Pat, Pat, Pat myself on the back;
The governor said if lawmakers want to trim state spending, they must propose specific cuts to programs. He said he will not accept across-the-board cuts that call for agencies to provide the same level of services while reducing spending by a certain percentage.
The governor also chastised lawmakers who complain that the number of state employees has grown too much. He said many of those positions, the equivalent of 861 full-time employees, have been added at state universities to support increased student enrollment and research.
Define Many. I would be curious to know just what percentage of those 861 employees are working at the universities. Can anyone get me a link?
Oh, and the Republican and Democratic leadership are gearing up to make cuts (like they promise us every year);
Senate Republican Leader Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls said the governor proposed no new programs and is leaving it up to the Legislature to cut spending.
Senate Democratic Leader Scott Heidepriem of Sioux Falls criticized Rounds for not holding down spending in previous years and allowing the number of state employees to grow substantially. Democrats want across-the-board budget cuts.
Yeah, right. I’ll betcha my last dollar that both of these guys will vote for the 1 penny increase in sales taxes to build a new Events Center. Of course Dave has to vote for it, or he will be sleeping on the couch. “I can’t wait to increase the sales tax by one penny so we can build all kinds of things.” – Quen Be De Knudson
It’s time for everybody to start contacting our legislators and letting them know how we feel about the sales tax.
I’m not opposed to voting on it, but I think it will be a waste of time considering it will go down in flames. I hope the legislators have enough brains to realize that.