re: If you need a reason to vote for Rispone

Here we go with this again.
Unless either side cares to define precisely what they mean when they use the terms surplus/deficit, what happens with the “surplus” funding, what immediately gets cut in the case of a deficit this is meaningless.
Neither are absolutely good or bad on the surface and the idea that bureaucrats actually nail revenues and expenditures to the penny is ludicrous.

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Unless either side cares to define precisely what they mean when they use the terms surplus/deficit, what happens with the “surplus” funding, what immediately gets cut in the case of a deficit this is meaningless.

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Government spending 101:

States approves a budget. The budget is an authorization to spend: each department is authorized to spend X dollars over the 12 month period.

Our "balanced budget requirement" basically says our projected revenues - in LA, determined by the Revenue Estimating Conference - can't be less than the totals of the budget authorizations.

Throughout the year, the Revenue Estimating Conference meets and updates their revenue number.

If the revenue number goes down, the budget authorizations must be cut by a similar amount.

If the revenue number goes up, the governor has the ability to increase budget authorizations up to a certain percentage, beyond that, it must go back to the legislature. He doesn't HAVE to increase the budget authorizations. This is why the GOPers with the REC fought so hard to prevent any new revenue from being recognized mid-year.

But we knew all along that the revenue numbers were going to be higher than the original number, and that an end of year surplus would result.

After the budget closes, if there turns out to be any shortfalls, generally by raiding the rainy day fund. If there is a surplus, there are laws that dictate how that surplus can be used.

Here's the real-life problem - because of our fiscal cycle and when our legislature is in session, and the fact that fiscal issues can only be considered every 2 years, by the time we realize we have a real surplus, and if it looks like it will continue, by the time we could act to cut taxes, the next year is almost over.

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Edwards thinks a surplus is a good thing.

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HIS type of a surplus is a huge negative. Unfortunately, many can’t understand that the surplus is not a result of new business being generated rather than taking from earners.

It’s laughable & sad that #1 JBE touts it & #2 his supporters think it’s growth. LOL!!

It didn’t take a brilliant mind to do what JBE did to reach a “surplus”. Any monkey could’ve raised those taxes.

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HIS type of a surplus is a huge negative.

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Good point. A lot of the time a surplus results from business growing faster than projected, that is NOT what we have here.

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Good point. A lot of the time a surplus results from business growing faster than projected, that is NOT what we have here.

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Edwards pushed hard to keep the one cent sales tax in early 2018. Republicans beat that back. In the third special session in May of 2018 the two sides finally compromised and the result was a .45 cent increase designed to bring in an extra 466 million dollars.

And a year later we saw the result of that tax increase combined with the other tax increases on rental cars, cell phones, cigs, and liquor; a 500 million dollar plus surplus.