Friday, February 17, 2012
Arkansas Politics Partisan tricks in budget process
Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 9:07 AM
For those following the partisan politicization of the state budget process by the Republican Party, I'd recommend this thorough rundown by John Lyon and Rob Moritz of Stephens Media.
Minority Leader John Burris has pretty well made clear either earlier or in today's article that 1) Republicans targeted agencies they don't like much and 2) want to arbitrarily cut spending to make way for future tax cuts. Consequences in state services to citizens are NOT at the top, or even much of a part, of their agenda. They did not raise questions about these supposedly bloated agencies in the budgeting process that preceded the session. Why were they not making this case point by point before the Joint Budget Committee — with its bipartisan leadership?
They've waited until now to make a political show for the election season. It's cynical, it's partisan, it's designed to score points, not serve the public.
Arbitrary cuts don't make sense. Cuts just to make cuts don't make sense. A real reduction in an agency budget (not a reduction in rate of growth) means jobs and services will be lost. The idea to fund Medicaid from surplus is, as the governor noted, particularly alarming. Burris and Co. essentially want to set a new, lower baseline for Medicaid spending and thus require future draconian cuts in services to your grandmama in the nursing home; the factory worker on disability thanks to repetitive stress syndrome; the poor children of working parents in need of an antibiotic for an ear infection. Tax cuts have consequences.
I can't help but remember the Republican legislators who HOWLED at the removal of a Republican political appointee who was spending time at his pizza parlor when he should have been at his state office. Let's talk about government waste.
Speaking of...
-
Guns and fetuses: A legislative review
May 16, 2013Crazy Davy Carter, the House speaker who is a potential Republican candidate for governor, won headlines all over today for remarks at a legislative conference in Hot Springs that Republicans need to move beyond guns and abortion to focus on issues more important to average Arkies. /more/
-
Diamonds in the manure of the Arkansas legislature
May 9, 2013Some legislators and legislation shone. /more/
-
How the private option flipped the Medicaid expansion debate
May 2, 2013It took a group of clever and obstinate young Republican legislators who refused to go along with Medicaid expansion but weren't ready to close the door on other ideas. They helped force a crafty veteran Democratic governor who was eager to go forward with expansion to consider alternative approaches. Throw in tireless and creative state health officials who happened to have a cozy relationship with their federal It took a group of clever and obstinate young Republican legislators who refused to go along with Medicaid expansion but weren’t ready to close the door on other ideas. They helped force a crafty veteran Democratic governor who was eager to go forward with expansion to consider alternative approaches. Throw in tireless and creative state health officials who happened to have a cozy relationship with their federal counterparts. Probably some luck. And, among everyone involved, it took a slightly crazy, seemingly unjustified optimism that somehow a solution was possible. /more/
-
Head Start budget cuts announced
April 27, 2013A roundup to start this rainy Saturday morning:'* BECAUSE NO CONGRESSMAN USES A HEAD START CENTER: Administrators of Head Start agencies received word yesterday that budgets for the remainder of this fiscal year would be reduced 5.27 percent and that agencies could expect a similar cut in the 2014 budget barring action by Congress. /more/
-
Obamacare rules
April 18, 2013At press time, a Senate vote was still up in the air, but the thinking was that senators would join the House in its momentous approval Tuesday of Medicaid expansion by a 77-23 vote. /more/
-
UPDATE: House committee endorses Medicaid expansion bill
April 9, 2013Republican Rep. John Burris is before the House Public Health Committee he chairs this morning to urge approval of the Medicaid expansion legislation. /more/
-
Republican lawmakers weigh "private option" legislation
April 2, 2013After weeks of discussion following the "private option" announcement, the legislature finally has an actual bill to debate. /more/
-
House overrides Beebe veto of voter ID bill
April 1, 2013At 2:20 p.m., the House is hearing arguments from Rep. Stephen Meeks to override Gov. Mike Beebe's veto of the bill to require a photo ID to vote in Arkansas. /more/
-
Republicans target existing Medicaid program
March 27, 2013One of the key appeals of the "private option" to Republican lawmakers is that it moves significant populations that now get coverage under Medicaid out of the public program and onto subsidized private insurance. /more/
-
Republican Party 'scary,' 'narrow minded' and 'out of touch'
March 18, 2013Hold on now. That's not me talking. /more/
- More »
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
More by Max Brantley
-
Monday night line
The comment line is open. Final words: * TOM COTTON STATEMENT ON OBAMA: 'MOSTLY FALSE': Politifact has reviewed U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton's overhyped statement on the House floor on terrorism during the administration of President Obama versus what he claimed were zero events under George W. Bush (not counting that little 9/11 thing).
- Apr 29, 2013
-
North Dakota takes the lead in the war on women
A sad day for Jason Rapert, who's luxuriating in attention over his leadership of the war on women's medical rights.
- Mar 26, 2013
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: UPDATE: FBI confirms State Treasurer Martha Shoffner's arrest, apparently for official misconduct
Razorblunder is just stoopid. The ONLY people who care about this are in Arkansas, TehLightbringer…
- on May 19, 2013
-
Re: UPDATE: FBI confirms State Treasurer Martha Shoffner's arrest, apparently for official misconduct
OK72076 has a valid point. Anything to detract attention away from the Obama Justice Department,…
- on May 19, 2013
-
Re: Sunday morning: IRS, Kochs and movies
herr womack has a face for radio and a voice for silent movies.
- on May 19, 2013
Top Commenters
Blogroll
Slideshows
-
May 16, 2013
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
