JUNEAU -- State lawmakers are preparing to reject Gov. Sarah Palin's plan to cut state spending, including $93 million for schools, and replace it with federal economic stimulus money. That would set up a showdown between the Legislature and the governor, a relationship already fouled by lots of bad blood.
Sitka Republican Sen. Bert Stedman, who leads the state Senate effort on the stimulus, said Tuesday the "likelihood is not high" that the Senate will agree to the plan. Senate President Gary Stevens, a Kodiak Republican, said he thinks the Senate majority is in agreement that Palin's proposal is not a good idea.
"At this point (the plan) doesn't make any sense to me," Stevens said Tuesday.
The governor has balked at accepting nearly a third of the $930.7 million economic stimulus money that Alaska is eligible to get. She has heavily criticized the stimulus but said she'll take the money if the Legislature agreed to cut state spending -- mostly for education -- and use the federal money instead.
What many of the Democrats fail to understand is Governor Palin's plan does provide funds which allow schools to make improvements but will not expand several programs funded by the Stimulus Package. These new programs will cause a budget shortfall in the following years which the state will struggle to pick up. In a time when our Government and all of us should be cutting back the Alaska Democrats and the Obama Administration seem to be oblivious.
http://www.adn.com/news/government/legislature/story/759529.html
Posts
0 Response to "Governor Palin And Liberal Spending Democrats Feud Over Budget"