Malloy's budgetary gimmicks disguised as promised cuts

Malloy's budgetary gimmicks disguised as promised cuts The most glaring inconsistency is the list of the governor’s cuts. Senate Republican staff analyzed those so-called cuts, and they add up to $137 million. That’s nowhere near the governor’s promise of $758 million in cuts. So what’s going on here? The governor is using a host of budgetary gimmicks, and he has gotten creative by expanding the definition of the word “cut.” You see, by not increasing spending in several areas of state government to fully account for annual inflation, the governor says he’s “cutting spending” by nearly $100 million. Other “cuts,” which actually do nothing to decrease government spending from current levels, include: Transferring agency equipment monies to bonding ($27 million) Removing funding for government jobs that are already vacant ($9 million) Anticipating savings from corrections officers and lieutenants which have not yet begun negotiations ($10 million) And, removing rate and/or funding increases that were statutorily scheduled to occur over the biennium. These “reductions” total $294.6 million in 2012 and $456.6 million in 2013. These are not reductions to current state expenditures. These are not cuts. The size and cost of state government will be largely unchanged. This revelation directly contradicts the governor’s central argument for proposing a $1.5 million tax increase in the first place. He said Connecticut’s fiscal crisis could be solved through “shared sacrifice.” State employees would sacrifice through union concessions, taxpayers through increased taxes, and state government would shoulder its share of the burden by vastly reducing spending. But when all is said and done, “shared sacrifice” under the governor’s 2012 budget looks like this: $1.9 billion in revenue changes, including the largest tax increase in Connecticut history. 58 percent of the solution $1 billion in thus-far unrealized labor concessions, 30 percent of the solution $137 million in net spending reductions: 4 percent of the solution The remaining 8 percent, or $294.6 million is composed of “cuts” that are not really cuts. This imbalance is stunning, frustrating and, for some of us, maddening. But then again, there is a lot of that going around in Connecticut this month. Republican state Sen. Rob Kane represents the 32nd Senatorial District, which includes Bethlehem, Bridgewater, Middlebury, Oxford, Seymour, Southbury, Thomaston, Roxbury, Watertown and Woodbury. Read more: Malloy's budgetary gimmicks disguised as promised cuts - Norwich, CT - Norwich Bulletin http://www.norwichbulletin.com/archive/x479635065/Malloys-budgetary-gimmicks-disguised-as-promised-cuts#ixzz1IPBmCI9h