoid some cuts in
programs and civil service employment. However, as the entry below
explains, that short-term fix carries costly consequences as well.<sup><a>[3]</a></sup> </p>
<a href="http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/State_budget_issues%2C_2009-2010" target="_blank">http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/State_budget_issues%2C_2009-2010</a><br>
</div>
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