Oh No, They’re Going Back to Work

In these tough economic times, you would think that everyone would be happy to see Missourians going back to work. The single exception to this would have to be the Missouri General Assembly, who after a week-long spring break will be returning today to the Capitol.

The same group that has ignorantly brought infrastructure projects to a screeching halt and worked to cut programs for seniors, children and the mentally ill will come back to a House Budget with over $1 billion in cuts ready to be amended on the House Floor.

House Minority Leader Paul LeVota has eloquently pointed out several times to the rest of the House that the Budget process under their rules is flawed. You see, the Budget Chairman, Representative Allen Icet, is given supreme authority in the House as to what the maximum spending will be. If you want to add funding to a program, you must decrease funding to another program – all without the federal funding that is supposed to carry Missouri through these tough economic times.

These arbitrary rules mixed with the Majority’s refusal to use stimulus funds has already forces Democrats and moderate Republicans to take funds from programs necessary to implement the line items they have restored funding to.

This is no simple oversight by the Budget Chairman. As sponsor of House Joint Resolution 23, often referred to as TABOR, he is trying to force the House to comply with his misguided Constitutional Amendment before the voters even have the chance to vote on it.

This kind of shortsighted budgeting will guarantee a quick downturn in essential state services, loss of even more jobs, and federal funds meant for Missouri traveling to California, Illinois, and Massachusetts.