March 30, 2009

Rep. Alexander's statement on Senate Democrat budget proposal
'While Washington families are making do with less, state government is going to get more.  This budget spends more money than the last one,' says Alexander

Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Olympia, released the following statement today regarding the Washington State Senate Democrat budget proposal:

"The Senate's solution to closing the state's nearly-$9 billion budget shortfall is shortsighted, relies too much on one-time money, attempts to bait the public into buying off on a tax increase, and sets us up for budget shortfalls again in the near future.

"It seems Senate budget writers still don't get it.  While Washington families are making do with less, state government is going to get more.  This next biennium's budget actually spends more money than the last one when you add the one-time funding from the federal stimulus and capital budget transfers.

"Instead of streamlining government and delivering services more efficiently and effectively, the Senate proposes to use nearly $5 billion in one-time federal and state money to backfill the overspending of the last four years.  Because we're not actually making systemic changes to the process, we're going to be right back in the same situation in the very immediate future.

"The Senate proposes to borrow money for operating expenses by transferring capital budget dollars to the operating budget.  The reduction in capital budget money will then be backfilled by more bonding.  In essence, we're placing daily expenses on the state's credit card which is a horrible and shortsighted budgeting practice.  This sets us up for deficit spending down the road.

"Finally, making the most dramatic cuts in K-12 education is, I believe, a way of making the most noise possible with the budget reductions as a way to convince the public that a tax increase for education is needed.  This is not so.  We can balance the budget, fund education and protect our most vulnerable without raising taxes on hard-working families.

"Borrowing against our future, relying upon one-time money, and hoping for a tax increase at the ballot is not the type of leadership our state needs right now."

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