A Budget Success Story

Democrats try to create the impression that cutting budgets just can’t be done. They want people to throw up their hands and resign themselves to ever-escalating state and federal budgets and deficits. It is true, of course, that enacting any budget at all–let alone one that cuts spending–can be very difficult. This is because of Democratic obstructionism. The Democrats themselves create the problem that they tell us is too intractable to be solved.
Today, my home state of South Dakota became the first state this year to adopt a budget. It was sent to Governor Dennis Daugaard for his signature this afternoon. South Dakota’s budget is one that taxpayers in most states can only imagine. It eliminates a $127 million structural deficit. It cuts the budget of every Executive Branch agency by at least 10 percent. It also provides for small cuts in both K-12 education and Medicaid. It relies on no one-time spending fixes, and it includes zero tax increases.
How does South Dakota do it? Easy. Both houses of the legislature are overwhelmingly Republican; this year’s budget passed the House 46-23 and the Senate 28-6, “mostly on party lines.” And the Governor is a Republican too. Without Democratic obstruction, budgeting suddenly becomes manageable again.
I’m working on the lyrics to a new song. It’s going to go something like this:
Imagine there’s no Democrats
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to spend more money on
And no left-wingers too
Imagine all the people
Living life in solvency.

I like it! Now I just have to think of a catchy tune.

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