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Rep. Doug Ericksen’s
statement on state’s economic and revenue forecast
“Today’s economic and
revenue forecast has exposed how an ill-advised budgeting approach has
left our state’s finances vulnerable.
“It’s important for Washingtonians to know that our economy is not
under-performing – state government is just over-spending. We don’t have
a revenue problem – we have a spending problem.
“The governor and majority party have increased state spending 33
percent in the last four years – over $8.2 billion. Our budget is
structured in a way that its spending rate is twice that of its revenue
rate. Families cannot budget this way, small businesses cannot do this,
and state government should not embrace this risky approach.
“When state lawmakers convene for the next legislative session in
January 2009, the state will likely be facing a massive budget
shortfall. If the state had budgeted more responsibly, it wouldn’t be
facing this scenario.”
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For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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