(The following is a guest column from Dr. Rand Paul. I added some links.)
What Budget Shortfall?
When Republicans act like Democrats, who is the taxpayer to trust? Recently, Senate Republican President David Williams has agreed to go along with the Democrats and raise taxes.
Williams apparently drank the Democrat Koolaid and accepts their argument that Kentucky has a budget shortfall. One would think with all the years Williams has spent in Frankfort he would understand the gamesmanship involved in budget numbers.
Budget numbers are chewed, crunched and passed around according to each partisan’s political agenda. So, Governor Beshear and his fellow Democrats cry long and hard that we have a $456 million budget shortfall.
But do we really?
The government’s own statistics show that even in this recession this year’s tax receipts are exceeding last year’s receipts. So where do they get the so-called shortfall?
The Kentucky Budget is short only in “projected” revenue: what the politicians “want” to spend, their “proposed” budget. This year’s revenues continue to exceed last year’s revenue. Let me repeat. Kentucky has more money coming in this year than last. This fact cannot be overstated.
Yet, even if we had a shortfall, where is the opposition? Where is the voice that once called for spending reductions not tax increases? Where is the voice that argues that raising taxes, any taxes, in a recession is a mistake?
We need to have two parties in Kentucky. We need to hear opposing arguments. David William’s capitulation on the budget simply gives up the fight and shows that perhaps there is not that much difference between the political parties. Or that Senator Williams is perhaps carrying water for the wrong team.
Rand Paul
Chairman
Kentucky Taxpayers United
