Nixon’s “bold action” on budget lacks detail
Gov.-elect Jay Nixon just released his initial five-point plan for coping with the state’s projected $342 million budget shortfall.
But if you thought it would highlight any specific cuts, you were wrong.
Saying that the state’s economic problems require “bold action to make government smaller, more efficient ansd more responsive,” Nixon anounced that when he takes office on Jan. 12, he will:
– Require each state agency to submit a plan to reduce its expenditures before the current fiscal year ends June 30.
– Freeze all new long-term state contracts for goods and services.
– Review capital improvement projects that have not yet broken ground and analyze the cost of completing those that are under way.
– Order performance reviews of every major state program and see whether some can be consolidated.
– Get a report from the Department of Economic Development on which tax credits are producing jobs.
In a telephone interview, Nixon said that while the moves wouldn’t produce instant savings, “each one of these things lays the groundwork for a decisionmaking process” that will make state government leaner.
“I will make the challenging decisions to ensure the budget is balanced and to move the state forward,” he said. “We can’t sit around and wait for Washington to solve our problems.”
The budget crunch is bound to make it hard for Nixon to advance his campaign priorities, such as reinstating Medicaid coverage for 100,000 low-income adults and providing four years of free college tuition to eligible students who start at community colleges. But Nixon says he is still committed to those goals.
Asked to rate the chances of salvaging his campaign promises, Nixon said: “I don’t see it as salvaging. I really think budgets are about priorities.
“Right now we have challenging economic times. We need to get people working again, we need to get health care improved, we need to make college more affordable. The economic climate may have changed but my priorities haven’t changed.”
Nixon, a Democrat, said he’ll be looking to the Republican-led Legislature for help in crafting bipartisan solutions. He will meet Friday with the Senate Republican Caucus during the GOP legislators’ annual retreat in Branson, Mo.
“I’m encouraged by their invitation,” Nixon said.
Anyone know what qualifies as “low-income?” What do the 100,000 ADULTS that need Medicaid bring home?
I couldn’t help but wonder how much larger the deficit would be if BLunt hadn’t cut all those deadbeats off of Medicaid. I look forward to seeing Nixon’s solution to this.
Nixon is a blow hard. The GOP gave him this race. Blunt’s last minute bow out and Kenny Hulshoff who nobody really knows. We cannot put these deadbeats back on Medicaid. I do not want my taxes going to them. Period.
Nixon’s magic solution: Raise taxes. I’ll save a few minutes for his speech writer … just copy and paste this:
Republicans point with pride to Missouri’s status as a low tax state. In fact, in a time when we are in need of substantial investments in our state, this is not a point of pride, but of shame. Low taxes represent missed opportunities for improving our infrastructure, investing in education for our children, and providing healthcare for the most vulnerable citizens of our state.
States with higher tax rates are seeing worse budget deficits than Missouri. Look at Illinois, they have a higher tax rate than Missouri and their infrastructure is falling apart, schools haven’t received higher funding, and the state is facing a $ 2 billion deficit. Raising taxes doesn’t solve all the problems, it’s about making priories on a budget that must make sure that the most important things (schools, public safety, roads) receive the funding needed. Higher taxes won’t bring in all the money needed and will not encourage anyone to invest in Missouri if they are taxed more for any income they bring in.
I can also write the op/eds that will appeer in the Post next spring
Nixon = great humanitarian that only wants to help
GOP in the Legislature = Evil SOBs that won’t give St. Nixon the money he needs (tax increases)
Eric, Eddie, Kevin: what do you say we triple the tax on newspapers, and 100% will go to restore Medicaid?
Way to “lay ground work”. That is just what we need. Oh and now that we have no money we are still going to pay for college and insurance for more people. I called it in an earlier post. Nixon has no “onions”. Being a governor is much different that being a prosecuter. Unpopular decisions will have to be made.
How about cutting Division of Family Services. These short-haired, twisted lesbians TELL parents how you can/can’t raise your children why they suck you dry finacially w/ help from the courts. Review capital improvement projects? Go low bid, in-state or out? Nepotism be damned. It’s who you know, how much can I get, & what’s the daily per-diem. I have sooooo much to say, sooooo little space.
Sounds like a re-making of the Holden B movie. Hanaway and Bearden stood up to Holden and the Republican Senate back during the last economic crisis and turned out to be right.
Hope Richard’s and Icet and the rest of the House have the intestinal fortitude and smarts that Hanaway and the House had back then. They may be the only line of protection for the taxpayers.
It is typical Democrat talk. It means he doesn’t have a clue. But maybe if he waits long enough, things will get better on their own and he can take credit for it. Or, when the Republican general assembly tackles the problem, he can criticize it as being mean spirited when funding cuts have to be made somewhere. Whatever the case, you won’t hear Jay Nixon giving any specifics on what needs to be cut. After all, he’s a Democrat and their solution is always the simple one, raises taxes to pay for it. But with a Republican general assembly, we don’t have to worry about that for another couple of years.