A Sobering Look at the Budget

Like a lot of things in the government transparency hard to come by. On the topic of "reform" you would be surprised by the diversity of numbers regarding the debt in our state. So the questions beckons;  

What is out States Budget? 

What is our states actual deficit? 

According to the our governor our budget is;

"During the 2011-13 budget period, Washington state will spend about $75.5 billion to provide programs and services to citizens." (Governor Chris Gregoire) 

A sad truth,  (also a talking point for conservative legislatures) is that that number is actual a record profit for the state. So we are taking in more money then ever have before this cycle, but we don't have the funds to cover the short fall. But what is the short fall how much does out state actually owe?  

"The state was projected to have a deficit of $4.6 billion in 2011–13"(Governor Chris Gregoire) 

Overall the number doesn't seem to high but when we look at the overall cost of government its pretty bad. We could cut all the prisons (1.8 billion) all natural resource programs (1.6 billion) and half of the government employees and offices (2.15 billion) and we would just break even. (source:  Governor Chris Gregoire) 


Even tho our shortfall is only 18% of the over all income our state bring in, balancing the budget is going to be  hard thing to do. As we have seen in Wisconsin, balancing the budget can be a very unpopular thing to do.

A Test of Leadership: Budget Cuts

"As a general rule, politicians -- from the local level right up to the presidency -- hate uncertainty. When the public is as deeply divided (or confused) about such a major issue as the budget and the possibility of a government shutdown, politicians are left with no obvious course of action to move forward. In the face of such uncertainty, politicians typically punt -- pushing off the hardest decisions until there is more clarity in public opinion." (Washington Post)

With regard to the potential government "shut down" and the clashes with unions, at what point should our elected officials provide leadership instead of working for group consequences? We often times advocate for our legislature to listen to the will of the people, but when the governed  is divided when should they press on? This is a tough question for any leader to answer. In my view however i feel that out leaders should do what they feel is best especially when the times are as dark as this. Inaction is as dangerous as any option out there, and i would hope that our officials would listen to the people and do what they feel is best for the whole of America.