Charleston Budget Case Study

Regardless of a hyped up sense of crisis depicted in news reports, a commonality of purpose and methodology exist between the various political elements in Charleston. The purpose is satisfying the budget shortfall, and the methodology is replenishing that shortage with higher taxes.
West Virginia voters should demand the legislature submit a budget to the governor that matches projected income, and then be adamant the governor does his job by cutting the size of government. The legislature and governor must be courageous and make cuts in every department until outgo matches the projected revenue stream.
Negotiations should begin only at this point, and raising taxes must be off the table.
Reduced revenue is no excuse to raise taxes. Have we not had enough of politicians raising taxes saving a grossly inflated bureaucracy, satisfying lobbyists, and kowtowing to public unions? Far too many in the Senate and House choose the wrong side by saving the bureaucrats and sacrificing taxpaying citizens. …show more content…
You won’t hear them impart the fact that the net result is still a raise in state revenue, which means large tax increases for everyone.
Every study finds West Virginia bureaucracies are bloated, inefficient, disorganized, and in many cases corrupt. Countless legislators somehow believe there is an unwritten law against the state doing what taxpayers must do; live within income restraints by slashing expenses when our incomes decrease. Will the lurking masses of unseen, unelected administrative bureaucrats win? If hundreds of millions in shortfalls isn’t the time to slash, then when