Idaho is a Few Hundred Million Dollars Short

Democrats demand a special session of the legislature.  House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel believes it’s needed and pronto.  Idaho is facing a revenue shortfall, and Governor Brad Little has issued an executive order for most state agencies to cut planned spending by three percent.  Public schools excluded.

Leader Rubel told Newsradio 96.1 FM and 1310 KLIX that she would target one specific area of education, citing the state’s school choice program.  She explained it would save 50 million dollars of the projected hundreds of millions, suddenly showing up in the red.

Fingers are Pointed in Many Directions

We heard a variety of opinions on-air today.  Ron Nate is President of the Idaho Freedom Foundation.  He believes cuts are needed in spending on government schools.

Jason Mercier is Vice President of the Mountain States Policy Center.  He advised calm, explaining the Governor is keeping Idaho in line with tax cuts emanating from the Trump White House.

One Billion and Counting?

We had a fourth bit of input on Tuesday.  State Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon predicted the budget deficit for Idaho could reach one billion dollars.  She told me she didn’t expect a special session.

From my perspective, we should have seen this coming last winter.  The Governor and House Speaker Mike Moyle both proposed massive tax cuts.  Then the Governor promised to make investments (the word is overused in his speeches).  So we’ll take in hundreds of millions of dollars less in taxes, then turn around and promise the moon, sun, and stars to a handful of special interests?

If you took a 10 percent pay cut starting today, would you buy a brand-new car tomorrow?