The end is coming. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I’m not sure if I am going to be run over or if I’m running from the light. It has been much different session because of all the challenges to the budget, yet at the end of the day the business of the people will be finished for another year. We’ve debated bills related to texting, bills related to fishing, and bills related to cigarettes and tobacco. We will be debating bills related to liquor. With all of these bills related to vices I am worried to what is going to happen next.
For the first time since I’ve been elected, we have funded a significant number of ongoing programs with one-time money called the federal stimulus package. (good thing or bad thing?) For the sake of our children and our children’s children I hope that this isn’t a practice we continue in future years.
The budget has been cut roughly 10% from last years like many of our personal budgets that we’re dealing with. The challenge has been identifying essential services that government should provide versus services that have made their way into the budget over the years that are nonessential. Some of the balancing that has taken place will be on the backs of public employees with reduced benefits and asking them to do more for less. I intended this to be an upbeat feel-good sort of blog, however in reflecting on where our economy is sometimes it’s hard to find the silver lining in the dark clouds. I’m sure that as we work together as citizens of our great state, that silver lining will be found.