[Amerigomag]

The budget passed in 2003 was actually about 4% larger than Davis proposed but the comparison to the two proposals is startling in light of the claims being trumpted by the media this afternoon.

[Support Free Republic]

[heleny]

Sharpen that blue pencil, Governor!

[heleny]

Total Spending -- increased 2.8%

On another thread, the proposed 2004-05 budget is $99.1 Billion, or about the same as what passed last year ($98.9 Billion according to a summary on the LAO's page) after the Democrats tacked on a few billion to Davis' proposal. That would only be a 0.2% increase.

[CyberCowboy777]

The "CUTS" cry is all to common.

While not a voter I pay taxes in Oregon (live in Washington)
and I heard this all day and night while the tax increase was debated.

They are not CUTS in the sense being projected, they are cuts in huge increases. Increases that exceed inflation and population growth numbers. Yet they bellow at the top of their lungs that we are cutting budgets to the bone.

I particularly like the statements from schools and jails - "We will have to lay off teachers and cut school days", "We will have to let prisoners out".

All the while up to 25% of school budgets are non classroom teachers and administrators and the State spends monies on cultural awareness programs instead of keeping Johnny Wife Beater in jail.

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for posting this.

I was looking at the $99+ billion dollars budget proposal and wondering where we had seen that figure or anything approaching it before. Deja puuu :-\

WE'll see what ends up rolling out on the showroom floor after all the re-engineering is done..

I hope they have some money budgeted for air in the tires on this "lean mean" budgetmobile.

[BIGZ]

What are, RECOURCES, ENVIROMENTAL PROTECTION, LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUBVENTIONS? What percent of the total budget does each account for?

[Scenic Sounds]

It's a real mess. The only answer is to make the cuts that can be made and to raise taxes. In the current environment, it is politically difficult to raise current taxes, so instead we're going to raise future taxes through bonds.

There just aren't any magical answers. ;-)