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Rep. Alexander: Governor
misses chance to
restore truth in budgeting
Rep. Gary
Alexander,
R-Olympia, ranking Republican member of the House Appropriations
Committee, made this statement regarding Gov. Christine Gregoire’s
supplemental budget proposal:
“The governor could have
set an example for the legislators from her party by fashioning a
proposal that respects the spirit of the I-601 spending limit, repeals
the unnecessary death tax and reflects the real “Priorities of
Government.” Her proposal could have marked a return to truth in
budgeting, but instead she proposes a supplemental budget that
represents a spending increase of 16.1 percent from the previous
biennium, and continues to show a preference for “creative accounting”
over responsible, sustainable fiscal policy.
“Shifting $127 million
into a contrived "Pension Stabilization Account" and $464 million into a
contrived "Economic Stability Account" does not put that money out of
the reach of the legislators from her party. And at the end of the day
this budget takes more than a billion dollars out of the general fund,
when the additional cost of maintaining state programs for the remainder
of the biennium is less than $300 million.
“Are the Democrats
incapable of putting together a straightforward, transparent,
gimmick-free budget? Stashing money in new accounts with
responsible-sounding names is not the same as 'accountability.' This
supplemental budget just adds more shells to the shell game represented
by the original budget signed this spring.
“It’s disappointing that
with so much money in the state’s Christmas stocking, the governor still
claims her new death tax is necessary – when we could easily afford to
repeal that tax and allow the $100 million or so it represents to remain
in the economy.
“As questionable as the
governor’s budget is, the question now is whether the legislative
Democrats will go along with the governor, like they ultimately did with
Governor Locke in 2003, or blow on by like they did in 2005 – with
Governor Gregoire’s consent.
“If the governor couldn’t
say ‘no’ to the original 2005-07 budget that increased spending by 12
percent and led to tax increases, why should the taxpayers – or Democrat
legislators – believe she will whip out the veto pen if they go way
beyond her proposal for a second time?”
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For more information, contact:
Brendon Wold, Public
Information Officer: (360) 786-7698
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