<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Courtesy of KHQ at:</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "><a href="http://www.khq.com/story/20532502/id-dem-questions-otters-structural-balance-claim">http://www.khq.com/story/20532502/id-dem-questions-otters-structural-balance-claim</a></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; white-space: nowrap; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: none; "> </span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">-------------------------------------</div><div><div><h3 class="" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; clear: both; "><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">ID Dem questions Otter's structural balance claim</span></font></h3></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Idaho Democratic Rep. Shirley Ringo questioned Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's claim of a structurally-balanced budget.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ringo is on the budget-writing committee, which Tuesday got its first cursory look at Otter's budget.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Republican governor's new budget director, Jani Revier, reiterated Otter's assertion his $2.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2014 is in equilibrium - that ongoing expenditures are paid for with revenue that's likely to come in the door annually, not with short-term cash.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Ringo argued state employees are leaving for better-paying jobs and there's a backlog of aging highway infrastructure, challenges she says Otter's budget does nothing to address.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">State financial officer David Fulkerson told her Otter's budget focuses on his top priorities, leaving too little money for things like raises for state workers in the next year.</span></div></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--------------------</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Rep. Shirley Ringo</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><img src="cid:CA2774D7-E258-4981-AACD-E04F29526139" alt="image.jpeg" id="CA2774D7-E258-4981-AACD-E04F29526139" width="214" height="299"></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">-------------------------------------<br><br><div>Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .</div><div><br></div><div>"Moscow Cares"</div><div><a href="http://www.MoscowCares.com">http://www.MoscowCares.com</a></div><div> </div><div><div>Tom Hansen</div><div>Moscow, Idaho</div><div> </div></div><div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></body></html>