The Dangers of Expecting Gifts
One of the tricks our legislators used to balance the recent budget was an assumption that the federal government would find an additional few hundred million to give to the state's Medicaid program.
The federal spending bill has been delayed passage in Washington as the US Congress struggles to figure out how to pay for the massive new spending initiative/transfer to states.
Governor Beshear has no empathy for such questions about how can taxpayers possibly afford the new spending, however. He wants the gift from taxpayers and he wants it now!
Gov. Steve Beshear says the state could come up nearly $240 million short early next year if a federal spending bill defeated by a Senate Republican filibuster doesn't pass.
...
Beshear said that having to re-balance the budget to offset the loss of nearly $240 million would be a "horrendous" task. He said virtually every state program would face significant reductions.
Some out there in Kentucky's blogisphere are actually blaming Congress because of Kentucky's obviously faulty assumption that this spending was preordained. Instead, Congress is pursuing a bill that creates over $100 billion in additional deficit spending (as well as $40 million or so in new taxes), despite passing PAYGO rules and making other overtures to give the appearance of a commitment to reducing the deficit.
But Beshear doesn't care how the ransom is collected, so long as he gets his cash as doesn't have to face a 'horrendous' task.
