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Friday: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
posted at 2009-08-14 23:42 | Last modified 2009-08-15 10:23
It was looking like a slow news day today till about 5pm, when I first got word (via Twitter) that Governor Bev Perdue had issued Executive Order 21, instituting a 5 percent cut to the same budget she signed one week ago today.
At first, I thought it had to be a misunderstanding. Nope. The order, online here, lays it all out.
I called Perdue's office for an explanation. Spokesman David Kochman says the cut won't apply to public schools, public safety, or Medicaid. He says it's a cash-flow management strategy:
"As you know, the state, when they passed the budget last week, included several new sources of revenue. However, those sources don’t kick in for some time. The impact of the sales tax increase will not be felt for several months until it’s implemented, until things like holiday shopping where a big spike in the revenue will increase. And the income tax, we won’t feel the impact of that until next year."
So why did Perdue sign a budget she knew wasn't fiscally sound? Kochman didn't answer that question directly, but he did imply the cuts were a stopgap measure. Our conversation was short - I was running back and forth, hosting the show - but what I've got is here (1:54).
Listen Now!
I can buy the "delayed revenue" rationale for the cut, but why drop it late on a Friday afternoon? And why DID the Governor sign the darned thing if she knew it wouldn't work as advertised?
It seems to me it'd be in Perdue's best interests to provide some answers to those questions in a policy speech soon. Her poll numbers are in the tank, and "erratic" is about the most charitable description out there for her last few entrees into the budget battle. If there's a larger strategy behind it all, this would be an excellent time to let the rest of us in on it.
UPDATE: Char-O's Mark Johnson points out that the order also loosens travel and hiring restrictions on agencies, a point I missed on first read. His story on it's here.
Kudos
By the way, I'd like to point out we took this story from tweet to air in 22 minutes, thanks in large part to health reporter Rose Hoban who's filling in as editor this week. I wrote and interviewed, she cut tape and loaded it. I'm pretty sure that's a record. Oh, and she had a great feature on the air this afternoon, too, about Thursday night's town hall meeting in Durham with Congressman David Price. I'll post a link to it here when I get one.
Comments? Drop me a line.
