First off, NH:
As it currently stands, the budget will exceed $12 billion for the first time ever. The cost of running state government will be about $9,000 for every man, woman, and child in NH. Is your family getting its money’s worth? Can you afford to pay your share? Here are the numbers from the last budget and the proposed budget:
(H/T: RLCNH)
Those are pretty large increases, given the current rate of inflation (under 2%). I’ve always maintained that the increase of Government should never be larger than that of the average person’s rise in income. Which in most cases, is right around the rate of inflation. And was to we get as reasoning From the UL:
Gov. Chris Sununu’s proposed bottom line is not too far above the House Finance Committee’s net appropriations. The budget Sununu first introduced in February is $12.2 billion, which includes federal and other funds.
State Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, the chairman of the House Finance Committee, said the House budget writing team worked to balance the budget while lowering the use of state tax dollars, where applicable. In some cases, the budget taps settlement monies. The budget, for example, directs up to $22 million of New Hampshire’s share of the Volkswagen settlement agreement to the state Department of Transportation to help the DOT buy equipment.
“There are no increased taxes. There are no new taxes. There are no new fees. There are no increased fees in this budget,” Kurk said. “We live within our means.” The House Finance Committee voted 16-9 to pass the budget legislation as amended. Two Democrats joined 14 Republicans in support of it.
Republicans tell us they are the Party of lesser taxes and smaller government. This is not smaller government. And with all due respect (ahem!) to Kurk, that money doesn’t grow on trees. It has to come from somewhere and since Government can’t give money to something that it hasn’t first taken it from others, this is a sleight of hand distraction. SOMEbody SOMEwhere is paying more. The question is where? The better question is “and will those monies be there again next year”? And the year after that, ad nauseum?
If you think so, come with me – have I got a “get us all RICH plan” that you’ll just LOVE to invest in!
Aye, the rub – the budget gets yet another rachet upward. Like all government budgets, this will set the new floor for the next ones. I would expect that from the Democrats but now the Republicans are doing it? They own the House, they own the Senate, and they own the Governorship. They OWN this budget.
So after many years of not being in control, the first thing they do is UP the budget?
And they want their base to vote for them again?
