Julian Walker over at Pilot on Politics sobers the Commonwealth like a cold shower:
The report argues that “the state’s best strategy” to ford the choppy economic sea is “a balanced combination of modest spending cuts and new revenue measures to strengthen the revenue recovery.”
A “cut-only approach,” it adds, “will likely impede our economic recovery and cost both public and private sector jobs.”
New revenue is code for some kind of tax, a verboten option to Gov. Bob McDonnell and many of his Republican colleagues in the House of Delegates.
OH NOES!!! Let’s all panic at the same time…
Of course, remember the source… The Commonwealth Institute (for Higher Taxation), a group affiliated with the — wait for it — the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, an organization which to call them “left-leaning” would be an insult to liberals everywhere. Consider the CBBP’s recently issued press release on the Boehner budget:
House Speaker John Boehner’s new budget proposal would require deep cuts in the years immediately ahead in Social Security and Medicare benefits for current retirees, the repeal of health reform’s coverage expansions, or wholesale evisceration of basic assistance programs for vulnerable Americans.
The plan is, thus, tantamount to a form of “class warfare.” If enacted, it could well produce the greatest increase in poverty and hardship produced by any law in modern U.S. history.
Non-partisan? What — is that because no sane political party would have you?!
Interestingly enough, the Commonwealth Institute uses the innocuous sounding budget shortfalls… not actual revenue shortfalls.
Gotta love “budget cuts” as opposed to real cuts. My budget this year for the family includes a PlayStation 3. Mrs. Kenney can veto it… and I’ll cry it’s a “budget cut” to my kids.
Still ain’t getting a PS3 anytime soon. *sigh*
