Peter Bragdon: The State Budget is Doing Less with More

Senate Minority Leader Peter Bragdon publishes his thoughts on the newly enacted state budget on the editorial page of the Union Leader:

Have you heard the latest spin by the tax-and-spenders who control state government these days? The Democrats say the new budget passed by the House and Senate and signed by Gov. John Lynch is "lean." They say we are doing more with less. And they say spending is reduced.

Don't believe a word of it!

At a time when 50,000 Granite Staters are out of work and paring their home budgets to fit declining incomes, government spending continues to grow at breakneck speed. Total spending in the new budget (including federal money) is up more than $1 billion -- that's billion, with a "b" -- according to the Legislature's nonpartisan Office of Legislative Budget Assistant, a 10.5 percent increase. I don't know many families that have increased their spending 10.5 percent in the last year or two, do you? (more)