Yes, this is going to keep coming up. All the way to November. (excerpt on the jump)
(Democrat House Finance Committee member Cindy) Rosenwald’s entire premise – that the 800 million dollar deficit is a myth fabricated by Republicans – turns on the fact that the State has to balance its budget (on paper), so how could there be a deficit? But then she tries to explain it and things go horribly wrong.
[so] how did the Republicans turn the reality of the Democratic surplus into the myth of the Democratic deficit? Well, the answer lies in the additional federal stimulus money that flowed into New Hampshire for two and a half years through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This extra money, $802 million in total, helped maintain essential safety net programs for vulnerable residents hit hard by the recession. The federal money was one-time assistance. The Democratic majority knew all along it would not continue, and that budget cuts would have to be made during the following biennium so that there would not be a deficit.
Wait a minute? You said the 800 million dollar deficit was a myth. Then you admit that Democrats needed $802 million in one-time money the state did not have to pay for their spending. Then you say the Democrat majority knew that budget cuts would have to be made during the following biennium so that there would not be a deficit. Not be a deficit. Not be a deficit?
So…If Democrats knew there was going to be an 800 million dollar deficit, how can the 800 million dollar deficit be a myth?
And if Democrats knew we would have to cut (because of the 802 million in one time money), to make sure there would be no deficit, why did Democrats freak out when Republicans cut that spending so there wouldn’t be a deficit just like you claim Democrats wanted?
