Can Republicans Fix the State Budget?by: ProfessorMikeMon Nov 15, 2010 at 16:49:23 PM EST |
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( - promoted by Dean Barker) This afternoon I was watching a tape of Sunday's "Close Up New Hampshire," and as usual I was amazed by the Republicans on the show. There were two Republican legislators who are in the running to be the new Speaker of the House. It seemed like they answered just about every question by saying that the people had elected Republicans to balance the state budget and to repeal tax hikes created by the current Democratic legislature. What they didn't say was how they were going to do this. I think that there is a reason for this. They can't do it! For want of a better term, the New Hampshire State Budget is a no gain economic system. You have a fixed amount of money. If you cut taxes you have less money to pay for services. This is complicated in New Hampshire by the lack of a broad based tax. So if the cost of services goes up, we really don't have a way to get necessary funds without creating new ways to raise money. Of course this is nothing new in this problem. I was in the legislature in 1971-72 when Governor Peterson decided to support an income tax. Of course this led to his defeat and we had six years of as Meldrim Thomson, Jr. as governor. Over the years, this has just gotten worse and we have now reached the breaking point. I'm sure that we are going to see gambling bills and we will hear the "Granite State" is going to become the "casino state." Yes this will bring in money but how will we pay the costs of the problems that casino gambling. Also what do we do next, legalized prostitution or marijuana sales at State Liquor Stores? The only way they can accomplish what they consider to be their voter mandated goal is to cut social programs in the budget. Poorer citizens, those who are in need of help, school children, etc., don't vote in large numbers. What this is really about? It is the rich getting richer at the expense. We can't let them do this. If we can't prevent it then we need to ensure that everyone knows what is happening to us. The Republicans will fail keep their so-called promises to the voters. We need to make sure that the voters know that they have been had. |