From our very own Times News:
“GOP lawmakers laud Idaho’s balanced budget”
The state GOP should be busy “lauding” their work in balancing the state budget. Most states are running huge, possibly unrecoverable budget deficits. The fact that Idaho managed to balance its budget in the middle of a recession is remarkable. It is fortunate that an Idaho Republican is different than a George Bush/John McCain Republican – our GOP doesn’t just talk-the-talk; they actually do what needs to be done, despite the whining from the tiny (but loud) minority party. Butch Otter deserves our thanks on this issue. Being “conservative” is more than giving speeches telling everyone how conservative you; it also requires action.
In the above article, I would like to point out the inconsistent Democrat message. The article states that Wendy Jaquet (D-Ketchum) said budget cuts to education were unavoidable; and then the article states that Keith Allred, Democrat running for governor, labels Otter as the first governor in history to cut funding to schools. So the cuts were unavoidable, but it is somehow Otter’s fault? Cheap, political pot-shots with no clear alternatives – except to borrow money or run up the debt – may be fine in California or Illinois, but Idahoans know better.
Governor Otter’s opponent in the fall election is Keith Allred. Yea, yea…he’s from Twin Falls. SO WHAT. That may add 1 or 2 “cool” points – but to an already very low score. He is the wrong type of leader for these tough times. Tax and spend, borrow and spend has been a disaster at the national level, and would be a disaster for Idaho.
Mr. Allred claimed to represent the Common Interest where he was able to successfully work with R’s, D’s and I’s across the aisle, then ran to the open arms of the Democrat party in Idaho to run his campaign. There isn’t much that is moderate about the Idaho Democrats; like their National brethren, they want to increase taxes, increase spending, and redistribute wealth (except out of Blaine County, where they want to keep all their exorbitant excesses to themselves…see previous blog, “Blaine Budget Blowout”). Why not run as an Independent? Running with The Libertarians, The Constitution Party, or even The Modern Whig Party would have shown a true “Independent” streak. Lurching to the far left, while aligning with the Democrats, especially in a year where they are universally despised, just seems to lack a base of core principles that must be present in any politician who would earn my support.
He talks about closing “special interest” loopholes, but never really defines any of them. It is sometimes necessary to offer tax incentives to get employers to locate in Idaho, especially since Idaho taxes corporate earnings, while other surrounding states do not. If giving up 1 million dollars in corporate taxes brings in 300 jobs that then contribute 10 million dollars in combined taxes, the so-called “loopholes” just may be a good idea.
He talks of lowering taxes, but then chooses careful phrases that simply mean “increasing spending”. He talks of “unleashing small businesses”, but never really says how. On his web-site, he still clings to his $80 million dollar “increased revenue forecast” nonsense. It isn’t there. It isn’t going to be there. It is called a “recession” for a reason, and his Democrat brothers in Washington DC are telling us that it is only getting worse. The other ridiculous notion of squeezing more taxes out of people by adding to the Idaho State tax Commission staff is also ludicrous. I call that “Growing Government” and despise even the thought. People are out of money, and they aren’t going to be simply handing over an extra $60 Million just because Keith said so.
It is very easy to make “pie-in-the-sky” projections to make yourself look wise and prudent. Joe Biden is out there today saying they “created or saved” three million jobs (using 2 Trillion dollars, and no actual proof or evidence). Look – I can do it too: “If I am elected Governor, I will dispatch Storm Troopers into every house in Sun Valley and confiscate enough loot to increase funding to education, to old people, and especially to the children of Idaho”.
Separating fact from fiction is becoming increasingly difficult in our society, especially with the misplaced, ever-changing idealism that politicians spew forth. The bottom line is that Otter and Co. balanced the budget, made the necessary cuts – no matter how painful – acted like responsible adults, and got the job done without borrowing against our kids’ futures based on nonsensical, overly-optimistic projections. It may have been stylish and fashionable to join the Democrats when Obama was riding high, hope and change was in the air, and Americans were patting themselves on the back for their electoral wisdom. The fact that Mr. Allred could not see the Obama train wreck coming, and chose to hop on the bandwagon to the fiscal destruction of America, is all I need to know.
