The legislature passed a bill allowing Governor Perdue to cut $400 million in the current, but it also had a long list of transfers from various funds to save even more. The Governor didn’t like transferring the money from those funds, including the One North Carolina Fund, over which she has control, so she vetoed it. But now Republican leaders are putting the matter back in her lap. The Senate this week is taking up SB109, which directs the Director of the State Budget Office to find $537,740,799 in cuts. The bill specifically says the director should identify “non-General Fund accounts” from which money could be transferred as part of the savings. Those transfers would have to be made by the end of June. The measure leaves it up to the Governor to find where to make the cuts. That’s the authority Perdue wanted when the first bill was drawn up. Those savings are supposed to build a cushion in the current budget to ease some of the pressure on those writing the new spending plan. They are staring at a budget shortfall of nearly $2.5 billion.
I am one North Carolinian who is fed up with all this nonsense over spending. The can has been kicked down the road long enough. As my father used to say, “Do something or get off the pot”. It’s high time the General Assembly got busy and took the bull by the horns now that conservatives are in the majority. Unless they are also a part of the problem. Cut the stupid budget!!!! I can’t spend more than I take in so why should they???? We all know where that takes us and that is exactly where we’re at in this state. And I don’t mean cut it a few million, I mean cut spending to the bone and balance the budget. This is hurting all of us not just one party or the other. I don’t overspend my budget so why should YOU??????????