Scott Walker’s Bloom Fading As Budget Imbalance Grows

One might recall the question that many were asking at the start of this year, including on this blog.

What is to be done with the projected $900 million surplus that seems to be burning a hole in the pockets of the Wisconsin State Legislature?

As I stated at the time “This is not the first surplus when a governor and legislature got all giddy, or when the monies were all given out in one fashion or another.  No one can see the future, and while we all want tomorrow to be bright we have to be grounded in reality when making such big policy choices.”

Who honestly thought that the degree to which taxes were cut in this state would not at some point impact the revenues being collected that are needed to ensure government operates as we desire?  With lusty excitement every time a cut was proposed Republicans rushed to make sure it was quickly passed, and signed by Governor Scott Walker.

One of the themes that the GOP keeps pushing is that they have a better ability to make sound fiscal decisions for the state, and proof of that, they claim, is the balanced budget.  Well, now we can scratch that budget being balanced item from their talking points with the news that a $281 million funding gap will greet the next session of the state legislature.

The news that Wisconsin’s tax collections for the past year came in 2 percent short of estimates, is not what can be called a shocker.  There has been concern for some time that the price for the cuts at some point would catch up with a state that still has not caught its economic breath after the national recession.  While states around us are faring much better, Wisconsin seems mired in the mud and finding it tough to move forward.

In case anyone who does not follow such news regarding state finances, but understands the importance of the fall election, may think this is just politics and an attempt to undermine Walker.  But the news is not partisan in that it came from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

This blog called out the governor and his conservative allies in the Republican-controlled legislature over many of the tax cuts that have totaled around $2 billion since Walker took office.  We all can recall that there were voices of caution about the $500 million tax cut in March of this year, but when it comes to passing tax cuts as breathlessly as has happened far too often under the statehouse dome it just is hard to slow them down in order to talk sense.

There is going to be a lot of spinning from Republicans as they wish to win an election and also sound credible over an issue that was sooner or later going to rear it’s head and bite them in the backside.   But the public is well aware of the political actions that once again positions our state in a place Republicans promised we would never need return, that being an unbalanced budget.

Earlier this year I wrote that at the end of the day there is always a variety of ways that money can be spent.   That is, after all, one of the easiest parts about governing.

Seems some prudence from Scott Walker was what this state needed more than another tax cut.